During his travels and life as an expat in Europe, the Reverend Fergus Butler Gallie stumbled across story after story of the most incredibly heroic clergy. This promoted him to write Priests de la Résistance (2019),a book that TheGuardian calls: “A stirring compendium of the lives of clergy who stood up to Hitler.”
“I realised that, with a couple of exceptions, their stories were totally unknown in the UK, indeed some of them had no record of their deeds written in English. So what began as an attempt to remedy that, became a wider project as I discovered more and more examples,” says the current Vicar of Charlbury with Shorthampton in the diocese of Oxford.
Oxford and Cambridge-educated Fergus has served in churches in Liverpool and Central London, plus in chaplaincy at a school in Kent. And although only 31, the author has penned several articles for major media and written two other books – A Field Guide to the English Clergy: A Compendium of Diverse Eccentrics, Pirates, Prelates and Adventurers; All Anglican, Some Even Practising (2018) and his memoir, Touching Cloth: Confessions and communions of a young priest(2023).
Father Fergus will be giving a talk about the clerical resistance in World War II “and some lighter tales” on Friday, July 12, at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Monaco. He was invited by long-time friend Reverend Hugh Bearn, who says, “Father Fergus is a highly entertaining, witty, a skilled raconteur and a serious historian – a young man who embodies the notion of a traditional priest in the Church of England.”
Do you think history is repeating itself 80 years after the liberation of Europe from totalitarianism?
FBG: Well, I suppose so, but I think we ought to remember that much of Eastern and Central Europe experienced totalitarianism until 40 or so years ago, and Spain 55 years ago: history always repeats itself I think and the sad historical reality is that totalitarianism has actually been the norm, the question is how does one resist it?
History seems split on the view of Pope Pius XII. Some historians view him as ‘Hitler’s Pope’ but recently released historical documents show him as more of a shrewd politician who was able to safeguard the Catholic Church while also providing asylum for some Jewish people when he could. In light of your research, where do you fall on Pope Pius XII?
FBG: Gosh it’s very tricky. I think the real answer is that it’s complicated. I think either viewing him as entirely complicit with Hitler or as a hero are both inaccurate oversimplifications. What I would say is that almost all the leaders of Europe were on tightropes at the time. During the war itself I think the fact that clergy make up by far the largest section of the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ and the horrific numbers of them killed in concentration camps, etc, speaks for itself in terms of the fact that the Church of which
Pius was head was perhaps the single most important organisation that resisted Nazism. However, I think what is perhaps more damning are his actions towards the end and just after the war where he appears to support clergy who were complicit in war crimes – in particular in Croatia – and allows, knowingly or not, the Vatican to be used as an escape route for those who should have faced justice. The truth is he was a conflicted, complicated character- probably too weak in terms of personality to ever become some sort of Catholic Churchill –but still trying to do his best and sometimes succeeding.
In your research, were any of the priests or nuns excommunicated by the church for helping those of the Jewish faith? If not, doesn’t that say something about the Catholic Church’s sympathies during the war?
FBG: No, clergy were never excommunicated for that and, as I say above, I think there’s is a strong argument to say that the Catholic Church in particular plays the most important resistance role of all in Europe during the Second World War. But I suppose it’s worth realising, as I say in the book, that the Church is about as diverse and widespread an institution as you can find by its very nature. There were plenty of clergy who collaborated very willingly alongside the heroes who resisted. The Church’s main issue is that it’s filled with humans who are, by its own teaching, fallible and sinful even when trying to do good.
If there is a worst-case scenario in Europe today and totalitarianism does spread, could you see members of today’s European clergy (Catholic or Protestant) making the same sacrifices?
FBG: I would hope so. I think the Church invariably comes into its own as a place where hope can spread when the political situation seems hopeless. I suppose the Church is less powerful than it was then but the fundamental truth that it proclaims – that we owe primary allegiance to God Almighty – has not gone away and one would hope it would inspire now as it did then.
When the war ended, were most of the priests and nuns that you wrote about celebrated as heroes or did they simply return to a quiet life within the Church?
FBG: Well, it varied. The wonderful Canon Felix Kir became a real celebrity – Mayor of Dijon for another two decades and, of course, having the blanc de cassis named after him because he drank so much of it. Others went on to run charities or parishes or religious orders, but the reality is that over half of those I wrote about didn’t survive the war at all. They were perhaps the greatest heroes.
To confirm attendance for the July 12 talk by Fergus Butler Gallie, contact hughbearn@gmail.com. A €10 entry fee at the door on July 12 will be donated to charity, and refreshments will follow at St Paul’s House.
Chaplain Hugh adds, “Father Fergus will be preaching at St Paul’s at 10:30 am on July 14 – the seventh Sunday after Trinity which is also Bastille Day – how apposite.”
In the early hours of June 28, 1969, nine New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. A search warrant in hand authorised them to investigate the illegal sale of alcohol, and – in accordance with a New York criminal statute –arrest people who were not wearing at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Annette Anderson delivers spectacular speech at MonacoPride 2024.
Activist and photographer Mark Segal, 18 at the time, was at the LGBTQ+ hang out that day. He recently described the event to Katie Couric Media, saying it was “an ordinary night” dancing at the Stonewall Inn when the police “poured in, threatening and beating patrons … but instead of complying like they normally did when these altercations occurred, the crowd decided to fight back.”
