In 2008, Fenella Holt and her husband Ed, a well-known yacht photographer, moved to Antibes from Mallorca. “Ed’s job meant we needed to be where the boats were,” explains Fenella. “At that time there was an exodus from Mallorca due to increased berthing fees and my kids had just finished school, so it was a good time to make a move. The boats were moving here, so we did too.”
Fenella eventually started working as a sales assistant at Heidi’s English Bookshop in the old town when, three years later, owner Heidi Lee made the decision to close down after 25 years. “I was therefore made redundant,” explains Fenella. “I realised that there was an opportunity to fill the gap left behind, and I’d learnt enough during my time there to risk it. I reckoned that if I could find the right location, I could make a successful business, and that’s what happened!”
She took on the locale of the defunct Catholic bookshop, La Procure, at 13 rue Georges Clemenceau and it could not have been better placed. “Everyone goes up and down this street, no matter where they are headed.”
And so, on Valentine’s Day 2015, Fenella officially opened the new Antibes Books with Merde! author Stephen Clarke on hand for a book signing. At time Fenella commented, “I can’t imagine ever wanting to go back to London.”
Of course, there have been unexpected ups and unexpected downs over the years. “The low point of the decade was definitely Brexit; it was much worse than Covid. Covid was, in a weird way, a joy! To begin with, I had to close, like everyone else. Then, one evening a couple of weeks into lockdown, I read that stationery shops were allowed to open, so the next day, I got my accountant to change my business licence to include papeterie, I bought some pencil sharpeners, sellotape and Tipp-Ex online and in no time we were open again.
“The shop then became a hub for those on their short daily walks, with many popping in for a chat, a quick (illegal) coffee or sometimes a cry. I think we provided a haven for many lonely people during that time. I’m really glad about that. As for Brexit, don’t get me started. My blood pressure couldn’t take it.”
Fenella says she has hosted some wonderful authors for events at Antibes Books. “We laughed ourselves silly with Celia Imrie – twice. Stephen Clark was a hoot, and the late, lovely, (normally grumpy) Henning Mankell gave me the biggest bouquet of roses you ever saw on opening day.”
There have been visits and impromptu signings with Rick Stein (pictured), Rod Stewart, Hugh Grant, Sharon Stone –and Fenella’s favourite regular – Pete Townshend.
And now, most unfortunately, Fenella is suffering from a chronic health disorder and the time has come to sell the beloved shop. “I want Antibes Books to continue to thrive. I won’t divulge stuff about the business itself here, anyone interested can contact me directly. Suffice to say that it’s very healthy, I am earning an excellent living and that I am willing to train a new owner in every aspect of the business, if needed.
“Also we are just about to launch our new home delivery service. We trialled this during Covid and it was a hit, as I expect it will be again. Thanks to this new legislation, we can be truly competitive when compared to the big online stores.”
Fenella assures that the family, which includes Athos (pictured), her tiny Jack Russell puppy who grew and grew into a 28kg Bernese Mountain Dog – “He was meant to fit in my bicycle basket!” – will definitely stay in the country.
“France is our permanent home, but away from the Med and hopefully away from the mosquitos! I love to swim in lakes and rivers, as does Athos with me, so once I have time, we are going to take off in our camper van, tour the country and find our idyll.”
Fenella Holt is happy to speak with potential bookshop owners and can be reached on 04 93 61 96 47 or by email.
In the early morning of April 17, 2020, I was walking my dog when I saw two wild dogs wandering in the middle of the road. Our eyes locked just long enough for me to know what was about to happen. I scooped my dog into my arms and went into a brace position.
A high-pitch screech brought me back into my body, and when I opened my eyes, I realised it was me reacting to the sets of teeth piercing my skin. “They are going to kill you,” the voice in my head alerted. Somehow, I started running, dog clenched in arms. I darted across the street with the two beasts relentlessly chasing me as blood dripped down my legs.
