In celebration of World Environment Day, the Principality of Monaco is hosting a series of fun activities dedicated to the environment.
World Environment Day is observed annually on 5th June and is a United Nations initiative aimed at promoting environmental awareness and action.
The Société Monégasque d’Assainissement (SMA), the Department of the Environment, the Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2), the Monegasque Association for Nature Protection (AMPN), and the Pelagos and Ramoge Secretariats are joining forces to present an exciting programme for the whole family at Larvotto Esplanade.
Wednesday 5th June schedule
The day will kick off at 9am with a waste collection operation. Two teams will work simultaneously: one at sea and the other on land.
Following the waste collection, a waste characterisation session will take place from 10:45am to 11:30am, to help people better understand the nature of the collected waste.
Starting at 2pm, various activities and workshops will be held at the Larvotto Esplanade, including booths from various partners, an escape game workshop, a waste fresco workshop, and a goose game workshop for children. The workshops will conclude at 5pm.
The Pelagos and Ramoge secretariats will also organise the signing of the RAMOGE Charter of Commitments for the Posidonia Alliance, an initiative that allows any marine stakeholder to commit to the preservation of Posidonia.
The upcoming Rockin’ Peille concert on the Plateau de Saint Pancrace is set to feature performances by more than 50 musicians as well as a motorcycle troupe from the Principality. The charity event will be donating a significant portion of the funds raised to the Fondation Flavien, a Monaco-based organisation dedicated to furthering paediatric cancer research.
This Saturday 1st June, the Plateau de Saint Pancrace in Peille will welcome a host of rock and rollers for its annual charity event.
It will all kick off at 6pm with a motorcycle parade organised by Rebel Rider Monaco, with the live music then to begin at 9pm and last well into the evening.
Among the acts scheduled to perform are Blood Sugar, a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. In all, some 50 musicians will be playing during the course of the concert.
A portion of the funds generated by the event will be donated to the Fondation Flavien, a Monaco-based organisation set up by Denis Maccario, the father of a young boy who lost his fight against metastatic brain cancer 10 years ago. Today, the charity plays an important role in advancing research into paediatric cancer as well as acting as a source of support to the families of children affected by this horrible disease. Since its inception in 2014, the Fondation Flavien has donated a staggering 853,000€ to research projects.
Food and drinks will be available on-site at the Rockin’ Peille event, while a designated parking zone will be provided around 200m away. Tickets cost €10 per person.
For more information about the concert as well as how you can make a donation to the Fondation Flavien, click here.
A private collection that features the early works of Picasso and has never before gone under the gavel is set to be auctioned by Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris next month.
On 5th June at 6 Avenue Hoche in the French capital, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr will be presenting an incredibly rare and valuable private collection of Impressionist and Modern artworks that includes some of Pablo Picasso’s earliest pieces.
Among them is El campanar de l’església del Pi, one of several tributes made by the legendary artist to his adopted hometown of Barcelona. The piece is a beautiful, sentimental view of the landscape overlooking the Church of Santa Maria del Pi, one of the city’s most recognisable and iconic Gothic landmarks.
“In this view of the city, painted from the balcony of his studio on the neighbouring street of Nou de la Rambla, which Picasso shared with his friends Ángel Fernández de Soto and Josep Rocarol, we find his taste for simplified lines and efficient composition, punctuated by successive shots. The foreground, composed of roofs, is executed with rapid, confident touches,” say representatives for the auction house of this exquisite piece.
What makes it even more poignant is that the painting coincides with a transitional period in the artist’s life, following the 1901 suicide of his great friend Casagemas, an event that influenced the latter blue hues of his work.
El campanar de l’església del Pi has been held in private collections for the entirety of its existence until now, and the auctioneers are estimating that it will sell for a figure in the vicinity of €600,000 to €800,000.
Other notable pieces going under the gavel include an Édouard Vuillard piece called Madame Vuillard en peignoir rouge, painted around 1911, which is expected to go for €140,000 to €160,000, and an exquisite Rembrandt Bugatti entitled Trois panthères marchant. Designed and executed around 1905, this work is an utterly unique piece that auctioneers predict will fetch between €3,500,000 and €5,500,000.
Click here for more information on this major art auction event.
From hotel pools with special day rates to rooftop retreats and saltwater swimming, here’s the Monaco Life guide to the best places to spend a day by the pool in the Principality.
Let’s get things going at Monte-Carlo Beach, the glamourous forty-room hotel located at the eastern edge of Monaco, just over the border in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to be exact.
Built back in 1930, this SBM-run site is home to an incredible Olympic-sized ozone-treated saltwater swimming pool that is heated to a perfect 28°C from May through to October. It’s a great place to spend the day as a family; two diving boards will supply endless fun for the more adventurous while those who want to catch some rays can lie back on one of the many sunbeds and enjoy the show.
Monte-Carlo Beach has an Olympic-sized saltwater pool with two diving boards for guests and visitors to enjoy. Photo credit: Monte-Carlo SBM
The ‘Sea and Sun Day’ costs €135 per person, which includes €60 worth of food and drink. The ‘Dolce Farniente Day’ for two starts at €95 per person, and the ‘Signature Day’ offer, which includes a Beach Club cabana, starts at €171 plus entrance fees. For more information, call +377 98 06 51 00.