He described, ‘“It was the most horrific, frightening scene I had ever been part of. My first reaction in my head was, ‘Oh gee, we better call the police’ – and then I realised these are the police. Realising that we gay people can be treated like this was probably one of the most depressing times in my life. [It felt like] no one cared about us, not even the police.”
The police barricaded themselves inside and called for backup as some 400 people rioted and set fire to the bar. The flames were extinguished in time but the riots continued for six days. This incident became known as the Stonewall Uprising, the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US.
In 1970, a year after the Stonewall Inn raid, activists commemorated the anniversary with what was the first gay pride march. Today, the Stonewall Uprising continues to be honoured worldwide with Pride Month in June.
In Monaco, across Pride Month, the Barclays Private Bank building lights up in the colours of the rainbow. It was Barclays Monaco who, in 2022, collaborated with Fight Aids Monaco and Stars’n’Bars to create MonacoPride, to provide an opportunity to educate Monaco decision makers about LGBTQI+ rights and to change the outdated laws that create serious hardships for many families of people working and living in Monaco.
Speakers Monserrat Marchchetti (Barclays Private Bank Monaco), Hervé Aeschbach, (Fight Aids Monaco) Annette Anderson (former manager of Stars’n’Bars) with Camille Gottlieb (representing her mother Princess Stephanie), Christophe Glasser (Fight Aids Monaco), Lorenzo Turco (Barclays Private Bank Monaco) and (Marina Ceyssac (High Commissioner for Protection of Rights).
Every year since, on June 20, MonacoPride brings together residents and workers to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community. The annual cocktail continues to grow larger, more dynamic, and this third edition invited an unprecedented 150 guests to the new port restaurant, Marius.
It’s a party with a purpose, a reflection on the year’s achievements – like the welcome creation of the new Mon’Arc En Ciel Association – but also to focus on the road ahead as Monaco is consistently rated among the worst counties in Europe in terms of LGBTQI+ civil rights.
Hervé Aeschbach, director of Fight Aids Monaco(WATCH VIDEO BELOW), pointed out how there are no spousal rights for widows or widowers of a spouse in a same-sex couple legally married in other countries and same sex families who are denied medical benefits for their children.
In a riveting speech, Annette Anderson thanked the “many courageous members of the Conseil National as well as the [Marina Ceyssac] High Commissioner for Protection of Rights who have fought for equal rights for the Rainbow Community” but went further to say, “It is OUR responsibility to fight for OUR rights.”
Mon’Arc en Ciel cofounders Isabelle and Anais Berruti, Cynthia Salvanhac and Laure Bernardi.
Annette also commended the Isabelle and Anais Berruti, Laure Bernardi and Cynthia Salvanhac, the thirtysomething cofounders of the country’s first LGBTQIA+ association, Mon’Arc en Ciel.
When Mon’Arc en Ciel launched a month ago, Anais said in an interview, “Monaco is small, people talk. I have never been uncomfortable saying that I’m in a couple with a woman. But we are young. We are not the same generation as older people who have maybe had different experiences.
“Some individuals feel there’s a risk of being regarded negatively, so they keep quiet. We understand, and that’s why we created this association. To tell these people that, even if they don’t want to speak out, the association will do it for them.
Article first published June 21, 2024. Photos and videos copyright Good News, Monaco.
In Annette Anderson’s fascinating debut in The Monegasquemagazine, her article “Will the Funkiest Prince Please Stand Up?” links two events that marked Monaco’s history in the first week of May 1994. One is the death of F1 driver Ayrton Senna and how “at the request of Michael Schumacher and Keke Rosberg” several drivers, compatriots and Stars’n’Bars owners Kate Powers and Didier Rubiolo “commandeered the upstairs bar and drank into the wee hours, toasting and sharing memories of their fallen brother.” The other, well, you’ll have to pick up a copy of the latest issue to read her compelling story.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Author Daniel Ortelli talks about his new book on Ayrton Senna and the FNAC event on Wednesday, May 22.
Thirty years may have passed since Senna died tragically on the Imola circuit aged 34, yet the fascination for the Brazilian driver has not diminished. And a new book Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage(Éditions Glénat, €39.95) provides an unprecedented 10-year snapshot of Senna’s character. The 224 pages by Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy cover his Formula 1 debut in 1984 to his final season with Williams and include exclusive testimonials from those close to the man from Sao Paolo.
The trio promoted the book at the Rendez-Vous Culturel at the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo last Friday. Daniel, a veteran motorsport journalist in the region, said. “Senna always attracted attention, even the years when he didn’t win. Because he was in Pole position, because he was driving a Renault, there was always a good reason to talk about him. There were some years when he won three times, and other years when he didn’t win a title, but it didn’t matter. Every year there were stories to tell about him.”
Eternel Senna authors Daniel Ortelli and Thomas Woloch and photographer Dominique Leroy.
“In France his rivalry with Proust was followed very closely, at a time when TF1 beat all the records for audience sizes. Dominique Leroy was in the front row and we had Dominique’s eye on the event from the beginning to the end. Sometimes during F1 you may have five different photographers and so five different styles of photos. With Dominique, who knows the subject so well, there was unity. The quality was consistent.”