This was halfway through the first covid lockdown so there were few vehicles passing by at 5:30 am. One knowingly drove by me but the 4-door car behind stopped. I jumped into the back seat. The dogs leapt onto the car as the driver tried to scare them off by honking. Eventually, the two (as I later learned) Malinois trained guard dogs that escaped from their villa continued toward Monaco and the young couple in the car dropped me off at home where I called the Police (the driver had already contacted them) who patched me through to an ambulance.
It wasn’t until after I was home from getting stitches and filing a police report (the dogs went on to attack three other victims in Monaco) that I realised I had no way of thanking the strangers who, literally, saved me and my dog from being mauled to death.
A few days later, a neighbourhood friend called to say the couple in the car worked at our local grocery story, Casino in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
When I reunited with them to express my gratitude, the driver told me a remarkable story. That same morning of the dog attack his two-door car wouldn’t start so he borrowed his girlfriend’s sedan to get to work on time. He said it was fate because with his coworker as a passenger there would not have been room for me in his car.
From that moment on, I have been a loyal customer of Casino Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. And I would be remiss, then, if I did not address this week’s headline calling it “France’s most expensive supermarket.”
Yes, it is pricey. This is a secret to no one. The staff talk about it, locals talk about it. It’s like saying people live in Monaco to avoid paying income tax.
Yet the store bordering Monaco, with a monthly overhead of €25,000 for rent and €10,000 for electricity, has its advantages. It opens weekdays at 7:30 am, so you can shop before going to work. For the budget sensitive like me, there is the CasinoMax app which gives you a 10% discount on each item. And unlike the super-sized Carrefour Monaco chockablock with shoppers, this Casino has manageable floor space with less people hogging up the aisles.
It is a store all about proximity for the Saint Roman community of all ages who shop without cars and prefer to haul their buggies and recycled bags with daily provisions rather than shop online.
The couple who run the place go out of their way to say hello to me; when my native Canada is in the news that ask about my family. I am in no way defending the owners or their retail pricing strategy. The survey (see video below) did not reveal the details of their operating expenses. Maybe they could reduce prices, I don’t know.
What I do know is that they have an exceptional staff. Every time I walk into the supermarket, there is a sense of family. I am greeted with a friendly hello, and some chit chat. These workers are mostly thirtysomethings trying to live their lives like anyone else. Some are single parents; others have had tragic loss. Some are fanatic about Christmas and baking; others have lost 20kg and are now passionate about sports. They are all accommodating in their roles and I am not always the most patient of customers.
These human connections matter to me more than the bottom line. And I think we forget that behind every headline there are lives impacted. I will continue to support France’s most expensive grocery store because someone who works there once did the right thing to help me. And doing the right thing is priceless.
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2024: Casino Roquebrune-Cap-Martin becomes a Carrefour Market on September 16, 2024. This is part of a buyout by Carrefour, Auchan and Intermarché to buy 288 Casino stores.
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.”
MIMA Club president Vanina Aronica (right) with Carla and Martine Ackermann.
Monaco’s town hall is throwing a free concert for the Fête de la Musique in the gardens at Place des Moulins.
The MIMA Club, under the artistic direction of Vanina Aronica, has been invited to perform an outdoor concert from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Friday, June 21. “To celebrate Music Day in Monaco, we will offer a mixed program of jazz, classical and French and international pop songs under the theme of Summer Time,” says Vanina, a professional opera singer.
Born in Paris, Vanina is a Franco-American who lives between the French Riviera and Beverly Hills. “I have been coming to Monaco since I was a kid as my parents had a house in Eze.”
Vanina has been belting out the tunes from a young age and later sang in Monaco with stars like Julian Lennon for the Rainforest Foundation and with Scorpions’ drummer Herman Rarebell, a resident at the time who founded Monaco Records, the country’s first label.
“I do this to help promote our young talent so they can get stage experience, singing also with professionals, and after good preparation,” says the Soprano, who covers the same repertoire as Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.
