Issue 161/October 2015 - 3,00 €
see seemore, more,do domore, more,know knowmore more
Grapestomping AT THE WINE HARVEST
REVOLUTIONARY GARDENS: Re-writing the Mediterranean garden concept
FESTIVE FUN:
Halloween and Oktoberfest on the Côte d’Azur!
WORLD CUP HISTORY
Rugby inventor’s Riviera connection
High flyers
The Riviera from the air!
Included inside:
‘Belong’ magazine – your second nationality guide
WELCOME 03
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Editorial by Sarah Harvey
elcome to the October edition of Riviera RT Magazine. As we move into autumn, the air has got a little cooler, the mornings are fresher and the seasonal crowds have slowly ebbed. But there is still a host of exciting things to see, do and discover on the Riviera! In this edition we’ll guide you through our pick of the best. You may notice that there’s a distinctly seasonal feel to the October edition – not least because this month we’re celebrating Halloween and Oktoberfest (yes indeed, here on the Côte d’Azur!).
And let’s not forget the Rugby World Cup is also in full swing. Read on to find out where you can join in the festivities, and also find out more about the man who invented rugby – he lived in Menton. In addition, with the harvest underway we head to the vineyards to try ‘grape stomping’. In keeping with the outdoors theme, we also offer you some of the latest horticultural advice from a ground-breaking pair of experts on how to make your garden truly dazzle. And we take to the skies to find out more about luxury aviation: private jets and helicopters.
In this issue REPORTAGE
Are your feet ready for the wine harvest? SAINT
04
TROPEZ
Green-fingered expert explains how to re-think your garden MONACO
06
HISTORY
True story of the Jewish deportation from Monaco
08
BUSINESS
How the fortunes of Riviera Business Club were transformed
10
SUCCESS-STORY
LIFESTYLE
Azure Skies: The Riviera from the air! Oktoberfest with a Monagasque twist Halloween – the best spots to celebrate! SPORT
Rugby fans’ pilgrimage to William Webb Ellis’ resting place
12 14 15 16
GASTRONOMY
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C U LT U R E
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MONACO
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EVENTS
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It’s a family affair at Lanterna Blu Beauty of Russian Ballet captured in photography The legacy of Liszt: Joseph Bulva The beats of Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival What’s hot and where to go this October!
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R T- N E W S
Catch up on all the latest news and updates from across the Riviera
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c
Cover photo:Dick Holthuis
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D E S I G N & C O N C E P T B Y K O N N Y S T R AU S S
Tonio Arcaini: The man who persuaded the prince to bring good beer to Monaco
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REPORTAGE 04
Of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
Discovering grape stomping in Saint Paul de Vence The theatrical-looking maceration method used in winemaking known as ‘pigeage’ has been iconised across the millennia; from Classical mythology to the silver screen. BY SARAH HARVEY
O
ne of the earliest visual representations of grape stomping appears on a Roman Empire sarcophagus from the 3rd century AD, depicting naked ‘Erotes’ (winged, Cupid-like characters) merrily going about the business of ‘pigeage’ in a bountiful vineyard. Whilst today’s ‘Health and Safety’ officials may have something to say about the nudity, it is in fact still possible to take part in the ritual of grape stomping at various vineyards across the Alpes-Maritimes (although the wearing of clothes is strictly enforced: the only piece of flesh you need to bare is your feet!). One of the first times I came across grape stomping was in a re-run of an infamous episode of “I Love Lucy”, called “Lucy’s Italian Movie,” in which Lucy takes a holiday in Italy and ends up wrestling a large Italian woman in a vat of grapes. Funny: yes. Educational: Not so much! So here I am now, living on the French Riviera, when I receive an invitation to attend a grape stomping event in Saint Paul de Vence. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to find out more about this intriguing process. And somewhere between the Classical ‘Erotes’ and Lucille Ball, I found myself up to my ankles in red grape flesh one morning. But let me start at the beginning. Grape-stomping in open vats (known as ‘pigeage’) is part of a method of maceration used in traditional winemaking. Rather t han usi ng a w i ne press or ot her me chan ize d
