9 ° C
Profile

Tag: monaco

Prince Albert II visits MonaCollecte meeting Monaco’s youngest recyclers

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
06/03/2026

Prince Albert II opened the fifth edition of MonaCollecte Friday morning, making his way through every stand at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille, speaking with representatives and taking a close interest in the sustainability initiatives presented. 

The Prince was accompanied by Minister of State Christophe Mirmand and guided through the exposition by Pierre Bardy, Directeur Général of the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement, one of the organising bodies behind the annual initiative alongside the Prince’s Government.

Local schoolchildren were also in attendance, taking part in this year’s theme ‘Zero Waste’, and enthusiastically getting involved in the multiple workshops spread throughout the venue.

Schoolchildren involved in the workshops, photo credit: Stéphane Danna, Communications Department

As the Prince moved along the stands, he witnessed the young pupils enthusiastic hands-on approach to their workshops which included cooking without waste, crafting objects from repurposed materials, sorting recycling on tricycles and scooters, and rescuing symbolic sea creature from ocean pollution displays.

He stopped and greeted many of them along the way.

The Prince touring the stands, photo credit: Stéphane Danna, Communications Department

The event continues until Saturday 7th March at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille, with free entry from 10am to 7pm.

Saturday’s programme also includes the Mùnegu Repair Café, run in partnership with the Repair Café de Nice association, where visitors can bring in everyday objects to be fixed between 10am and 6pm.

Inside the venue, photo by Monaco Life

<

p style=”font-weight: 400;”>Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Stéphane Danna, Communications Department

Prince Albert II urges arctic cooperation at Rome’s Arctic Circle Forum

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
05/03/2026

Prince Albert II called for scientific cooperation and respect for international law to remain at the centre of Arctic policy, warning that geopolitical tensions must not undermine long-term collaboration in the region. 

The Prince delivered his speech in person at the Arctic Circle Forum in Rome on 3rd March, where discussions focused on the accelerating challenges facing the Arctic.

His appearance came just days after he addressed the Monaco Polar Symposium via video call, where similar themes of deteriorating international collaboration and underfunding in polar research had dominated the three-day event.

In Rome, Prince Albert stressed that Indigenous communities must be central to any decisions shaping the Arctic’s future, stating: “The Arctic is a crucial issue for humanity. Its climate and resources concern us all, and its Indigenous peoples must be respected, listened to, and fully integrated into any decision-making process regarding the future of their lands.”

The Prince during his address, photo credit: Michaël Alesi, Prince’s Palace

Collaboration under pressure

The Rome forum gave the Prince an opportunity to reinforce in person what he had urged remotely days earlier in Monaco: that the international community must not let the current moment pass.

With the Fifth International Polar Year due in 2032–33, the window to build lasting frameworks for polar cooperation is narrowing, and the consequences of inaction, extend well beyond the Arctic itself.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Michaël Alesi, Prince’s Palace

Social media addiction is the theme of Monaco’s first digital lecture

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
05/03/2026

Monaco is launching a new series of public talks on digital life, with the first event taking place on 26th March at 6:30pm, under the theme: social media and digital addiction, and what we can do about it. 

The evening is organised by Monaco’s Interministerial Delegation for Digital Transition (DITN) and will bring together experts to explore why social media is so hard to put down, how it shapes our attention and behaviour, and what practical steps people can take to find a healthier balance.

The average person now spends more than three hours a day on their phone. It is this figure that has prompted growing concern about the effects on mental health, relationships and focus, and led to the launch of this new series.

The event is in French and is set to run until 8pm and will be followed by a drink reception, giving attendees the chance to carry on the conversation informally.

Those who can’t make it in person can join online via Microsoft Teams. The venue will be in Monaco, however, the exact address will be shared with registered attendees closer to the date. Attendance is free, but registrations are required in advance and can be made through this link.

The talks form part of Extended Monaco, a digital transformation programme launched by Prince Albert II in April 2019. Built around a collaboration between the DITN, government departments, public institutions and private partners, its aim is to use technology to improve public services and quality of life in the Principality

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Cottonbro studio, Pexels

Monaco to go zero waste for the fifth edition of MonaCollecte

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

MonaCollecte, the Principality’s popular recycling and reuse drive, returns for its fifth edition from 6th to 7th March. 

Organised by the Prince’s Governments and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement,  this year’s event centres on the theme of ‘Zero Waste’ and takes place at the Chapiteau de Fontvieille.

MonaCollecte’s purpose is to bring together residents willing to embrace greener habbits through a mix of collections, hands-on workshops and awareness activities.

A workshop for every interest

Visitors can choose from an impressive range of activities across the two days. Aspiring chefs can discover zero-waste cooking through creative recipes designed to cut food waste, while those with a crafty streak can try making their own reusable bread bags, homemade cosmetics, or plant pots from empty containers.

There is also a workshop turning advertising banners into pouches, another creating art from reclaimed cables and computer parts, and one where participants build a small object from scratch using recycled plastic.

For families, a VR workshop offers an immersive experience inside a sorting centre to learn how to recycle correctly, and an outdoor circuit lets younger children sort waste while riding tricycles and scooters. A drawing competition on the zero-waste theme will also take place.

