Sailing: Malizia-Seaexplorer chasing first place in The Ocean Race

16/05/2023

Monaco Yacht Club team Malizia-Seaexplorer have arrived second in Newport, USA, closing the gap on The Ocean Race leaders Team Holcim-PRB.

Holcim had constructed a sizeable lead early on, but that has dwindled during the last two rounds. The team encountered problems after the departure from Itajaí, Brazil, and lost their mast, which forced a withdrawal from the race.

And they weren’t the only team to pull out during the 5,500 nautical mile voyage up the Americas’ Atlantic coast. Guyot Environment-Team Europe also lost their mast two days before the end of the stage after finding themselves bang in the middle of the most ferocious storm of the race so far. No team members were hurt in either incident.

Malizia-Seaexplorer within 32 minutes of victory

Benefitting from other teams’ misfortunes was the Monegasque team, Malizia-Seaexplorer, who, skippered by Will Harris, ran a clean race. They jostled for the lead with 11th Hour Racing throughout, but after over 17 days of racing, missed out on the victory by just 31 minutes and 41 seconds.

The race is hotting up. Malizia are now level on points with 11th Hour Racing, and both are now just one point behind Team Holcim-PRB, whose lead at one point looked unassailable.

A return to Europe

“What an incredible stage; such a tight battle, and then to finish just 30 minutes behind 11th Hour Racing! I am very proud of the team that ran an incredible race and did a fantastic job. Now, we’re really in the fight in the overall standings,” said Harris.

Whilst Harris will still be onboard the Malizia-Seaexplorer during the next round, which begins on 21st May, Boris Herrmann will return as skipper. The flotilla, whose journey began in Alicante in January, will soon return to Europe. The fifth stage will reach its conclusion in Aarhus, Denmark.

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Photo by Sailing Energy / The Ocean Race

Experience Grasse’s famous Expo Rose this weekend

by: Elsa Carpenter

16/05/2023

Thousands of roses in pots and bouquets will fill the streets of Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, this weekend for the annual Expo Rose.

8,500 roses in bouquets, 13,000 potted roses for sale and 25,000 roses cut to adorn Grasse itself… This year, the Expo Rose is taking place between Thursday 18th and Sunday 21st May, and the entire city centre will be in bloom as farmers, florists and local artisans take over the streets and squares for what is always an exceptional event for those for love plants and flowers.

The city’s famous Centifolia rose helped make Grasse’s name as the ultimate perfume destination for hundreds of years. While there will be plenty of this classic rose de mai up for sale, there will also be countless different varieties from around the world, making the event a paradise for the budding collector.

Music, dance, markets, a gourmet quarter, exhibitions and workshops complete the programme.

Entrance is €3 per person. Click here for the full schedule of events.

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.

Photo source: Shannon Baldwin for Unsplash

Café de Paris redevelopment: new details revealed

by: Elsa Carpenter

15/05/2023

Those who dreamed of spending this summer on the terraces of the new Café de Paris will have to hold on a little longer, but the wait will sure be worth it.

16 months was the original time scale for the vast €55 million renovations at the Café de Paris, meaning that this iconic address would have been reopened to the public come July. However, it hasn’t quite worked out that way, as new Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Président Délégué Stéphane Valeri revealed at a press conference last week.

After the construction team in January uncovered old foundations that weren’t on their plans, a team of experts was called in to assess the situation and find a solution. This has led to a three-month delay for the overall project, so the public won’t be able to enjoy the refreshed and revived establishment until the end of October.

The wait will be longer still for the much-anticipated Amazonico restaurant on the roof terrace, whose launch date has been pushed back until April 2024.

amazonico monaco — *The opening of Amazonico on the rooftop of the Café de Paris won’t take place until April 2024. Photo courtesy of SBM*

During the press conference on Friday 12th May, Valeri revealed previously unseen images of what patrons can expect from the interior of the revamped Café de Paris: a stylish bistro on the ground floor and a chic brasserie reminiscent of the early days of the establishment, which was built in 1863, on the first floor.

Further changes have been announced for the site and the plans are set to help balance the books when it comes to the overspending already incurred by the Café de Paris project.

Luxury boutiques with a sought-after address

“In autumn, we will be opening seven luxury boutiques within the Café de Paris complex,” Valeri told journalists.

The stores will all be found on the Allée François-Blanc, which runs along the southern side of the Café de Paris building and faces the Casino de Monte-Carlo. It’s an enviable spot for the world’s most luxurious brands.

“We are in the heart of Monte-Carlo, a place frequented by a considerable number of the ultra-rich,” added Valeri. “The demand from international brands was very strong. I had to say no to some.”

LVMH has already reserved two of the future stores: one for Tag Heuer and another for Tiffany & Co. Arije has also been confirmed. The names of the remaining brands set to join this prestigious street are still being worked out, but Valeri has given a few hints: “Very nice shoes and prêt-à-porter wear”.

The boutiques look set to open in November.

Read more:

Stéphane Valeri at the helm of SBM: “Our future will live up to our brilliant past”

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Photo courtesy of SBM

Monaco firefighters raise awareness at Biot’s Trail Pour Tous

by: Stephanie Horsman

15/05/2023

Over the weekend, a Monegasque team of firefighters took part in the Trail Trophée de Biot, which saw them race along forest trails with a disabled team member as they sought to win a prize for the Monaco Liver Disorder Association.

When a person is sick or disabled, they can miss out on things that the rest of us take for granted. Simple acts can become monumental tasks and often they don’t get to experience things the way they should or could.