On being approached about the book, Dominique said, “There are always around a hundred photos of Ayrton Senna that appear all the time. But they wanted 500 photos and that was a bit complicated. I started looking in the cellar, in the attic, to try and find some photos. To be honest, three quarters of them were unpublished.”
An accomplished painter, Dominique was at San Marino the day Senna died. “I had the immense privilege during the first Formula One to be sent almost permanently to the Williams garage. On May 1, 1994, I was at the starting line. Ayrton Senna arrived and did something that he never did – he took off his helmet and his balaclava. Everyone was surprised.”
Dominque unknowingly took his penultimate photo of Ayrton Senna at 1:50 pm, 27 minutes before he died and this photograph graces the books cover. (Dominque’s last Senna photo is with the driver wearing his balaclava.)
Daniel added, “The inquiry by AutoSprint, the Italian motorsport magazine, was exemplary. They could have produced something trashy and dramatic that we see nowadays. They knew pretty much exactly what happened. They knew that the steering column had broken, but they didn’t write it. They respected the memory of this champion and they refused to enter into a debate, to create a buzz with the information that they had.”
Rendez-Vous Culturel at the Hotel Metropole on May 11 with Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch, Laurence Genevet and Dominique Leroy.
Thomas Woloch, a Monaco resident and author of Max Verstappen, le sacre d’un champion, shared an insightful anecdote. He had spent months and endless nights researching Eternel Senna speaking to those close to “Beco” as Senna was nicknamed by his parents. Nuno Cobra, Senna’s coach and mentor, who is now in his 80s, explained to Thomas by phone about the dual personalities of Senna. There was Ayrton on one side, and Senna on the other. He adored Ayrton, the sweet and kind family man, but he couldn’t stand Senna, the predator driver, who was ready to do anything to win.
As Thomas described it, “On one occasion, Senna was on his yacht in Sao Paolo. Senna was really annoyed and uptight, and his coach said, ‘Come on, let’s go and play some tennis.’ Senna was known for being anxious and quite surly and his technique for making him feel better was to go and play tennis. So, they played for a couple of hours and the coach told me that Senna gradually became Ayrton. To tease him, whenever he saw Ayrton, he would ask him, ‘Did you lock Senna in your room? Because I don’t want to see him today.’ This was his trainer, his mentor, who knew him so well.”
Authors Thomas Woloch, Daniel Ortelli and photographer Dominique Leroy at Hotel Metropole book signing.
A replica Ayrton Senna, Williams helmet from 1994 will be on display at the book signing. The collector’s item is one of a number of Stars’n’Bars sports memorabilia to be featured at an upcoming auction by Artcurial on July 8 at 2pm at the Hotel Hermitage.
Don’t miss Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy at FNAC Monaco on Tuesday, May 22. The trio will be signing copies of Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage from 3-to 5 pm. The book is also available in English to order.
Article first published May 15, 2024. All photos and video copyright Good News Monaco.
WATCH VIDEO: Valerie Closier of the Prince’s Car Collection on the iconic car exhibit and the evolution of Ferrari’s F1 technology (in French).
Back in 2018, Prince Albert told The Independent newspaper, “It’s true that Ferrari and Monaco are the two most important things to F1.”
Certainly, Charles Leclerc might agree. The first Monegasque to drive for the Prancing Horse told me his first Formula One memory is of playing cars with a friend near the first turn and watching the Grand Prix at the same time. While he never followed one driver in particular, he once confessed: “The red car has always been special to me.”
On May 26, 26-year-old Leclerc will race for Scuderia Ferrari as he tries for the fifth time to become the first Monegasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix since Louis Chiron drove a Bugatti to victory in 1931.
WATCH VIDEO: Egon Zweimüller on Luigi Villoresi and the first Ferrari F1 car in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix.
For F1 fans who won’t be cheering from the stands, the Prince’s Car Collection is hosting a less ear-impacting event, Ferrari F1 à Monaco: Histoire et Victoires (Ferrari F1 in Monaco: History and Victories). The exhibition, running until August 31, traces the iconic carmaker’s history back to 1950 and includes 12 single-seaters which have won nine titles.
In addition to Leclerc’s SF90 (2019) and Nigel Mansel’s 640 (1989) in the permanent collection, curator Franco Meiners sourced ten F1 Ferraris from the Schlumpf Collection in Mulhouse, and Maranello, where the manufacturer is based in Italy, and a selection from private collectors
From Ferrari’s first win at the Monaco GP in 1955 with Maurice Trintignant’s 625 to their last, with Sebastian Vettel’s car in 2017, history unfolds with Niki Lauda (1976); Jody Scheckter (1979); Gilles Villeneuve (1981) and Michael Schumacher (winning cars in 1997 and 2001).
WATCH VIDEO: Valerie Closier welcomes Prince Albert, Louis Ducruet and minister of state Pierre Dartout at the inauguration on May 9 (in French).
Ferrari F1 à Monaco: Histoire et Victoires begins with Ferrari’s first race car at the Monaco Grand Prix on May 21, 1950. Enzo and Laura Ferrari had put their savings into entering three single-seaters that year with drivers Alberto Ascari (he placed second), Raymond Sommer and Luigi Villoresi.
Luigi Villoresi’s 125 was the first F1 Ferrari to be built and the only one of the three entered in the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix to have kept its initial configuration, the other two having been reworked.
