Association Sportive de Monaco, the parent body that has given its name to the AS Monaco football team, the league-topping AS Monaco Basket and a whole host of other talented teams, is celebrating its centennial in 2024. The commemorations will get underway this weekend with a full day of events and activities in Port Hercule.
On Saturday 22nd June, the Association Sportive de Monaco, better known as ASM, will offer the public the opportunity to try out no fewer than 25 different sports at the organisation’s special Fête du Sport in and around Port Hercule.
Beginning at 11am and running until 5pm, visitors to the event will be able to either watch or participate in a huge range of sports and activities at the Stade Nautique Louis II and in the Sport Village, from football, rugby and triathlon events to swimming, diving, dance and yoga. Other attractions will include volleyball, table tennis, futsal, taekwondo, footgolf and even medieval combat.
Some big names from Monaco’s field of sporting talent will be making appearances at the festival-style event, such as the Roca Team’s Yakuba Ouattara from 12pm to 12.30pm and Olympic hopeful table tennis player Xiao Xin Yang at 3pm.
Between now and the end of April 2025, each of the six travelators in the Galerie Prince Pierre, which connects the Gare de Monaco with the Allée Lazare Sauvaigo in the Condamine, will be replaced with a new, hi-tech version.
It’s not uncommon to see one or more of the dated travelators in the Galerie Prince Pierre out of action, but they have had a lot of use over the last 24 years.
The current travelators were installed in the walkway back in 2000. Since then, they have helped transport millions of commuters, visitors and residents of the Principality through the pedestrian walkway, a major thoroughfare in central Monaco, that links the Gare de Monaco train station with the Allée Lazare Sauvaigo in the Condamine neighbourhood.
Beginning on Wednesday 19th June, the Monaco Government will be ripping out the old systems and replacing them with new and improved versions as part of its wider Plan Mobilité that seeks to address the traffic and travel issues felt by many in the Principality.
Over the last four years, the government has replaced 50 other travelators and similar mechanisms in the Principality.
The Galerie Prince Pierre project will take nearly a year to complete, with a deadline being set for 30th April 2025. However, pedestrians can rest assured, say government sources, that there will always be some travelators in operation during the works and the central walkway will remain open for the entirety of the project.
The Olympic torch has completed its spellbinding tour of the French Riviera, visiting seven different towns and cities in the Alpes-Maritimes as well as making a historic stop-off in the Principality of Monaco.
On Tuesday 18th June, the region had the pleasure of welcoming the Olympic torch as part of its official voyage across mainland France and its overseas territories ahead of the Paris Olympic Games, which will begin on Friday 26th July.
Photo via Département des Alpes-Maritimes
^ The eternal flame started its journey in Villefranche-sur-Mer, where Alice Modolo, a free-diving world record holder, took the torch beneath the waves.
Photo via Département des Alpes-Maritimes
^ Prince Albert II of Monaco joined local officials in celebrating the arrival of the torch as it emerged from the sea.
Photo credit: Ville de Cannes
^ Following a visit to Grasse, the flame’s next stop was in Cannes. American actress Halle Berry was given the honour of carrying the torch up the iconic red carpet steps of the city’s Palais des Festivals.
Photo credit: Ville de Cannes
^ Local schoolchildren from Cannes watched on as the flame passed in front of the Hôtel de Ville and along the Croisette.
Photo via Département des Alpes-Maritimes
^ Next came a tour of the Alpine resort of Valberg, where French snowboarder Julia Pereira de Sousa-Mabileau took the torch down the luge before celebrating with the local crowd.
Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco
^ Then it was on to Monaco for the Olympic flame’s first visit to the Principality since 1968. Among the torchbearers were local F1 hero Charles Leclerc, skier Alexandra Coletti, table tennis player Xiaoxin Yang, bobsledder Rudy Rinaldi and the Princely couple, who were joined by their nine-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
Photo credit: Palais Princier de Monaco
^ Prince Albert and Princess Charlene carried the torch through the crowds that had gathered on the Place du Palais.
^ From the mountains to the sea: Antibes Juan-les-Pins was the fifth stop on the route through the Riviera.