“There will be many talented performers for the Summer Time concert, including the winners of The Golden Voices Music Awards with the Monaco team. Come join us.”
Article first published June 20, 2024.Photo courtesy of Martine Ackermann.
Did you know the Princess Grace Irish Library has a rare first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses? The copy is numbered 312 out of 1,000 printed on handmade paper dated February 2, 1922. It was published in Paris by the English-language bookshop Shakespeare and Company, owned by American ex-pat Sylvia Beach, who had met Joyce at a party in Paris.
The classic is set on a single day June 16, 1904, and, since 1954, a Bloomsday festival – named after the central character, Leopold Bloom – takes place on this day. Loyal fans dress up in Edwardian costumes and celebrate in the streets of the author’s native Dublin, as well as in cities worldwide.
“This is our fourth year to celebrate Bloomsday in Monaco with actors from the Monaco-Ireland Arts Society,” says library director Paula Farquharson. “What was born out of necessity, due to Covid restrictions, has morphed into an annual celebration of Ireland’s most famous writer. Although not one of Ireland’s four Nobel prize winners, Joyce has inspired and intrigued the literary scene and the greater public who embrace this day across the globe.”
The kick off is at 2:15 pm inside the library (first floor), where this year there’s a special display of James Joyce memorabilia, on loan from the private collection of Michael Flatley, award-winning dancer and producer of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.
Around 2:45 pm Bloomsday revellers leave the library to stroll around Monaco-Ville just as the author’s fictional character, Bloom, did when he wandered Dublin city on June 16, 1904. First stop is beside the Prince’s Palace (by the tourist bus stop).
The literary event is free – just turn up wearing a hat. “We’re delighted to frolic about in Monaco-Ville with dramatic readings and the odd obscenity exclaimed from James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses,” enthuses Paula.
“We’re grateful to Prince Albert for allowing us to perform passages from the book on the Palace Square – we chose morally decent parts! Much to the delight of tourists who question, ‘What’s going on? Why the Irish flag?’”
The Princess Grace Irish Library at 9 rue Princesse Marie-de-Lorraine is free to visit. Open Monday to Thursday 9 am to 5 pm (last guided visit at 4:30 pm) and Friday 9 am to 4 pm (last guided visit 3:30 pm). Email for general enquiries and reservations.
Article first published June 14, 2024. Feature photo courtesy of the Princess Grace Irish Library.
Joyce Carol Oates (centre) at the 2024 Prix Fitzgerald event at Hôtel Belles Rives. Photo: Grégoire Bernardi/AP Content Services for Hôtel Belles Rives)
The 2024 Prix Fitzgerald literary award was presented to Joyce Carol Oates on June 7 at the Hôtel Belles Rives, the iconic hotel in Juan-les-Pins where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Tender is the Night.
Oates was on hand Friday to accept the accolade for her novel, 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister(October 2023; Philippe Rey), “the story of a woman named Georgina Fulmer, who is searching for her missing sister, Marguerite Fulmer. The narrative explores themes of sibling rivalry and the mysteries surrounding Marguerite’s disappearance through a series of clues and emotional revelations.”
In her acceptance speech the American writer thanked the jurors, and Marianne Estène-Chauvin for “the privilege of being a guest at this fabled place, so commemorated by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the very site in which the 1926, nearly a century ago, Fitzgerald spoke of experiencing ‘strange, precious, and all too transitory moments, when everything in one’s life seems to be going well,’ so I think I will end on that note. Transitory moments when everything in life seems to be going well.”
Oates, who was first published in 1963 for a short-story collection By the North Gate and has since written 70 novels, was up against some of the year’s biggest works of literature – Ian McEwan’s Lessons (October 2023, Gallimard); Irene Manuel’s Villas (January 2024; Du Sous-Sol); Christian Kracht’s Eurotrash (January 2024, Denoël); and Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident, published January 2024 Mercure de France). The five titles were French-language editions.