Egon Zweimüller brought the Villoresi vehicle to Monaco. Zweimüller, whose family-run restauration business in Ennsdorf is one of the best in the biz, explained that the Ferrari red car was painted green when it was bought by a British driver. And at one point, it even had a gold nose when it was based in Australia.
Ferrari F1 in Monaco: History and Victories runs until August 31. The Prince’s Car Collection (54 route de la Piscine) is open daily July 1 to August 31: 10am-6pm (July & August 7pm). Tickets €10/adult and €5/ages 6-17.
Article first published May 11, 2024.Images and videos copyright Good News Monaco.
The 10th edition of the fantastic Champagne & Oysters Cycling Club’s charity bike ride took place Sunday, May 5. The enthusiastic group departed from St Tropez at 8 am and cycled 140 km to arrive in Monaco at 4:20 pm, as some 70 riders pedalled down Rue Suffren Reymond to a cheering crowd outside of Slammers.
Princess Charlene arrived shortly after to join Eddie Jordan and Terry Torrison on stage with a long list of thanks to the 700 cyclists who have participated over the years, as well as sponsors and supporters.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Princess Charlene joins Eddie Jordan and Terry Torrison on stage to thank the 2024 COCC cyclists and supporters.
Last year, the COCC bike ride raised over €70,000 for the Princess Charlene Foundation but, for the first time, funds raised this year will be shared between the Princess Charlene Foundation and the My Name’5 Doddy Foundation, which funds motor neurone disease research and helps patients and families living with this devastating disease. Donations can be made here: COCC – Princess Charlene Foundation – COCC – My Names’5 Doddie Foundation.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: St Tropez-Monaco cyclists arrive at Slammers.
The street party with a paid BBQ and Oyster Bar was going strong with live music from the Paul Dobie Band and Caligagan Band. Sponsors of this year’s ride: Plurimi, McLaren, Banque Havilland, Lyon Skin Care, Designing Centre, Relevance, Levmet, Moore, Brash, Far East Commodities, GeeTech, Knight Frank, St Tropez House, iCrew Services, inter-nett and Monaco Projects.
WATCH VIDEOS BELOW: interviews with cyclists John Brash, Rumble Romagnoli and Tessa.
Street party photos
SlammersAndrew Gallagher and Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Princess Charlene Foundation.Eddie Jordan. Princess Charlene Foundation Ambassador Francesco Castellacci. Princess Charlene signs Francesco Castellacci’s bike.Zeynep Onder Castel-branco, Amanda Gallagher and Lisa DeRea Frederiksen.Mark Thomas and Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Princess Charlene Foundation.
Article first published May 5, 2024.All photos and videos copyright Good News Monaco.
Martina Brodie would sum up her childhood in one word: books. “My first memory is of my mom and dad both reading. Always. I was convinced that everybody reads all the time.”
Martina and her two younger brothers were born in the eastern part of Slovakia, in a small town called Sečovce. Growing up under Communism meant a life full of restrictions, including travel outside of the Eastern Bloc. “But I did travel,” insists Martina. “In fact, I travelled Around the World in 80 Days with Jules Verne. For me, our local library was a Treasure Island. It was only later on that I realised these books were carefully checked and censored for any praise of the West and that many authors were banned.”
There was no freedom of religion. “We had to learn Russian at elementary school and, to prevent us from going to church on Sunday mornings, the school organised ‘Sitting by the Samovar’. This was a competitive quiz about Soviet culture.”
Western music was also a no-go. “Once my father brought home the Beatles’ album, Help! Someone had smuggled in the LP and it was so exciting. We were breaking the rules! We couldn’t play it loud, but my brother and I must have listened to this record a million times – dancing and repeating the strange words which we learned by heart not knowing what they meant. Years later, when I met Ringo Starr in Monaco, I was starstruck and left speechless from a flood of memories.”
Martina moved to Monaco in 2010 with her husband, Ian, founder of NEWS.mc. The couple first laid eyes on each other just before Christmas 1996 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Journalism major Martina had started her weekend job at the country’s first Irish pub, Dubliners. Ian, who was publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Central European Business Weekly, which he founded in Prague in 1992, was at the bar on opening night. They didn’t speak that first time.
The Dubliners became a distribution point for Ian’s weekly newspaper. As Martina recalls, “My Irish friend at the pub saw me laugh out loud reading its tongue-and-cheek column Central European Diary and made sure that I met this guy when he next came to visit.”
Martina was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend when she was formally introduced to Ian at the pub. “Our chat turned out to be a night-long discussion. And it must have been interesting because I stayed up talking to Ian until early morning. I remember leaving the underground bar and there was daylight. I was about to hop on one of the first trams of the day when Ian asked for my number. There were no mobile phones back then and I couldn’t afford a landline so I made up six digits on the spot, which he duly noted down. I knew I would never see this guy again. What I failed to tell him was that I was leaving town to finish my thesis and be with my family. A few days later I quit my job at the pub and left the capital for a long time.”
Martina heard from friends that Ian had been relentlessly calling the fictious number. “He would come from Prague to the pub in Bratislava most weekends, asking everyone about my whereabouts. When I returned a year later, people were coming up to me with Ian’s number saying they had had enough of this guy looking for me. I was like, Which guy? … Don’t tell Ian!”