Photo credit: Ville de Nice
^ The last but one stop for the torch was in La Colmiane Valdeblore, before the journey moved on to Nice. 400 metres hurdler and 4×400 metres relay star Stéphane Diagana concluded the flame’s tour by lighting the cauldron to the applause of all watching on.
Watch the Monaco Life reel of the Olympic torch’s visit to the Principality:
Photo credits: Eric Mathon / Axel Bastello / Michael Alesi / Gaetan Luci / Palais Princier de Monaco / Ville de Nice / Ville de Cannes / Département des Alpes-Maritimes
Schiaparelli’s iconic designs take centre stage at exclusive Monaco boutique
As the jet-set begin flocking to Monaco for vacations in the Riviera, Maison Schiaparelli has set up its exclusive summer quarters at the iconic Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.
From 15th June to 30th September, Maison Schiaparelli will have its ephemeral boutique in the heart of this Belle Époque palace, recreating in the courtyard the cosy and surreal world of its salons on Place Vendôme, along with its exclusive Spring-Summer 2024 collection.
“The objective of Artistic Director Daniel Roseberry is to recreate the legendary artistry and timelessness of the iconic designer Elsa Schiaparelli into the new Spring-Summer collection of clothing and accessories,” Delphine Bellini, CEO of Maison Schiaparelli, told Monaco Life. “Each piece in the collection, audacious and contemporary, carries a timeless allure that is sure to captivate.”
Schiaparelli Boutique at the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo
Schiaparelli at sea
Marine details, a hallmark of Elsa Schiaparelli’s abundant imagination, inspired Artistic Director Daniel Roseberr, with sailor stripes, fish scale embroidery, a 3D lobster on a skirt, crab claw earrings, and hand-made gold ceramic shell necklaces all featuring in the collection.
Soft jackets, free-line prints, poplins, denim in the sand and colours of the sky form the backdrop for a very Schiap daytime wardrobe. Jewelled buttons, tape measure embroidery, anatomical ornaments, and padlocks enhance each creation.
Schiaparelli for evenings under the stars includes velvet, silk, and jersey with the sophistication that befits red carpets: long flowing dresses with dizzying necklines, mini evening dresses, tuxedos and embroidered bolero jackets, high-waisted pants, and romantic embroidered tops.
Maison Schiaparelli, with its dazzling enduring legacy, continues to offer today’s women the essence of daring style and perennial allure, a testament to its rich history and tradition.
Schiaparelli Anatomy face leather bags
The legend lives on
Maison Schiaparelli was established in 1927 by Italian-born French designer Elsa Schiaparelli. By 1935, it had become a leader in haute couture, branching out into jewellery, perfume, cosmetics, lingerie, and swimwear. The hallmark of Schiaparelli’s designs is the transformation of shapes and the reimagining of silhouettes. Elsa Schiaparelli was an aristocratic Italian fashion designer, poet, and artist, known for creating the trompe l’oeil sweater and introducing the “Shocking” pink colour. The brand continues to produce wearable art, merging inventive imagination with a revolutionary vision across sportswear, haute couture, and fragrance.
Schiaparelli’s iconic collaborations with artists like Dali, Cocteau, Man Ray, Giacometti, and Marcel Vertes are legendary. Among her many contributions to 20th-century fashion, Schiaparelli boldly defied conventions, infusing her designs with wit and humour and seamlessly blending art with dressmaking. While Chanel defined the classic woman’s look, Schiaparelli elevated it to another dimension, and her style was embraced by prominent starlets and actresses.
In 2019, Daniel Roseberry was appointed Artistic Director of Schiaparelli. The brand operates from the historic Salons Schiaparelli at 21 Place Vendôme, Elsa’s former home and atelier.
Maison Schiaparelli has chosen the illustrious Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo as the setting for its summer pop-up boutique, immersing visitors in Schiaparelli’s audacious and timeless world of haute couture.