Marianne Estène-Chauvin created the French literary award in 2011 to honour a novel or short story that embodies “the elegance, wit, taste for style, and art of living of the American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald.” At yesterday’s award ceremony, she commented, “Joyce Carol Oates’ ability to weave intricate and compelling narratives is unmatched. Her exploration of the human psyche and relationships, particularly in 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister, exemplifies the elegance and depth that the Fitzgerald Prize seeks to honour.” Estène-Chauvin is also President of the Francis Scott Fitzgerald Academy and owner of the Belles Rives.
Recent winners have included Quentin Tarantino (#1 New York Times bestselling Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), who personally accepted the Prix Fitzgerald in 2023 for his work Cinema Speculation, as well as Jonathan Dee, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jay McInerney, Christopher Bollen and William Boyd.
Members of the jury selected the nominees in March. The French jury was led by journalist Bertrand de Saint Vincent, deputy director of Le Figaro and literary columnist. Members were radio journalist Daphné Roulier-De Caunes; author of the unauthorized biography Le N°5 de Chanel, Marie-Dominique Lelièvre; Figaro film critic Eric Neuhoff; L’Obs editor-in-chief, François Armane; literary critic Fréderic Beigbeder; Le Point deputy editorChristophe Ono; and actress Hélène Fillières.
The ceremony wrapped up with a Writers’ Dinner held in the exclusive Cap d’Antibes setting.
Article first published June 8, 2024. Photos: Gregoire Bernardi/AP Content Services for Hôtel Belles Rives.
“I have a great respect for the past but I move forward,” says Michelin-starred chef Sebastien Sanjou. “The past must be respected, not ignored, but I only speak about the future.”
And the future is Marius, a new Provençal restaurant that from June 14 will take over Conscientiae (formerly Stars’n’Bars) at 6 Quai Antoine 1er. “If you asked me six months ago if I’d like to go to Monaco, I would have said, yes, it’s a dream. Monaco is an incredible place, at the crossroads of the world. All restaurant concepts are possible, there is a level of cuisine, of service, infrastructure and hotels that is unbelievable.”
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Chef Sebastien Sanjou explains the Marius Monaco concept.
For the moment, Monaco is not yet a dream come true for 41-year-old Sebastien. “Monaco is a village, with its own population, it’s particular. You need a lot of humility. It’s a lot of stress and worry. Paris is easier than Monaco!”
Conscientiae opened its doors nearly a year ago, in July 2023, and Sebastien insists that the Marius transformation is the result of opportunities, meetings and things happening. He’s referring to Conscientiae/Stars’n’Bars founder Didier Rubiolo and managing director Marc Dussoullier (owner of the iconic Plongeoir in Nice and he runs La Tonnelle on Île Sainte-Marguerite, a restaurant owned by the monks), who he met working on high-profile events in the region.
“I am happy,” says Didier. “Sebastien will do well and I will stay on representing the environmental side. This gives me more time to do what I want and to develop my vision.”
Marc Dussoullier, Sebastien Sanjou and Didier Rubiolo. Photo: Photo Maki Manoukian.
Sebastien, who is a fifth-generation restauranteur, says at first glance the clientele in Monaco is very specific. “There are two types, the locals and residents, and the others who are interested in the jet-set. What we want is to have a beautiful setting, somewhere sincere. It’s a mix of know-how, the precision that comes with the experience of having a Michelin star combined with a sense of simplicity, taste and generosity.”
“The opportunity to have a Michelin-starred chef like Sebastien was a no brainer. The timing was extraordinary,” says community relations manager Annette Anderson. “There is an evolution, from the last 10 years of Stars’n’Bars, then the period of Conscientiae and now with Marius – what can we do to really improve our community, our planet, our health. There were a number of steps and Kate would be very happy, because this evolution was very important for her.”
