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Day: 8 August 2025

Oceanographic Museum summer party raise funds for heritage projects

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
08/08/2025

The Friends of the Monaco Oceanographic Museum Association (AAMOM) hosted their second annual charity on 26th July to raise funds for restoring historic pieces from the museum’s collections. 

The ‘Party for a Cause’ event took place on the museum’s rooftop in collaboration with Trinity, welcoming nearly 250 guests for an evening focused on heritage preservation.

“I wish to express my profound gratitude to the owners and team at Trinity, as well as all our partners, participants, and volunteers who contributed to the success of the second Summer Party,” said Leila Elling, AAMOM president. “Thanks to you all, historically significant objects will be passed on to future generations.”

Guests enjoyed cocktails and dining while DJs Seb and Marc provided entertainment, alongside performances from duo Anata Project. Drinks were provided by Monte Carlo Champagne and Monte Carlo Vermouth, with artisanal ice creams from Rossi.

The organisers included family-friendly elements, setting up a relaxation area with Thermes Marins and a children’s corner with activities, including a ceramic painting workshop run by Forms Monaco.

Prize draw

The evening featured a tombola with several notable prizes. The main prize was an original lithograph of a crab, donated by the Oceanographic Museum.

Other prizes included dinner for two at Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon Monte Carlo restaurant courtesy of Hôtel Hermitage, a jewellery set from APM Monaco, dinner at Trinity, tasting sets from Monte Carlo Champagne and Monte Carlo Vermouth, and a €200 voucher from Bukawa Swimwear.

The evening concluded with Monaco’s firework display.

AAMOM, established in 2011, brings together people interested in maintaining links with the museum and promoting its work. The association supports the museum’s activities, encourages its ocean protection policies, and works on public education about marine conservation

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Main photo credit: Musée océanographique de Monaco

 

Cannes implements Airbnb quotas in two districts

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
08/08/2025

Cannes has announced it will introduce quotas on Airbnb rentals in two key areas of the city, making it one of the first French cities to implement such restrictions under new legislation. 

Mayor David Lisnard confirmed the measures will apply to La Banane district, which includes Boulevard de la Croisette, and Le Suquet, the city’s historic quarter. The quotas will come into force between summer and autumn 2026.

The decision is enabled by France’s Le Meur law, adopted in November 2024, which permits local councils to limit short-term rental properties in areas facing housing pressure.

“We are going to set a maximum percentage of Airbnb-type rentals allowed in the most affected neighbourhoods,” Lisnard told Actu Nice.

Cannes has already implemented several restrictions on short-term rentals, including banning lockboxes, limiting rentals to 120 days per year, and prohibiting buildings that consist entirely of Airbnb properties.

“When we identify clusters of Airbnb properties held by a single individual or company, we reclassify them as undeclared hotels,” said the mayor.

But this latest move represents a major escalation.

According to Lisnard, the policy is not aimed at Airbnb itself but rather at limiting the broader impact of short-term rentals on housing availability for locals.

“In our city, 92% of these (short-term) rentals are in second homes,” said Lisnard. “Rather than leaving those homes empty, it’s a good thing to rent them out, generate activity and contribute to the tourist tax. Thankfully, we have this rental supply for all Cannes events, because not everyone can afford 15 days in a five-star hotel.”

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Italy greenlights €13.5bn Messina Bridge as Rome revives controversial mega-project

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/08/2025

The Italian government has given final approval to a €13.5 billion project to build the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting Sicily to mainland Italy across the Strait of Messina. The plan, one of Europe’s most ambitious infrastructure projects in decades, aims to unite Calabria and Sicily with a 3.3-kilometre crossing in one of the Mediterranean’s most seismically active regions.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the bridge as “an investment in Italy’s present and future”, acknowledging the immense political and logistical hurdles the project has faced. “We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense,” she said on Wednesday, following the Cabinet’s approval of the final project.

The Messina Bridge has been under discussion since the 1970s, but repeated attempts to launch construction have been abandoned amid concerns over cost, environmental impact, safety, and the potential for mafia interference. The bridge’s resurrection under Meloni’s government, backed by Transport Minister and Lega party leader Matteo Salvini, marks the most determined effort yet to push the plan into reality.

According to the approved designs, the bridge will be suspended between two 400-metre towers and will carry six lanes of traffic and two railway lines. The government has stated its intention to classify the bridge as a military infrastructure investment, allowing it to count towards Italy’s NATO defence spending targets.

Economic promise meets fierce local opposition

Salvini claims the bridge will bring economic growth and employment to two of Europe’s poorest regions, forecasting the creation of 120,000 jobs per year during the construction phase. Supporters argue that the project will end the logistical bottleneck that currently requires trains to be loaded onto ferries for the 30-minute journey across the Strait.

But local politicians and residents remain sceptical. Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party called the bridge “controversial and divisive”, arguing that funds would be better spent improving local services such as transport, schools and healthcare. Giusy Caminiti, mayor of Villa San Giovanni on the Calabrian coast, said her town stood to be “badly affected” and called for further consultation.

Environmentalists and grassroots groups, including the long-running Calabrian committee “No to the Bridge”, have raised fresh objections. They warn of damage to protected coastal areas and question the bridge’s long-term viability in a region plagued by earthquakes, water scarcity and governance challenges. Some opponents also fear the construction could draw the attention of criminal networks with deep roots in southern Italy’s public contracts sector.

Bureaucratic roadblocks still ahead

Though final ministerial approval has been granted, the project must still pass several more hurdles. The Italian Court of Auditors and various environmental authorities—both national and European—must sign off on the plans. Meanwhile, any local expropriation of land for the project could be subject to legal challenges, potentially delaying or even halting construction.

Whether the Messina Bridge finally becomes a reality or joins the long list of Italian infrastructure projects that never leave the drawing board remains to be seen. For now, it symbolises Rome’s renewed appetite for grand projects—and the political risks that come with them.

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Photo: A rendering of the bridge by the Messina Strait company