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Day: 8 May 2024

France ramps up offshore wind power initiatives in push for carbon neutrality by 2050

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/05/2024
france wind power

France is stepping up its wind power production in a bid to reach the government’s goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 20250. 

During a visit to Saint Nazaire on 2nd May, the Minister of the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Bruno Le Maire, and the Minister Delegate in Charge of Industry and Energy, Roland Lescure, announced a series of new offshore wind power initiatives.

The plans pave the way for an increase in domestic production of the sustainable and renewable energy source.  

“We are delighted to be in Saint Nazaire to talk about a major subject for the energy future of our nation: offshore wind power,” said Le Maire. 

Among the measures presented was a proposal to build a commercial floating offshore wind farm south of Bretagne that would cover the electricity needs of around 450,000 people. Le Maire and Lescure also announced a call for applications for two new 250MW floating wind farms that would be based in the Mediterranean – a first for the region.  

Additionally, the ministers are considering new purchasing policies with the electricity transmission network manager RTE, notably an alliance with Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Hitachi Energy for the construction of electrical substations at sea and on land for three offshore wind farms. The project is estimated to cost €4.5 billion. 

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Photo source: Jesse de Meulenaere, Unsplash

Find Olympic events close to home with fun interactive map 

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/05/2024

A host of exceptional sport-related programmes and events have been launched in France in the run up to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, and thanks to the French Ministry of Sport, they can be easily found using a clever interactive map to guide the way. 

France’s Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, under the auspices of La Grande Cause Nationale – the government backed scheme to promote physical and sports activity in 2024, has announced a huge schedule of events and activities throughout the country geared toward getting people up and moving in this special Olympic year.

“These Games, which are the most decentralised in history with events in 73 host communities and a torch relay crossing 450 cities in France, are truly the Games for all French people. We are proud to present today all the activities and territorial events which will allow us to amplify this promise,” said Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in a statement.

The government has dedicated €6 million to promoting these activities and has even put out an easy-to-use interactive map pinpointing all the experiences by location, with information including the organisers, brief descriptions, contact info and links, as well as specifics on the stages of the torch relay, cultural events and from June, the 2024 Club zones, where people can gather for live screenings of the Games, sporting programmes and other Olympic-related events. 

Locally in the Alpes-Maritimes, there are festivities and events from now until September in Beausoleil, Nice, Antibes, and Valbonne, with others a bit further down the coast in Frejus, Saint-Raphaël and Saint-Tropez. 

For more info, click here. https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/une-carte-interactive-pour-vivre-lexperience-olympique-pres-de-chez-soi 

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Photo credit: Bryan Turner, Unsplash

 

 

Veuve Clicquot Sun Club returns to Monaco’s Square Beaumarchais

by: Elsa Carpenter
08/05/2024

The pop-up Veuve Clicquot Sun Club is back in the Square Beaumarchais with a fresh, pure white look, its signature yellow-striped parasols and the new Rich and Rich Rosé cuvées from the world-famous maison. 

With the return of warm spring sunshine to the Principality, now is the perfect time to sample Veuve Clicquot’s latest releases of its Rich and Rich Rosé cuvées.  

The chic champagne pop-up is located less than a minute’s walk from the Place du Casino. Situated in the verdant Square Beaumarchais, it is the ideal place to stop off and enjoy a glass or two of bubbles as well as a sweet or savoury snack from the bar after an afternoon of sightseeing or shopping in Monte-Carlo.  

The pop-up is benefitting from a refreshed look in 2024, with a pure white aesthetic and a refined sense of elegance and art de vivre courtesy of a collaboration with the Marcel Poulain Studio. 

The Veuve Clicquot Sun Club is open seven days a week from 12pm until 8pm. It will remain in place until 30th September. 

Check out our Instagram reel below to see more: 

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Photo source: Hotel Hermitage

Prince Albert II commemorates family ties during visit to Mayenne

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/05/2024

Monaco’s Prince Albert II travelled to Mayenne in the northwest of France earlier this week to welcome the pretty town into the Grimaldi Historic Sites network.  

On Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May, Prince Albert swapped Monaco for Mayenne by travelling north to peaceful French town that sits between Normandy and the Loire Valley.  

The Prince is actually the Duke of Mayenne due to a 1777 marriage between Prince Honoré IV and Louise d’Aumont Mazarin, the Duchess of Mayenne. 

This centuries-old link qualifies Mayenne as a member of the ever-growing Grimaldi Historic Sites network, a project launched in 2015 as a way of forging modern-day connections with the numerous locales across Europe that enjoy historic ties to the Principality.

 

A two-day tour of Mayenne

Prince Albert’s tour of Mayenne began with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the town centre and a visit to the Grand Logis, a private property formerly linked to the Grimaldi family.  