This is where the Trail Pour Tous comes in. The association takes those who cannot go out on their own on nature trails in the comfort of a joëlette, a wheelchair-type construction that is specially made for trails and features sturdy wheels and handles to make pushing and pulling the chair on uneven terrain easier.

“It all started with the motorcycle accident of a friend, in Èze, who became a paraplegic,” explains Jérôme Fouffé, the president and founder of the Trail Pour Tous. “It was when I learned that he regularly looked at the photos of trail [events] organised in the region that we wanted to find a way to take him to them with a small group on a joëlette. That was in 2009, then we founded our association in 2014 to buy other joëlettes and help families in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var.”

This year’s winning team were a group of firefighters from Cagnes-sur-Mer, who were followed by a Nice police team and firefighters from Menton. The Monegasque firefighters racing for the Monaco Liver Disorder Association came in sixth.

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Photo source: Monaco Liver Disorder

Le Prince Chez Lui exhibition: Prince Rainier III at home

by: Cassandra Tanti

15/05/2023

In a new exhibition, the Palace Archives and the Audiovisual Institute present 100 images of Prince Rainier III “at home” in the Palace and his other places of residence alongside other rare objects and documents.

Prince Rainier III was truly at home in the Palace of Monaco. He was the first ruler to be born there since Honoré IV in 1758, and he endeavored throughout his reign to restore and defend the identity of his country.

In this exhibition, as part of his centenary celebrations, his life and reign are presented from three perspectives.

Firstly, that of the Sovereign in the exercise of his functions, doing “paperwork” in the Palace surrounded by his employees.

It is in the Palace where he also received distinguished guests, that the major acts of political life took place and that the tradition of artistic patronage of the Princes of Monaco continues. It is here, also, where the public image of the Prince was patiently built through the media.

The second part of the exhibition explores the life of a man whose different homes correspond to the different ages of his life: the Palace of Monaco where he was born and grew up until his studies and the tumult of war, the Villa Iberia in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat where the bachelor Prince stayed until his marriage to Grace Kelly, the Rocagel house he built for his family, and finally the Castle of Marchais, a historic residence of the Grimaldis since 1854.

“The personal passions of the Prince make it possible to understand his personality and his commitments. When he takes off the sovereign’s uniform or the clothes of the father of the family, Rainier puts on his work shirt to retire to his workshop, where he models wrought iron sculptures,” say the exhibition curators.

In the final stage of the exhibition, the “great hours” of the Prince at the Palace are evoked, from his years of apprenticeship at the end of the World War II to the paroxysms of the Franco-Monegasque crisis and the proclamation of a new constitution, through to the momentous gatherings with the Monegasque population.

The exhibition, titled Le Prince Chez Lui, Prince Rainier III en images: 1923 – 2005, was curated by Thomas Fouilleron and Vincent Vatrican. It will be on show in the Grands Appartements of the Prince’s Palace from 31^stMay to 20^th August 2023.

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.

SEE ALSO:

May 31st: Prince Rainier III’s 100th birthday celebrations

Photo taken from exhibition poster

Extreme E: Veloce Racing secure victory on home soil in Scotland

by: Luke Entwistle

15/05/2023

Veloce Racing won their second race of the Extreme E season at the Hydro X Prix in Scotland to return to the top of the standings.

Veloce drivers Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor led from start to finish at the team’s home X Prix, fending off attacks from NEOM McLaren, who earned just their second-ever Extreme E podium.

In the mud of Dumfriesshire, Rosberg X Racing became unstuck, and following a difficult weekend, which included a collision in Q2, the team was forced to retire in Sunday’s race, which has allowed their competitors to steal a march.

Nico Rosberg’s team are now third in the Championship standings, just one point above Lewis Hamilton’s X44 Vida Carbon Racing, and 28 points of leaders Veloce Racing (80 points). Acciona | Sainz XE Team are second with 69 points.

“We had a tough weekend, much tougher than Saudi Arabia,” said race-winner Hansen. “It was a huge effort from the team to pull through in such difficult conditions.”

Lewis Hamilton’s team victorious on Saturday

Like all of the race weekends, the Hydro X Prix in Scotland was a double-header, and Saturday’s race was won by Hamilton’s team: X44 Vida Carbon Racing. It was Fraser McConnell’s first-ever victory in the discipline, and X44’s first of the season, having won the second season of the Extreme E series.

*Photo of Fraser McConnell and Cristina Gutiérrez from the Extreme E press centre*

Despite crossing the line second, X44 were promoted to the top step of the podium after the Andretti team were handed a penalty.

“It’s amazing to get my first win for X44. It’s been something that I’ve been working towards not just for myself, but for the whole team,” said McConnell, who took the victory alongside race partner Cristina Gutiérrez.

The grid next heads to Sardinia, Italy, for another double-header in early July.

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Photo from the Extreme E press centre

Sailing: Malizia-Seaexplorer chasing first place in The Ocean Race

Malizia-Seaexplorer within 32 minutes of victory

A return to Europe

Experience Grasse’s famous Expo Rose this weekend

Café de Paris redevelopment: new details revealed

Luxury boutiques with a sought-after address

Monaco firefighters raise awareness at Biot’s Trail Pour Tous

Le Prince Chez Lui exhibition: Prince Rainier III at home

Extreme E: Veloce Racing secure victory on home soil in Scotland

Lewis Hamilton’s team victorious on Saturday

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