Ocean pollution is also set to take centre stage during the event. In one of the workshops, participants will be able to rescue mârché sea creatures trapped in symbolic waste.

La Mairie’s stand

La Mairie will host two days of activities. On Friday, the Médiathèque Caroline will run a workshop making bookmarks from reclaimed fabric scraps aimed primarily at schoolchildren from 9am, before opening to the wider public until 5pm.

Then, on Saturday, the focus shifts to repair. In partnership with the Repair Café de Nice association, the Mùnegu Repair Café will be on hand from 10am to 6pm to fix everyday portable object brought in by visitors.

Alongside this, the Médiathèque Caroline will display its collection of zero-waste resources, run a second round of the bookmark workshop, and invite people to donate clean, good-condition tote bags to stock its fabric bag lending library.

The event runs from 10am to 7pm on both days with free entry.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Société Monégasque d’Assainissement

Italian fashion brand Twinset to show at Monte-Carlo Fashion Week

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

Italian womenswear brand Twinset has confirmed it will present a new collection at Monte-Carlo Fashion Week, choosing Monaco as the setting for what the company describes as a new direction for the brand. 

The show is scheduled to take place on the final day of the event, 18th April, in the Grande Verrière space of the Grimaldi Forum.

Twinset will present a Ready-to-Buy selection aimed at the Côte d’Azur market, followed by a final of evening dresses. The brand, which earlier this year showed alongside Vogue Café during Milan Fashion Week, has been working to raise its international profile under chief executive Gabriele Maggio.

“Twinset possesses a distinctive creative heritage and extraordinary potential,” said Maggio. “We are shaping a solid and visionary development path, aimed at further consolidating the brand’s prestige on the international scene.”

The company was founded in Italy in 1987 and is known for its accessible luxury positioning, with a focus on knitwear and ready-to-wear.

Federica Nardoni Spinetta, President and Founder of the Chambre Monégasque de la Mode, said the Principality offered designers a credible platform for global exposure. “Monte-Carlo Fashion Week today embodies a spirit of profound renewal,” she said, “confirming its contemporary, dynamic, and global presence.”

About Monte-Carlo Fashion Week

Monte-Carlo Fashion Week has in recent years sought to position itself as a complement to the major fashion capitals, attracting international labels looking for an upscale setting outside the traditional Paris-Milan-London circuit. Every year the event draws buyers and press from across Europe and beyond.

This year’s edition will run from 14th to 18th of April.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo of Federica Nardoni credit: Gabriele Rigon

Interview: Photographer Franck Solimeis brings Japan to Monaco

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/03/2026

Le Méridien Beach Plaza has opened a unique photography exhibition called ‘Japan Highlights’, by self taught Monégasque photographer Franck Solimeis. Running until June 15th, it forms part of the hotel’s ongoing cultural programme. 

The show capture’s Japan contradiction, since it combines ancient tradition with relentless modernity. “There are villages where a samurai might appear and you wouldn’t even be surprised,” Solimeis tells Monaco Life. “And then there are cities where robots might serve you. That’s a huge contrast.”

Solimeis’ love affair with Japan was completely accidental. He first visited to see a close friend who had moved there, and found himself completely captivated, not just by the scenery, but by the social fabric. “They make small efforts that have enormous repercussions on their society,” he said. “For example, you don’t see cigarette butts on the ground. When you think about it, it makes complete sense.”

He has since returned three times.

One of his artworks, photo by Monaco Life.

Trains, temples, and long exposures

Among the works on show, his long exposure train photographs stand out. Taken over just a second or two, they capture light trails streaking through the frame — movement frozen in stillness.

“It’s a little experimental. You never quite know what result you’ll get,” he says.

However, the subject choice was deliberate: Japan’s railway culture is as iconic as its temples.

The train photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

In contrast to this modern approach, Solimeis has also photographed temples, capturing the unique silence that surrounds them.

Even on crowded days, visitors, locals and tourists alike move through these spaces with such respect that the calm never shifts or wavers.

The temple photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

The one thing, though, that sets his photographic style apart, is the respect he has when depicting Japan’s culture. It’s a photograph of a geisha, taken from behind, that truly transmits this message.

Uncomfortable with the way tourists typically crowd around geishas for close-up shots, he chose a different approach. “I never saw her face, and she never saw me. It’s a tribute to the beauty of how she’s dressed — the clothes, the make-up, the headdress. And a tribute to women, of course.”

The geisha photograph, photo by Monaco Life.

The exhibition also includes one work by his sister, Carole Micallef, a graphic painting depicting a figure blending Tokyo street style and geisha tradition.

The exhibition was also developed in partnership with Nicolas Dotta of Prime Estate Monaco.

Next stop: New York

For Solimeis, the exhibition is deeply personal. “I sometimes feel a pang of nostalgia here, missing certain places, certain dishes.” His next project, he hopes, will be New York. But Japan came first, and for good reason. “It’s truly my country of the heart.”

‘Japan Highlights’ runs at Le Méridien Hub until June 15th and with the opening reception taking place 10th March at 6pm.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Monaco Life