method, the grapes are crushed by foot in vats to release their juices and begin fermentation. So on a cool morning at the start of this year’s harvest, we were instructed to arrive in Saint Paul de Vence at 7.30am sharp. I say ‘cool’ – the mornings here lack the crispness of the British autumns, as famously depicted by John Keats in his magnificent poem, ‘Ode to Autumn’, which nonetheless sprung to my mind as I arrived, somewhat sleepy, at the vineyard: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless, With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run”. Admittedly, an autumn morning is magnificent here; with brilliant skies, soft mist and a pervading sense of tranquillity. The early start was necessary, due to us needing to take advantage of the coolest hours of the day, I was told by the Saint Paul de Vence museum and tourist board. Our destination was to be the vineyards of Domaine Saint-Joseph, which was located some distance up a dirt track, after passing the La Petite Chapelle Restaurant. The small local vintner has just under three hectares of land located between the hills of Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Saint Paul de Vence. “The vineyards offer a rosé wine composed of Cinsault and Mourvèdre, fermented with indigenous yeasts,” said Julien Bertaina, who runs the vineyard and organizes the ‘vendanges’ (grape
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harvest) events for members of the public to attend each year. “There is also a red wine, which comes from a blend of Merlot and Marselan. Finally, the Clos Saint-Paul is a white wine made from Clairette.” We had been instructed by the organisers to wear appropriate clothing (“grapes can be messy!”) – so nothing too special. Sunscreen and a hat were a must, since we were going to be spending the entire morning outdoors. Ditto for strong hiking boots, as we would be plucking grapes from the vines on the rolling hillsides of Saint Paul de Vence before we got down to the business of stomping on them! Gloves and pruning shears were duly handed out to those who were unable to bring their own. At 7.30 on the dot, the day began with a brief presentation of the working method. It seems that to extract the juice from the enclosure of the grape skins, the fruit has to be gently crushed. The skins must remain in contact with the juice of the grapes in order to provide colour and tannins. To make certain types of wine, the grapes are put through a crusher and poured into open fermentation tanks. Once the fermentation starts, the grape skins are pushed to the surface by carbon dioxide gas released in the fermentation process. This layer of skins and other solids which bob up to the surface is known as the cap. As the skins are the source of the tannins, the cap needs to be mixed through the liquid each day, or “punched,” which traditionally is done by stomping through the vat.
REPORTAGE 05
Bertaina said: “We have several small ‘vendanges’ taking place between September and the early part of October. This year we have a large quantity of fruit, so we will probably finish a little early.” He added that this season had yielded some particularly beautiful red Marselan grapes - “It’s good to start the season like that”. There were around 30 volunteers in total helping Bertaina, but at some of the smaller harvests, such as in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, there are just eight to 10 people at the most. After a couple of hours of hard graft on the hillside, it was time for the part we had all been waiting for. We were led to the open vats…’ How will we sanitize everyone’s feet?’ was the question on my mind. But everyone’s bare feet and legs were thoroughly disinfected before cautiously stepping onto the layer of grapes. Within seconds, our faces, arms, feet and legs were spattered with the bright red grape juice – we couldn’t help but squeal with delight. The pleasure was evident on everyone’s faces, but it led me on to something that had been at the back of my mind: How much of this is organized just so that tourists can have a bit of fun? Historians have suggested that even centuries ago, grape stomping was a relatively rare practice, and admittedly, today, it is hard to find many vineyards that claim to use the method - let alone offer the experience to visitors (with the exception of just a handful in the region, including Domaine de l’Anglade). It’s not so much that historically people didn’t crush grapes with their feet, or that it isn’t a valid method for doing it: Rather, we have had an efficient alternative to this method for at least 6,000 years. We know this because in early 2011 archaeologists uncovered the remnants of an archaic winery in Armenia, complete with a wine press, dating back to 4,000 BC. Critics of grape stomping claim there is too much wastage using the stomping method and that it is just for show. “Not at all”, says Bertaina, who has been organizing grape stomping each year since 2009. “It produces some very good vintages. And now people know we have the harvest here, many of the people come back every year to do it. I now have made some friends from doing the harvest. We have tourists from June to September but for the vendanges it is mostly local people, and people with second homes here, who are mainly from Northern Europe.” Sometime around noon we stopped for a lunch “buffet” picnic, which of course was accompanied by a bottle of last year’s vintage. Despite our grape-spattered demeanours, I was satisfied that although I didn’t resemble a winged god of any kind, I had survived the ‘vendange’ with at least some of my dignity intact: and certainly had avoided grappling with a large Italian lady in the vat! Somewhere between Greek Mythology and ‘I Love Lucy’, I had experienced my first ‘pigeage’.
“Admittedly,
an autumn morning is magnificent here; with brilliant skies, soft mist and a pervading sense of tranquillity.”