Martina called Ian. The next day he once again took the five-hour train from Prague. “Lunch turned into dinner and the rest is history, well with a twist. I was aware of the nearly 30-year age difference so I travelled around the world to make up my mind. Ian followed me. To Mexico. To California. To Canada. He really is the most tenacious person I know!”
Except for when Martina went to Japan for three months with an international group – Up With People – and lived with host families in nine places. “My Japanese host mothers were very supportive of my dilemma. They told me, ‘Martina, many people do not experience what love is. You seem to have found it, don’t throw it away. Even if he is much older – go for it – and when he dies, you will find another!’”
Accepting the advice, by age 30 Martina and Ian were living back in Bratislava and had two children. She worked as a freelance television and radio journalist, and also helped Ian start a monthly bilingual magazine, Business Slovakia.
When Ian’s mother had health issues, the family moved to Wellington in the UK. Martina looked for work. “It was 2007 and you couldn’t find a good cup of coffee. This was long before the big chains discovered this pleasant town in southwest England. So together with a friend – and on a very tight budget – we opened the Chocolate Box, a continental café selling Belgian pralines and ten types of hot chocolates,” Martina shares.
“It was no ordinary café. It very chocolatey and magical, and even though I had no previous experience running a café, it was a success from day one. The boys were small and I worked 24/7 baking most of the goods we were selling. After four years I was exhausted.”
It was time to sell the coffee shop and use the money to return to Slovakia. Ian had already gone ahead to prepare the family cottage when Martina picked up a copy of the Sunday Times. “I read this wonderful article about Monaco written by Evelyne Genta, the Monaco ambassador to the UK. The piece mentioned how Monaco is full of opportunities for young entrepreneurs with good ideas, that it is a great place to live as well as a safe place for families. I called my husband to say: ‘Stop whatever you are doing. We are going to live in Monaco.’ Ian agreed and that is how crazy we are. We did it.”
They packed up the hired van and drove with the kids from the UK for Monaco. Ian started a job as Editor-in-Chief at the Riviera Times, the boys were enrolled in local schools, and Martina? “I was desperate to learn French and explore life on the Riviera. Except nothing worked out. The boys had a terrible time at school. They didn’t speak French and the whole system was brutally different from the UK. They say you can only be as happy as your least-happy child. Well, they were both depressed and it was hard for me as a mom.”
On top of that, Ian’s job didn’t work out and he quit. “I was furious! However, it was 2010 and we both knew Monaco would benefit from an English-language news service as nothing else existed at the time. That’s how Monaco Life started – first as a print magazine, later as online daily news. It was exciting and growth was rapid.”
The British Association of Monaco, led by Vanessa Ilsley, and Anette Anderson at MonacoUSA supported Martina and Ian from day one. “They may be our most favourite people in Monaco,” Martina admits. “It is never easy to come to a new country and try to connect with like-minded people and I will never forget how welcoming they were. When life wasn’t easy, they were always there. In fact, I think it was Annette who took the ‘famous’ photo of us dancing at Stars’n’Bars around 2012 or so.”
The other point bookish Martina remembers from those early days is her need to join a book club – any book club. “I wanted to get to know people but clubs were not accepting new members … so I started my own, the Monte Carlo Reading Society. We had some good laughs and the six women who joined are my closest friends to this day.”
Still, Monaco’s promise of “a great place to live” was not all it cracked up to be. “They say you have to give a new place at least two years before you make a decision to stay or to move on. I gave it three. I had to make a hard decision to take the boys back to finish their education in Wellington. Ian stayed a bit longer and sold Monaco Life before moving back with us.”
They stayed in the UK for four years but in July 2019 Ian returned to Monaco to start Monaco Daily News – aka NEWS.mc. “The boys wanted to return to the Riviera. I was hesitant because I truly love the UK. I had a great job working for the 250-year-old Fox Brothers and it doesn’t happen often that you have the best colleagues, the best management and inspiring owners. I worked in the best company in the world really, truly. It was a hard decision to follow my family.
“I could say coming back to Monaco this time was much easier than before. Maybe. The boys had finished school so that was easier. Ian now has two wonderful partners and our boys Max, 19, and Jack, 23, are very much part of the business, too, so my role is more a supportive one. Although, I must say, the written interview will always be my favourite type of journalism. I love people’s stories and Monaco is so rich in this department.”
Although Martina studied journalism, as a child she wanted to be a teacher. “My mom was a history teacher and although she was very strict, her lessons were so imprinted on the students they didn’t need to write one single thing down. She had a gift of storytelling that stayed with you. I know this first hand because as a small child she would sneak me into her afternoon classes.”
Martina adds, “They say when the student is ready, the right teacher arrives. And I was ready when the Face Yoga Method came to my life at the best possible moment. After a six-month Face Yoga Method Teachers Training, I became certified on November 1st and am starting my online classes from January 2024.
The name Face Yoga Method was coined by Fumiko Takatsu, a Japanese woman who created the concept of a holistic approach to looking after the face. As Martina puts it, “At first it was pure vanity for me. I wanted to get rid of wrinkles and get that bulging double chin under control, but what I found was a whole new dimension of tension release. Quite frankly, our face doesn’t start at our chin, but at our feet.
