The iconic champagne house Veuve Clicquot has opened its seasonal pop-up in front of the five-star Hôtel Hermitage, and this year’s set-up is bigger and better than ever.
The celebrated champagne producer Veuve Clicquot has opened its exclusive pop-up bar in Monaco’s Square Beaumarchais.
The charmingly-named Veuve Clicquot Lounge Solaire is being hosted by the Hôtel Hermitage all summer until 1st October under the banner ‘250 years of Sunshine’, in reference to the iconic yellow label that has been its trademark since 1877.
Photo by Monaco Life
Visitors will be treated to a special menu featuring its celebrated bubbly, but also a range of drinks as well as a selection of savoury snacks such as salads, Poke bowls, wraps and the locally-adored pan bagnat.
There is something for the sweet-toothed too, including cookies, ice cream, cakes and fruit salads. The treats can be enjoyed with a “sit and sip” under the shade of an umbrella or to take away.
Photo by Monaco Life
The pop-up is open daily from 12pm to 8pm. On Sunday, live DJ Mr. Jaz will be providing a musical backdrop from 5pm to 8pm.
One million US dollars or around €925,000 might sound like a nice budget when shopping for a new home, but how much property can you really get for that in the world’s most expensive cities?
As it turns out, it’s not very much. A Knight Frank report into prime property and the costs per square metre in the world’s top-end residential markets has revealed that in some of the most expensive cities, a $US1 million budget will barely stretch to a studio apartment.
Monaco remains the world’s most expensive real estate market
Monaco retained its title as the most expensive residential market in 2022 with an average price per square metre that reached around €51 million. Prices across the Principality vary significantly, with the Jardin Exotique neighbourhood offering the best value for money at just under €35,000 per square metre, but prices soared in the seafront Larvotto quartier to over €62,000.
According to Knight Frank, prices in this seafront section of the Principality are expected to continue to grow in the coming years, particularly with the completion of the Mareterra project. Here, the price per square metre is anticipated to achieve a staggering €100,000, which would easily make it the most expensive residential development in the world.
So how much will $US1 million get you in Monaco today? Just 17 square metres.
Elsewhere in the world, the same budget will get you 21 square metres in Hong Kong, 33 in New York, and 34 in Singapore and London. Geneva and Paris come a little further down the list with a more generous 37 and 43 square metres respectively, but even that equates to a one or two-bedroom – at a push – property.
At the more favourable end of the prime property scale, a prospective buyer could get 150 square metres in Dubai, the location with the fastest rising prices and a 44% increase in prime property costs between 2021 and 2022. Cape Town at 218 square metres and Sao Paulo with 231 also offer a larger investment in terms of volume.
Did you know that the ties between Monaco, its Grimaldi family and the town of Villeneuve-Loubet go back almost 700 years?
Prince Albert II of Monaco spent Monday 12th June in the Alpes-Maritimes town of Villeneuve-Loubet, where he welcomed it into the fold of the Grimaldi Historic Sites network.
A long history
The ties between the Principality, its Grimaldi dynasty and Villeneuve-Loubet go back well into the Middle Ages to 1304, when Rainier I was awarded the castle there as a reward for helping save the royal fleet of Philippe Le Bel from a Flemish invasion. His son Charles and grandson Rainer II then inherited the fortress and kept it under Grimaldi influence for nearly a century.
The connections don’t stop there. A branch of the Grimaldi family, cousins from Antibes, also found the castle and vast tracts of land in the town in their hands in 1437, when Catherine Grimaldi, daughter of Georges Grimaldi, co-lord of Antibes and Cagnes-sur-Mer, acquired it along with her husband, Pierre Lascaris.
In more recent times, Albert I used lands in and around the town for shooting parties at the start of the 20th century.
The newest member of the Grimaldi Historic Sites
As part of his visit, the Prince met with Lionnel Luca, the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, to unveil a sign at the town’s entrance denoting its membership to the ever-growing Grimaldi Historic Sites network. The procession then led to the townhall, where speeches were given and another plaque was revealed to commemorate Prince Albert’s visit.
As the sovereign and his retinue exited the building, the mayor is said to have announced exuberantly to those gathered, “We’re not getting married… But we have a union to celebrate!”
From there, Prince Albert visited the Château de Vaugrenier, which dates from the 16th century, before heading back to the Principality.