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RIVIERA LIVING 06
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Horticultural revolution Creative garden designers redefine Mediterranean garden concept
Talented pair challenge the norms, and explain exotic blooms can grow in your Côte d’Azur garden too BY AILA STÖCKMANN
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used to think that having your own garden in the Côte d’Azur hinterland wasn’t so bad! A garden that has been painstakingly and lovingly stocked with typical Mediterranean plants such as oleander, lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage for rocky slopes and a small olive tree, as well as small lawns on two levels to create an illusion of space and provide an area for the children to play football. Automated sprinklers in the summer also means it is easy to maintain. Then I met Sabine Sophy and Toby Albert. Both are garden designers based in the Gulf of St. Tropez, where they spend their time transforming the gardens of their clients. Their mission is to produce Mediterranean gardens that are more sustainable and easy to maintain, with appropriate planting and more imagination in the selection of green plants. Thus your property not only becomes a small piece of paradise but also an attractive investment. The German pair moved from Berlin to the Côte d’Azur two years ago and founded Green Parrot Gardens. In their previous careers in the fields of art and art history, they frequently came across garden architecture. They worked for many years in galleries and the art trade and met each other through their work. Some 20 years ago Sabine left the Rhineland to join Toby in Berlin, where he was still studying. He originally comes from Westphalia. They took the first step towards their shared life at the end of the 1990s, when they decided to set up their own project. “Inspired by the influences of art following several trips to Italy, we had already been thinking about going south and providing exterior design services,” remembers Sabine. Both are garden lovers by nature. Sabine has a photo of herself smelling a flower with an absorbed look on her face when aged just one; Toby has clearly inherited the genes of an ancestor who was employed as Prussian court gardener for the Czar of Russia. But as is so often the case in life, they stayed in their comfort zone and “only” changed career. They created digital educational tools for children - creative work that brought them much enjoyment. But as they became more successful they were able to take on employees, who in turn took on a great deal of the best aspects of the job. Sabine and Toby soon realised that they were mostly left dealing only with organisational matters. Around three years ago they realised it was time for a second new beginning. They still felt young enough to make a fresh start and rediscovered their longing for southern regions. They had already spent every free minute of the last 10 years in Berlin exploring the beautiful parks in
RIVIERA LIVING 07
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3 1) Newly-pruned Chamaerops humilis - October is the perfect month to do it. 2) The plant whisperers: Toby Albert and Sabine Sophy. 3) A garden can look beautiful and still be low-maintenance – such as this succulent garden. 4) Mosaics are another way of decorating an exterior area. 5a) Professional Oleander pruning: After major trimming. 5b) ... And only two months later. The following summer, the lovley oleanders bloomed again. 6) Bottlebrush, native to Australia, will grow in most Côte d’Azur gardens too.
Brandenburg, taking part in garden courses, studying manuals on English horticulture and growing plants on their balcony at home. So two years ago they moved to the Gulf of St. Tropez - a step they have not regretted for a single day. They have a free rein in their work and enthusiastically seize all the opportunities that the climate and their customers offer. As well as classical and modern garden design the duo also offer consultancy and maintenance services as well as exterior design - from mosaics through to metal objects, fountains and lights. Sabine and Toby feel comfortable in the Var, where they have been warmly welcomed. Their French language improves every day and they like the politeness of the French in daily life. “Our clients are very happy about the friendliness of the French gardeners, said Sabine. “But with the results of the French gardeners they are not so happy”. Toby added: “Often they lack the knowledge of the plants in general and the soil in general”. For Toby and his wife, the soil is essential: “It’s chalky, heavy, stony with poor drainage and few organic nutrients, but in return rich in minerals and good at storing water. This is typical southern French soil. If it is not prepared and is planted with the wrong things, then it is possible that nothing will be achieved.” Compost? Often a foreign word here in the Mediterranean. Professional pruning? Too often the tendency is to make random attacks with chainsaws and shears to crop plants into shapes regardless of what they are or how they are growing. The fact that olive trees have to be pruned like fruit trees and bushes like oleander or olive trees have to be thinned out from below and within to improve air circulation and reduce pests appears either to be unknown or simply ignored. Lawns? Out
of place in a sub-tropical region. Once fashionable as sports areas for the nobility as a status symbol and later copied by the bourgeois., people still like to plant them in the south of France. However, it rarely looks really good and falls into the category described by Toby Albert as “extremely high maintenance and cost-intensive to make it look good”. Oleander? Here Toby and Sabine have to practically stifle their yawns. What appears almost exotic in Britain adorns the central reservation of the motorway in the South of France and is used as hedges. The couple say it is being misused as a hedge but should be a bush, solitary plant or even a small tree in order to look much more decorative. “There are lots of new good ideas to make the best of Mediterranean gardens,” said Toby. “Potentially everything that thrives in South Africa, Western Australia, South America, New Zealand or California as well as parts of South America and Asia can grow here. On top of this, if you take good care of it, you can also plant many different bushes and herbaceous perennials. The things you also find in a typical English garden could also grow here, providing you can give it a lot of maintenance and watering. Today you can get everything online that is not available in the frequently uninspiring garden centres in this area,” said Sabine. The hours fly by as Sabine and her husband talk to me, completely in their element. They fill my head with unfamiliar names of plants, different garden styles, clever gardening techniques and more sustainability in the garden. They describe how birds, bees and butterflies can be ideal garden aids in a healthy garden, and even small changes can be a first step towards creating a more intensive garden experience. I am simultaneously fascinated and a bit perplexed. I still love my garden, but I now know there are so many other possibilities out there, it has really got me thinking…
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MONACO-HISTORY 08
Fled, arrested, deported
Serge Klarsfeld: “Prince Louis II and his Minister of State did what they could to protect the Jews.”