Mayenne’s Mayor Jean-Pierre Le Scornet is pictured with Prince Albert. Photo credit: Axel Bastello / Palais Princier de Monaco

Next came a stop at the imposing medieval Château de Mayenne, which is now a museum. 

Despite the rain, many local people turned out to listen to the Prince give a speech on the beauty, heritage and virtues of Mayenne in the gardens of the castle.  

His first day concluded with the Mayenne International Piano Competition, during which he was invited to present an award named in his honour.

The second day of the tour saw Prince Albert visit a local fabric manufacturer, Les Toiles de Mayenne, and a dairy industry museum, La Cité du Lait. From there, he travelled to the town of Laval to explore an exhibit showcasing Monaco’s links to the department of Mayenne.  

Mayenne is the 75th commune to be formally invited to join the Grimaldi Historic Sites network.  

Click on the images below to see more:

 

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Photo credit: Axel Bastello / Palais Princier de Monaco

Mirazur’s Mauro Colagreco cooks for Chinese and French Presidents at the Palais de l’Élysée

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/05/2024

Mauro Colagreco, the three-Michelin starred chef and the mastermind behind Menton’s Mirazur restaurant, was one of two top chefs in France to be chosen to prepare the meals served at the Palais de l’Élysée during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official state visit earlier this week. 

The Chinese leader was treated to a gastronomic potpourri of French cuisine at the dinner held in his honour by France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Monday 6th May.  

Among those in the kitchen was local Riviera chef, Mauro Colagreco, whose flagship restaurant, Mirazur in Menton, was once hailed as the Best in the World.    

Mirazur catapulted Colagreco, who is originally from Argentina, to fame in 2006 when he earned his first Michelin star. This was followed by a second in 2012 and a third in 2019, making him the first chef not native to France to be awarded three stars in the French edition of the legendary Michelin Guide.  

During the recent state dinner in Paris, Colagreco was joined by the famous French chef Pierre Gagnaire. Together the duo prepared an entrée and a main course that had been conceived by the Palais’ habitual head chef, Fabrice Desvignes.  

The world leaders and their guests enjoyed crab meat and Oscietra caviar from Aquitaine under a veil of flowers as a starter. The main featured a suprême de poulette de Bresse with baby spinach and vin jaune du Jura. 

Maison Quatrehomme was entrusted with the cheese course, while pastry chef extraordinaire Nina Métayer was chosen to craft the dessert. 

The meal concluded the first day of Jinping’s official state visit to France, a moment toasted around the table with the finest French champagnes, wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux, and cognacs.  

Watch Mauro Colagreco’s Instagram video below to see more:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mauro Colagreco (@maurocolagreco)

 

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Photo source: Mauro Colagreco, Instagram

Monaco Art Week 2024: dates and participants revealed

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/05/2024

Monaco Art Week, an artistic journey through the Principality held under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II, will open its 6th edition this July in the presence of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and feature new galleries to its growing list of participants.

Galleries, auction houses and art enthusiasts are joining forces to offer a series of exhibitions across different districts, punctuated by events, meetings with artists and conferences from 2nd to 7th July. 

Sculpture, painting, fine jewellery and various forms of creation, ancient, modern and contemporary, will all be on show throughout the days.

Monaco Art Week is at the heart of a rich cultural week, running in parallel with the artmonte-carlo international fair from 6th to 7th July, and coinciding with the opening of the major summer exhibition in collaboration with Tate, ‘Turner, the Sublime Legacy’ at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, from 6th July.

Monaco Art Week 2024 will bring together 19 participants from various districts of the Principality: Artcurial; Boghossian; Christie’s; collect|mc; Hauser & Wirth; HOFA; Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo; Kamil Art Gallery; Lebreton; Elisabeth Lillo-Renner; Moretti Fine Art; NM Contemporary; Opera Gallery; Almine Rech; Galerie Retelet; Galerie Adriano Ribolzi; Sotheby’s; M.F. Toninelli Art Moderne; Teos Gallery.

For the first time, this year’s edition will welcome the Almine Rech gallery, newly installed on Avenue de la Costa, collect|mc association and the auction house Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo.

MAW 2023 at the Hofa Gallery / Yellow Korner. Photo credit: Alice Bensi

Monaco Art Week is supported by the Monaco Department of Cultural Affairs and is sponsored by ARTE Generali – Mourenon & Giannotti and SMT Société Monégasque de Transports.

Monaco Life is proud to be an official media partner of this year’s Monaco Art Week. 

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Join the Monaco Life community – sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.   

Photo credit: Alice Bensi, taken at the Adrian Ribolzi Gallery