“Just like we exercise and tone our body muscles, we can do the same with our facial muscles. And as we do we increase the blood circulation which results in more oxygen bringing more nutrients to our skin. It’s a non-invasive, all-natural way to achieve a more youthful appearance and improve our skin’s texture with no special equipment needed. Just a little bit of diligence and perseverance.”
The more Martina learned about Face Yoga, the more it resonated from within. “I wanted to learn how to teach it and share the excitement. Little by little, we can wake up the muscles on our face and start a fully facial workout, aligning our bodies, our skin and ourselves. It’s all interconnected and consistency is paramount here.”
The classes will run on a monthly subscription basis at a very reasonable cost and even though this self-care is a never-ending journey, Martina’s students will be able to practice certain poses and continue their inspired Face Yoga journey on their own. “As my teacher Fumiko says, ‘Change your face, change your life’. I like to say: Every face tells a story, let yours be uplifting.”
To say this has been a tough year for Martina is an understatement. She lost both her parents, unexpectedly and suddenly. “My Face Yoga daily practice helped me tremendously to deal with this emotional trauma keeping me grounded, focused and calm.”
Part of that focus is remembering her folks with gratitude. “When Communism collapsed and my father started his private dentistry practice, it didn’t do so well and he simply couldn’t cope with the new rules of capitalism. My mom was the breadwinner. When his business collapsed, they both went to America and washed cars at petrol stations for five years to pay my father’s debts and to save their house. They paid every single penny back. And kept their house, for us.”
She thinks back to that Help! album her father snuck into the family home when she was a young girl, and singing and dancing with her brother to The Beatles. Martina wishes she could go back to that day she met Ringo Starr to say: ‘You have no idea what you mean to me. You opened a whole new window to my future when I first heard and spoke English, the language I now speak, write … and will use to teach.’”
Email Martina Brodie about her Face Yoga Method classes or contact her via Facebook.
The 10th edition of the Ladies Vintage Car Rally took place on Sunday, September 10th, with nearly a hundred women – and for the first time – men stepping out to support Child Care Monaco. This year’s dress code: “The Charleston”, a nod to Prince Rainier as 2023 marks the centenary of his birth.
Now, usually, I would write about how unique this fundraiser is, how it shines a very bright light on women in Monaco and how wonderfully they can come together for a humanitarian cause. I would probably say that Martine Ackermann founded Child Care Monaco in 2012 with a mission to “promote and help the education of disadvantaged children in the world”, and has on-the-ground projects in India, Guatemala and South Africa. And, surely, I would add that Martine not only pours her heart into organising this vintage car rally for women (with the help of Bernhard, Theo, Carla, Annie, Dominque and David Golland), but she also finds the time to support each and every one of us for our events across the year.
Instead, I want to share other rally driver’s experiences. Throughout the day, I spoke with familiar faces and new faces to the Ladies Vintage Car Rally.
Here are the day’s highlights: 8:15am: Breakfast at the Café du Paris. I met up with Olive and Maria, and Tracy. (Scroll down for lots of photos.)
9:45am: Departure of 39 classic cars, including a 1947 Delahaye 135 MS and 1962 1500 Giulia Spider Alfa Romeo, courtesy of the Prince’s Car Collection and its director, Valérie Closier. (WATCH VIDEO TOP OF ARTICLE).
12pm: The group made their way west past Nice and up to Opio to the secluded (this was a speakeasy, after all) Le Mas des Geraniums, where lunch was followed by roulette, a tombola and dancing, and not necessarily in that order. Here is Béatrice Bordier and Magali Jacquet-Lagreze from CFM-Indosuez Monaco,
12pm: The group made their way west past Nice and up to Opio to the secluded (this was a speakeasy, after all) Le Mas des Geraniums, where lunch was followed by roulette, a tombola and dancing, and not necessarily in that order. Here is Béatrice Bordier and Magali Jacquet-Lagreze from CFM-Indosuez Monaco, which donated the use of six cars.
5 pm: The post-lunch route led to afternoon tea at l’Antre Potes in Eze. Newcomers Simone and Audrey share their thoughts.
7pm: The day comes to an end with a prize giving in the presence of Princess Stephanie at Castelroc, next to the Palace.
Breakfast shots from the Café du Paris.
Valérie Closier, Director of the Prince’s Car Collection.Bernhard Ackermann leads the way.
Article first published September 11, 2023. All photos and videos copyright Nancy Heslin.
When Didier Rubiolo closed the doors at Stars’N’Bars on January 27, he said he would be back with big changes. He has lived up to his word.
His awe-inspiring new restaurant, Conscientiae, is the place to be. Not in the “Look at me, I’m dancing on the tables” kind of way, but rather to “BE”.
“This is a new chapter but not a new Stars’N’Bars,” affirms Didier. “Stars was a big family institution that Kate Powers and I were very lucky to have created. This is continuity but we have to differentiate ourselves from that brand with a new name. I am excited to face this new challenge, something that is so positive.”
When Conscientiae opens on July 29, there will be no lingering sentimentality from the previous space. Gone are the shiny cars and memorabilia covering the walls with big screen TVs and music. Instead, the zen-garden vibe interior will feature natural materials and plants, mirrors and soft lighting with the noticeable absence of noise: no music or televisions. A spectacular six-meter olive tree will hold court in the middle of the marble-finished bar.