Main photo: Schiaparelli Anatomy Face leather bag and the Toes Sneaker in canvas and gold toe moulding. All photos by Celina Lafuente de Lavotha for Monaco Life
Crowd cheers on as Princely Family take Olympic flame during historic stop in Monaco
For the first time since 1968, the eternal Olympic flame travelled the streets of Monaco, making a historic stop at the Place du Palais, where crowds gathered to witness this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
For only the second time in history, the eternal Olympic flame passed through the Principality as part of its journey through the Riviera to Paris on Tuesday 18th June. The last time the Olympic Flame passed through Monaco was in 1968, ahead of the Grenoble Winter Olympics.
As crowds gathered at Port Hercule and along the route up to the Place du Palais, the flame’s brief visit commenced at 2:15pm. Monegasque Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, fresh off his recent victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, began the procession from the Juan Manuel Fangio statue. The 26-year-old passed the torch to alpine skier Alexandra Coletti, who represented Monaco in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
The crowds gathered in the Place du Palais to welcome the Olympic flame to Monaco
“It’s the most special recognition an athlete can receive”
“It was so magical until the very end. Hearing the children scream with excitement made me feel proud to have participated in this exceptional moment… it’s the biggest and most special recognition (being a torchbearer) an athlete can receive,” Alexandra Coletti told Monaco Life.
Next in line was table tennis player Xiaoxin Yang, who has represented Monaco since 2013. Then, Rudy Rinaldi, a bobsledder who competed in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, carried the flame to the Malizia statue on the Place du Palais.
“I was so privileged to participate in this historic event today, alongside the Princely family and the other torchbearers,” Rinaldi told Monaco Life.
Rudy Rinaldi passes the Olympic flame to Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene take the flame
The final leg of the journey involved Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, who jointly carried the flame. The children screamed excitedly, waving their flags, and the crowd cheered on as the Princely couple made their way around the Place du Palais, concluding the relay.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene are both Olympians. Prince Albert participated in five Winter Olympics as part of Monaco’s bobsleigh team, and Princess Charlene competed for South Africa in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriela, joined their parents and the torchbearers on stage for a photo with the flame before it was handed back to the flame keeper to continue its journey.
Prince Albert II, Princess Charlene, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella were excited to have participated in such a historic event
“It means everything to me that the flame passed through Monaco today, and it has been so long since it did that. It felt like history was being made today,” said Prince Albert II to Monaco Life. “I hope it will return to Monaco for the third time.”
At the Place du Palais, historical footage curated by the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco and the Archives of the Palace of Monaco provided a historical background on Monaco’s involvement in the Olympic Games. That same screen was also used to directly translate the flame arriving at the port and its journey to the Place du Palais so that the crowds did not miss a moment.
Before it arrived in Monaco, the flame visited the mountain village resort of Valberg, with Antibes-Juan-les-Pins as its next destination.
Monaco Life was there! See more of the Olympic flame action in our reel below…
Main Photo: Prince Albert II of Monaco with, from eft to right, Alexandra Coletti, Charles Leclerc, Princess Charlene, Xiaoxin Yang, Rudi Rinaldi. Photo by Monaco Life.
Other photo credits: Eric Mathon / Axel Bastello / Michael Alesi / Gaetan Luci / Palais princier
Monaco joins 100 other nations and international organisations at Ukraine Peace Summit
Over the weekend, representatives from the Principality joined delegations from 100 other nations and international organisations at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
Among those sent by Monaco to the major meeting of international powers, which was held between 15th and 16th June, was Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, the Principality’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. She was accompanied by Carole Lanteri, Monaco’s official Ambassador to the Swiss Federal Council.
More than 100 nations and international organisations gathered at the event, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and 50 Heads of State and Government from around the world.
Their joint mission was to discuss ways of opening doors to peaceful solutions and negotiations pertaining to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict and ultimately ease Ukraine and Russia out of this dangerous and destabilising war.
Discussions centred around nuclear concerns and food safety, as well as the human elements of the conflict, such as mass displacement and questions surrounding prisoners of war.
A declaration was adopted at the end of the conference whereby the “principles of the Charter of Nations and international law were reaffirmed but also the common vision which emerged during the discussions around the three themes mentioned”.
It was then agreed that efforts to meet these goals should now get underway.
Berro-Amadeï personally met with Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, during a side meeting where he thanked Monaco for its continued support, both bilaterally and within the multi-national framework.