The legendary sandy-bottomed Lagoon at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort can also be visited by the public. Adult prices start at €140 during weekdays, rising to €180 at weekends. During the peak summer months of July and August, a day pass to this glorious outdoor swimming space costs €185 for adults and €145 for children, instead of the usual €90. Children under three years of age go free. For more information on tariffs and special offers, click here.
Next to Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort is Le Méridien Beach Plaza, which has two pools – one indoor and the other a heated outdoor pool – that are open daily between 9am and 6.30pm, as well as a children’s pool. The day rate here is €65 for over 12s. For more information, call +377 93 30 98 80.
Atop the Fairmont Hotel is Nikki Beach Monte-Carlo, and this is a pool with a view.
The rooftop pool at Nikki Beach Monte-Carlo. Photo credit: Nikki Beach Monte-Carlo
The rooftop swimming pool is open from 11am to 8pm and the poolside sun beds are priced at €220 per person plus a minimum spend of one bottle for two and one magnum for four people. For more information, call +377 93 30 07 00.
At the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, located between the Carré d’Or and Port Hercule, guests can relax by the heated saltwater pool with Mediterranean views or enjoy the solarium, jacuzzi, sauna and hammam. Access to the Wellness Area is €150 per person. Click here to book.
Public pools
You needn’t have a huge budget to enjoy a day by the pool in Monaco as there are several great public pools.
First up, there’s the Stade Nautique Rainier III in the port, which features a 50m Olympic-sized heated seawater pool with diving boards, a slide, sun loungers and a good programme of activities and events. Entry rates range from €4.50 to €12 for adults, with discounts for Monaco residents, students and seniors.
There’s also the indoor-outdoor Piscine Saint-Charles on the Avenue Saint-Charles. Entrance rates start at an affordable €4.80 for adults and €3.10 for children aged three to 17, with discounted prices available for Monaco residents and other select groups. For more information, click here.
Finally, there’s the Stade Louis II facility at Monaco’s main sports venue, which has three different pools to choose from. Prices start at €3.10 for adults and €1.80 for children. Opening hours tend to vary as this swimming centre often hosts sporting events. To check the timetable and for more information, click here.
The two ocean-loving nations of Monaco and Nauru, the world’s smallest official republic, have formally established diplomatic relations following a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
On 21st May, the Republic of Nauru became the 159th state to officiate diplomatic relations with the Principality of Monaco.
Isabelle Picco, Monaco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, met and co-signed the agreement with her Nauruan counterpart, Margo Deiye, during an official Nauru Mission to the US by representatives of the micro-state in Micronesia.
The island nation, which has been a member of the United Nations since 1999, covers just 21km2 and has a population of around 11,000. It is the world’s smallest republic and the third smallest country, after the Vatican City and Monaco itself.
Given its location in Oceania, near the equator, Nauru is increasingly feeling the threats of climate change, particularly extreme heat waves and rising sea levels.
During the recent meeting between Picco and Deiye, the Permanent Representatives are understood to have discussed several topics of common interest, such as “the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, and the sharing of benefits for developing countries within the framework of the High Seas Treaty”.
The Arrow Burger joint on the Rock of Monaco has made it onto Big 7 Travel’s list of the 50 Best Burgers in Europe.
Big 7 Travel, which shares the latest travel trends and insider tourist tips with its global audience, recently shared its rankings of the best burgers on the continent. The list is a compilation of team favourites and recommendations from social media users, and features 50 of the juiciest and most mouthwatering burgers that can be found in European destinations.
Monaco’s Arrow Burger, which can be found on Rue des Carmes, not far from the Palais Princier, has achieved a very respectable 34th place on the list.
This award-winning burger joint has been a favourite with locals and visitors to the Principality since it opened in 2015.
Described by Big 7 Travel as “the best around for miles”, Arrow Burger’s menu includes the likes of the Arrow Smoke NY BBQ, a delectable blend of beef patty, crispy bacon and smoked cheddar; the Arrow Viking, with a beef patty, jalapenos, toasted onions and a tangy relish; the Arrow Western Onion, dripping in melted cheddar with a crispy chicken and potato galette filling; and the Arrow Pulled, with pulled pork, cream cheese, bacon and onions rings. The signature house sauce is a must-try too.
Arrow’s beef patties are made from freshly ground Angus beef and all of its burgers are served in a perfectly baked homemade pain brioche bun.
Elsewhere in the list, two French burger restaurants, Red Bear ‘n’ Burger in Compiegne and Junk Burgers in Paris, are ranked as the seventh and 24th best burger spots in Europe.
To try the continent’s top-ranked burger, meat lovers will have to travel to Vienna’s XO Grill, where they can enjoy beef from ‘Xtra Old Austrian’ dairy cows, which live until around 15 years of age.
Arrow Burger offers delivery throughout the Principality and the neighbouring French communes. For more information and to explore the menu for yourself, click here.