It’s clear that Sebastien, one of France’s most renowned chef, shares the values upon which Conscientiae was built. “Notions of sustainability are obvious. Today we make a fuss about this but it’s part our DNA. It’s the heart of our activity. Chefs use ingredients that are around them, it goes without saying.”
The restaurant’s interior design will stay the same with some tweaks. The floor plan, for example, will change and tableware will reflect Sebastien’s eye for detail. The first floor will now offer additional seating, and no longer focus on wellness; the second-floor “deck” is for private events.
Marius has team of 16 who will work in rotation. “There is a loyalty of employees here that is rare. Some have been here for ten to 12 years. And they are happy with the challenge.” With the large outdoor terrace, there is total interior/exterior capacity of 120.
Outside of lunch and dinner service, beverages and a mini menu will be available from 11 am. The fixed weekday lunch menu starts at €31. In the evening, it will be à la carte with 6 or 7 starters, 6 or 7 main dishes and desserts which change with the seasons. Expect to pay an average of €80 a person without drinks.
“Our difference is that we do not plate up like in other restaurants. We have a selection of beautiful serving platters and bowls, ceramic, porcelain, silver, copper, which we bring to the table and the dishes can be shared – or not – but it lends itself to a sense of conviviality.”
Marius, from the Latin mare, meaning sea, is an ode to the Mediterranean and its Provençal traditions. “It is really the idea of an auberge. There will be the main dish in one serving platter and then in others the vegetables, the garnishes, mesclun and herbs. For dessert, if you want mousse au chocolat, I will bring you a silver dish of mousse au chocolat. Refined gourmet, but simple with quality produce. Sincere.”
Photo Maki Manoukian.
Sebastien admits he grew up “far from Monaco,” in the Hautes Pyrénées in southwest France. He studied at the Lycée hôtelier de Biarritz then in 2002 moved to the Var at age 19 to take over Relais des Moines in Les Arcs-sur-Argens. He was awarded a Michelin star in 2013. (He also served in Chef Willer’s kitchen in Palme d’Or in Cannes and in 2006 was named Young Talent of the Year.)
“Like any good chef, I spent many years in the kitchen, knowing that sooner or later I would need something else.” In 2019, together with his strong team, Sebastien had an opportunity to work at The Residence at Maison Villeroy in Paris, a private restaurant.
The following year he opened Trente-Trois at Maison Villeroy and was awarded a Michelin star six weeks later. “It was the result of more than ten years work in conjunction with building confidence with Michelin. I called the editor of the Michelin Guide France, Gilbert Garin, who retired last year, to say that I was going to open in Paris. But as it was only for the hotel residents and club members, there was nothing at stake. Then once the restaurant was open to the public, I called him again. The chef, Romain Lamothe, had worked with me for ten years at the Relais des Moines and had been awarded a star there. So, it was not really just six weeks.”
The culinary genius adds, “Now, no one has contact with Michelin. No one knows the real director. All communication is cut.”
Sebastien also ran the Voile d’Or on St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for three summers while it was being renovated and he opened an auberge in the Var, le Chateau Mentone. Earlier this year he took over a restaurant in Biarritz (formerly L’Atelier d’Alexandre Bousquet) which he opened in January with his ex-wife.
“I opened a Marius in Biarritz in January which is very successful. Biarritz is a mini-St-Tropez. People there are very well off, but they don’t want to show it. It’s like Monaco in that it is quite closed with a local, wealthy clientele who don’t like to be taken for a fool.”
Marius Monaco will have a Provençal menu featuring light, tasty, simple dishes – purple artichokes à la Barigoule, octopus stew, fresh langoustines, Piedmont beef fillet, sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, frozen lemon desserts with basil. “Provencal cuisine is defined by herbs,” explains Sebastien. “Thyme, bay, rosemary. Then it depends on the season – artichokes, tomatoes and all that the earth offers. I’ve invented nothing. Aioli is aioli. It’s just that I have mastered the technique to perfection. It’s light and tasty, without being overpowered by garlic.”