Having arrived in Monaco 40 years ago as a classically-trained chef, Didier has “pioneered the concept of healthier, conscious, and mindful dining” since early 2000s. His awareness for the environment blossomed when he and Kate started spending time on their sailboat, which led them to cofound Monacology back in 2004. “Years ago, 30 miles from the coast the blue Mediterranean Sea lay before you. Now all you see is plastic, tires and pollution. When sailing you’d see a few cruise ships and then, especially before Covid, it was cruise liners and tankers – bigger and bigger – between Spain, Corsica and Croatia.”
With Conscientiae – which in Latin is “con”’ (with) et “scientia’ (knowledge) – Didier has transformed Stars’N’Bars’ 1800-square-metres into the country’s first multifeatured centre for environmental innovation with an eco-oriented restaurant, wellbeing floor and a private club space on the top floor. Even though the concept carries on the sustainable vision Didier and Kate both shared for our planet, there is no point in comparing restaurants.
Conscientiae is completely different – a smaller, calming space to unwind over a 3-hour meal with prices ranging from €16 to €50. “Nowadays we are always rushing around,” says Didier. “Here it will be the opposite. You’ll have a table and space, where you are not bothered by noise and have simple food that is elaborately prepared so you can discover things that you would not have at home.”
Didier is creating a narrative. “There will be a story behind everything we do, from our suppliers – a small producer who raises his animals outdoors and loves them – to serving our neutral water in beautiful crystal-filled glass carafes.”
He explains that locally-sourced plant-based produce will be the stars of his limited menu. While a restaurant garden is in the pipeline from next year, for now Didier is working with Alexandra Garavan, who supplies three-star chefs with vegetables. “I’m not going to tell her what I want; I will ask what she has and we will then make something. That’s the opposite of what happens at the moment.” For the launch, Didier is going back to his kitchen roots to explore a “menu for the planet”.
The zero-waste policy will continue. “We did this with Stars’N’Bars and we will continue to push it further. We will try and reduce waste in the kitchen and our water consumption, with water for rinsing veggies to be reused in the vegetable garden. We will separate and weigh all of our garbage and we will know exactly what comes in and what goes out, in terms of waste. The important thing with portions is for customers to eat everything on their plate so that nothing is thrown away.”
Additionally, no industrial products or processed foods will be used. “Today we have substitutes for plastic packaging, but even these have a life cycle that is really short. It has to stop. If you want to take away a plat du jour, we will make 20 to 30 portions packed in Monaco’s new glass take-away dishes and when there is none left, there is none left. You want a coffee-to-go? Bring your own cup.”
Didier is outspoken when it comes to over-consumption and the environment. “If we look at global warming the best thing is to consume less – it’s the easiest and most rapid technology. Do we need 25 cars? Do we need 10 pairs of shoes? It’s not logical. We overload ourselves, and we have to pay for that. I have a bicycle that’s 30 years old, but it’s not because it’s 30 years old that I need to change it. It works. I don’t understand.
“I’m not against smart growth. With Conscientiae, I’m creating a business concept that doesn’t exist in Monaco. The profitability is simple. Yes, we are lucky to have a huge space to bring together all these values and to shape a thought-provoking platform where entrepreneurs, investors, and tastemakers are brought together to defy the status quo by leading positive changes.”
He acknowledges that, “There will always be people who won’t like this change but we – my manager, my chef, my cleaner – are proud to work in such a place. We will have confidence in our environment, and in human values. It’s not an ego trip, I’ve gained wisdom, I’ve understood.”
Didier stops for a moment and leans in. “You know, I’ve met many small producers and when I see their passion in growing each tomato, when they explain each plant, I think, ‘Wow, you can no longer just eat a tomato in front of the TV. It deserves to be appreciated.’
“This is what we are trying to communicate. Being aware of this moment that has been given to us. Which is why Conscientiae will really be the place to be.”
WATCH VIDEO: Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur publishers Luiz Costa Macambira and Karl-Henry Edstrom at magazine launch May 22.
Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur officially launched at the Monaco Yacht Club on Monday, May 22.
Bringing the voice of luxury to the Principality is Swede Karl-Henry Edstrom, who ran the Robb Report in his native country from 2017 to 2019 before turning his vision to the French Riviera. (WATCH VIDEO).
Karl teamed up with businessman and veteran publisher Luiz Costa Macambira, a longtime resident and the formidable force behind two Forbes franchises, Monaco and the Netherlands. Luiz cemented his reputation in the Principality in building the Forbes Monaco brand through its print and digital platforms, supported by exclusive UHNW events from 2018 to 2022.
The two Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur publishers are working with seasoned creative director Peter Soderberg to produce four issues in 2023 (six next year) which will be on sale at 450 newsstands, bookshops and airports in Monaco, the French Riviera, the French Alps and in Paris. The May 2023 “Launch Issue” (146 pages; €12) will be followed by “Best of the Best” on July 12.
Robb Report dates back to 1976, when it was a mimeographed antiques newsletter founded by Robert White trying to sell collectibles. Four decades on, it counts 19 international editions worldwide and was described by Forbes as “a bible of bling for America’s most conspicuous consumer.”