The Grimaldi Historic Sites are a network of towns and villages that are historically linked to Monaco and the Grimaldi family. The community recently celebrated its connections with a large-scale event that took place on the Rock on 10th and 11th June.
Ferrari made their long-awaited return to 24 Hours of Le Mans over the weekend and celebrated the centenary of the iconic race with a victory.
Ferrari were competing in the race for the first time in 50 years, and at a particularly special edition of 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 100th event was one of the most dramatic in memory, with crashes throughout the field, as well as frequent and heavy showers that mixed up the racing over the course of the weekend.
Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
Toyota were the overwhelming favourites, having won the last five 24 Hours of Le Mans races, and having taken out every race in the World Endurance Championship this season.
However, the Ferrari team, driven by James Calado, Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovanazzi, showed great pace in the comeback race and kept their noses clean despite the drama elsewhere.
Charles Leclerc in attendance
However, Toyota were still in the running going into the final stages and would have had a chance for the win had Ryo Hirakawa not spun when within seconds of the leading Ferrari. The Japanese manufacturer had to settle for the unfamiliar second step whilst Cadillac rounded off the podium in third.
It was therefore Ferrari, cheered on by Formula One driver Charles Leclerc, who took the chequered flag to earn their first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory since 1973 and their 10th top-level victory.
“It’s a great achievement after so long. This will go down in history,” said Ferrari’s British driver Calado.
The Italian team are second in the Manufacturers’ standings, 19 points behind leaders Toyota.
A new statue of Winston Churchill is set to be unveiled in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. It will celebrate the chameleon of a man, who spent many peaceful times in the south of France.
Winston Churchill was a complicated man. Gruff, bold, tireless and almost always with a cigar, a whiskey or both, his fearlessness and sheer force of will helped Britain defy the odds and hold back Nazi Germany during the darkest days of World War II.
A creative side
Though most think of him as a lifelong politician, he also had an incredible creative side that came out in the form of several books and a vast number of paintings, several of which were made during his time staying with friends on the French Riviera, including in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat at the home of John and Hazel Lavery and in Cap d’Ail at his friend Max Beaverbrook’s villa. He also enjoyed visiting Saint Paul de Vence, Cap Roux, Saint Raphael, Eze and Tourettes-sur-Loup to name a few.
His afternoons were spent painting; he felt the afternoon light was just right and he liked to take advantage of those golden hours that have enticed many a visitor to the region.
The Harbour at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat by Winston Churchill (1921)
After WWII, Churchill was one of the world’s most recognisable characters, making his outings – which often included an entourage of a bodyguard, a driver, a secretary, a valet and a gendarme – more than difficult, but he persisted.
Calling his work his “little daubs”, Churchill’s skill was far better than he gave himself credit for, and some of his paintings have sold for huge sums, such as The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque, which was purchased by Angelina Jolie for £7 million in 2021. Two more of Churchill’s paintings also went under the gavel at the same time and the three together brought in £9.43 million.
Fitting tribute
Now the International Winston Churchill Society, The Rubin Foundation and CBE Laurence Geller are paying tribute to Churchill in the form of a statue, which will be inaugurated on Friday 16th June on the Quai Lindbergh of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.
The event will be preceded by an English-language talk by artist Paul Rafferty entitled “Winston Churchill Paints the Côte d’Azur” at 5pm, followed by the unveiling ceremony at 6.30pm.
The 2.30-metre statue will hold a place of honour on the quay, a busy place filled with tourists, restaurants and boats coming and going year-round.
Welcome the Summer Solstice with this inspiring and free yoga event on the Terrasses du Soleil of the Casino. No experience required!
Set to take place between 5.45pm and 8pm on Wednesday 21st June, this is the 10th such event to be organised in the Principality of Monaco. In the past, it has attracted and inspired hundreds of people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to take a moment to reconnect with the Earth.
This year, a number of charities and associations will also be present at the event, including The Animal Fund, the Interspecies Peace Organisation, SPA Monaco and Fight Aids Monaco.
“We are connected with the yoga gatherings taking place all over the world, to celebrate the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, declared by the United Nations [as] the International Day of Yoga,” says organiser Helena Lorentzen. “Everybody, no matter what age [or] level of practice is invited to join the event, to move, to breathe, to feel and to relax… Come to share with your friends, children, parents and grandparents! No previous yoga experience is required.”
Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.
Photo source: Yoga Shala Circle Monaco / Facebook. This article was originally published on 9th May 2023.
All the headlines and highlights from Monaco, direct to you every morning