He points out that Provençal cuisine “naturally includes vegetarian dishes” and while it is important to adapt, “I’m not going in the vegan and vegetarian direction.”
Marius has an extensive wine list of 400 references, a selection exceeding that of the wine cellars found in many Michelin-star restaurants. Prices range from €40 to €3,000. “We have changed the way we think about selling wines. The more knowledgeable the clients are about wine, the more knowledgeable they are about the price. A client who wants to drink a Grand Cru de Bordeaux knows how much it costs and is fed up paying three times the price. So we have a very select wine list, for example, we have a magnificent selection of champagne – not Dom Perignon, that’s not for the wine lover – that comes from small vignerons, like Henri Giraud, that you don’t find everywhere. Or wine from the Domaine Valette, my neighbour in the Var.
“When I think about meals with my family when I was younger, the word happiness comes to mind,” recalls Sebastien. “Success for me is to have a full restaurant and happy clients who come back. Creating a fashionable restaurant is one thing, but making it last, a place where clients want to return again and again, is another.”
Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, with his Monaco-edition ocean helmet.
Formula One’s Valtteri Bottas debuted a new ocean conservation-themed helmet yesterday ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. The driver for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber wants to highlight ocean conservation in the Mediterranean and the work of the Blue Marine Foundation and the Prince Albert Foundation.
“This helmet isn’t just about making a statement on the track; it’s about driving change and raising awareness and funds to preserve our precious marine ecosystems,” Bottas comments.
Designed by Bottas’ partner, professional road and gravel cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, the helmet draws attention to the Mediterranean’s fragile ecosystem and the urgency of preserving and restoring the sea’s biodiversity. “We hear about the Great Barrier Reef, and Indochina, and all these other incredible reef systems around the world, but we need more education about the Mediterranean.”
In addition to under-water images of monk seals, dolphins and sharks, the base of the helmet is decorated with Posidonia seagrass, “representing how seagrass is the lungs of the ocean, and that without it, marine ecosystems would collapse.”
Bottas says, “I love to wear bespoke racing helmets whenever I can.” Autographed by the F1 driver and Prince Albert, the helmet will be auctioned at the annual Blue Marine Yacht Club Auction on September 25 during the Monaco Yacht Show. Proceeds will be equally distributed between the two Foundations to support their projects in the Mediterranean, in particular the seagrass restoration initiative.
“It is through strong institutional partnerships, such as the one between my Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation that we can fight against climate change and manage our natural resources responsibly,” says Prince Albert, whose Foundation has given out more than €110 million to fund some 780 projects that focus on “limiting the effects of climate change, promoting renewable energies, protecting the ocean, preserving biodiversity, managing water resources and combating deforestation.”
Blue Marine is a UK ocean conservation charity set up in 2010 by some of the team behind the award-winning documentary film The End of the Line. Its mission is to see 30 per cent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 per cent responsibly managed.
For CEO Clare Brook, “The Mediterranean Sea was once full of incredible life, but has been severely depleted in the last hundred years. We are now at a pivotal moment where countries around the Mediterranean realise the importance of reviving these vital waters and are making concerted efforts to protect them.”
Spanning more than 2.5 million square kilometres and encompassing the coastal areas and territorial waters of at least 20 countries, the Mediterranean provides vital ecosystem services to nearly half a billion people, including food provision, climate regulation, and cultural sustenance.
Yet it faces the ‘triple-threat” of overfishing, climate change, and land-based impacts and is on the verge of ecological collapse. According to Blue Marine, “The Mediterranean hosts 17,000 marine species, 20-30% of which are endemic — the highest rate of endemism in the world. Over three-quarters of its fish stocks are fished beyond sustainable limits, and climate change is heating the Mediterranean 20% faster than other marine ecosystems.”
Article first published May 24, 2024. All photos: Andy Hone from LAT Images.
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.