In 2016, Penske Media Corporation acquired the Robb Report. The media giant, who owns Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and others, says the “Robb Report is the global voice of real luxury, with its fingers on the pulse of the latest superlative products and experiences that today’s modern consumers seek.”
“Real luxury” perfectly sums up the Robb Report Monaco cocktail Monday evening on the Observatory Deck. Even the €100,000 Hästens bed set up for the launch paled in comparison the 200 UHNW residents and guests who came to support Luiz. (Spoiler alert: expect more titles from Luiz later this year.)
Official launch with Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur team.
I have come to the conclusion that Planetary Health is like the unpredictable relative no one wants to invite to a family gathering. You know what I’m talking about, that family member whose presence makes others feel uncomfortable because inevitably there will be drama. Instead, everyone pretends everything is normal, hoping the problem will magically go away. But it only gets worse. Year after year.
And I get it. Planetary Health is a monumentally complex and distressing topic and, on top of that, we are in a race against time. The reality is that the planet is facing a double environmental crisis – the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. We are on track to reach 1.5°C global warming as early as 2034. In parallel, we have seen a 69% decline in the world’s wildlife populations in the past 40 years.
Beyond the headlines, it is not all doom and gloom. There is hope to ensure a sustainable future for people and nature, but it will require a rapid and transformative shift across sectors to drastically reduce emissions and fundamentally change the way we produce, the way we consume, and the way we finance.
This is where Re.Generation comes in (See Videos Below). This latest initiative from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s (PA2F) brought together six brilliant women and four outstanding men from around the world for its first Re.Generation Future Leadership Program, which rounded off two weeks of training on July 13.
Not to be confused with youth leadership for entry level skills, this group of Millennials is recognised already in helping to fight climate change and biodiversity loss in four areas – Startsups and Business, Storytelling, Communities and Finance. They are representatives of a generation who are convinced that another way of using Earth’s resources is possible, convinced that we must protect and regenerate nature.
These Re.Generation cohorts are carrying the weight of your future on their shoulders. They are not afraid to look Planetary Health in the eyes or call out others who fail to do so, offering solutions with a powerful sense of urgency. I know because I had the good fortune of spending the last two weeks watching them in action and listening to their concerns.
I encourage you to watch the videos below to put a face to their names and stories. These individuals are a reflection of how the Prince Albert Foundation is stepping up its drive to accelerate change by engaging Millennials and creatives in innovative ways to help spread the message. And I assure you, this Re.Generation group may have arrived in Monaco as leaders. But they leave as experts.
Startups(WATCH VIDEO) The world has set very ambitious targets for 2030 to protect 30% of land and sea, and to restore what has been degraded. But 2030 is tomorrow, some 78 months away. What is the role of startups and the business sector in this vision?
Anne-Sophie Roux is a French ocean entrepreneur whose startup Tenaka is focusing on reversing marine degradation by restoring marine ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves, and, importantly, doing this at scale.
Colombian Federico Perez is the Founder and CEO of Selvitas, a company focusing on nature-based solutions and social equity in Latin America, particularly to tackle deforestation.
Sabrine Chennaoui is the co-founder and CEO of the Tunisian green start up, MONSAPO, which looks to revolutionise chemical products we use every day, and she is an advocate for empowerment of women in the workplace.
Finance(WATCH VIDEO) The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation launched this year its Re:Ocean Fund, a private equity fund dedicated to SDG 14 that will support startups focusing on marine pollution, blue food, ecosystem protection and restoration, and equipping ocean stakeholders with robust and transparent data. What role can these kinds of funds play to help scale up innovative solutions?
Ghassan Atallah is Lebanese with a background in mechanical engineering, who moved into the finance and investing space and is doing his MBA at Harvard Business School.
Storytellers(WATCH VIDEO) How to get the message out, both to policy makers and to the general public, to help instigate the transformative sectoral and societal change that we need to tackle the environmental crisis we are living?
Valy Phommachak is the founder of Econox Laos, a social enterprise for environmental protection strongly involving local communities. She also founded Econews Laos, the first and only environmental news platform in the country, and is an advocate for youth empowerment.
Imogen Napper – aka the “Plastics Detective” – is a British marine scientist and National Geographic Explorer who is researching plastic pollution and its sources. Her work influences policy change and was used as a basis for new legislation banning certain products.
Communities(WATCH VIDEO) To put solutions into place, transparency, inclusivity, and co-construction are crucial, making sure that no one is left behind. Local communities and indigenous peoples are often at the forefront of impacts of climate change and nature degradation.
Victoria Herrmann is a storyteller and geographer from the US works very close with communities on adaptation pathways to climate change, ensuring the empowerment of local communities in safeguarding their cultural heritage.
Jahawi Bertolli is an award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, TV presenter and National Geographic Explorer who focuses on underwater and involves local communities in Africa to delivering the storytelling message.
A 2021 Pew Research Center report showed that 69% of American adults surveyed say large businesses and corporations are “doing too little to address climate change” while two-thirds say “ordinary Americans are doing too little to help reduce the effects of climate change.”
The research also stated that 71% of Millennials (born 1981–1996) believed that climate should be top priority to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations compared to 67% for Gen Z (1997–2012), 63% for Gen X (1965–1980) and 57% for Baby Boomers (1946–1964).
Article first published July 16, 2023. Feature image: Re.Generation Program/Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