The German occupiers in Monaco during 1943/44 erected ‘passive defence measures’ at the harbor and in the streets
Seventy-six Jews were arrested and deported from Monaco between 1942 and 1944; 16 more who were residents of the principality were put in prison and deported. Only nine of these 92 Jews survived. This is the finding of a commission of experts put together by Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld.
I
t’s taken more than 70 years for this dark chapter in Monaco’s history to be processed and come to terms with. In 1993, at the request of the famous judge, historian and Nazi hunter, Serge Klarsfeld, Prince Rainier (as he was at the time) allowed a memorial plaque to be erected in the Jewish cemetery to commemorate the arrest of Jews in the principality during World War II. Shortly after his own coronation in 2006, his son, the current Prince Albert, went significantly further: First of all he set up a commission with the aim of compensating victims and a further five years later brought in a group of experts to provide answers to these as yet unanswered questions. Most important was the question of numbers: Exactly how many Jews were really captured in Monaco and then deported? And then, the ultimate question: Did Monaco collaborate with the Nazis? In Spring 2015 after three and a half years of research, Serge Klarsfeld’s four-man team of experts published their findings. Klarsfeld - who himself as a child in Nice was saved from deportation by hiding in a wardrobe - said it was only in 1991 that he first had an idea of what exactly had been going on in Monaco during the war. It was then that he’ d first started his research and in the wake of this
BY AILA STÖCKMANN he asked the then-Prince to install the memorial plaque. And the results of the expert commission which had laboriously ploughed through Monagasque, French and German archives was this: 76 Jews were arrested and deported, 45 of those in just one night, from 27-28 August 1942; the remaining 31 over the course of 1944, when the principality was occupied by the Nazis. Seven of them survived. There were 16 more who were Jewish residents of the principality who were captured outside of Monaco and then deported; out of those only two survived.
A GLIMPSE OF MONAC O IN THE EARLY 1940S By October 1940 in neighbouring France, a policy had already been adopted denying Jews the right to practise certain professions (high officials, teachers, journalists, heads of certain companies etc.). And although in France “foreigners of Jewish origin” were being locked up, Jews in Monaco were, for the time being, left alone. This happened, stresses Serge Klarsfeld, even in spite of Monaco being obliged to act “in accordance with France’s military, political and economic interests,” as set out in the Franco-Monagasque Treaty of 1918. After the war a witness at the time, the playwright and
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Lycée de Monaco philosophy lecturer, Armand Lunel (1892-1977), said: “I have a duty to say that, personally, I’m very grateful to the principality of Monaco for its tolerant and liberal attitude and it withstood, as well as it could, the pressure from Vichy …” And in October 1941, he too was also officially banned from teaching; but because there were no immediate consequences, he was able to carry on teaching for another year. His son-in-law Georges Jessula (1919-2003) remembered years later: “There was no (Jewish) community in Monaco, but about 20 families lived there, some of them had lived there for 50 years or more. Armand Lunel was the spokesman for his fellow Jews and told the authorities their fears. Prince Louis II let him know, via his Minister of State, that he had put these families under his personal protection, but at the same time advised them, never to set foot outside of Monaco. It was good advice, our families were saved…” But at the start of July 1941 a law was introduced in the principality, under direct pressure from the Vichy government, for Jews to be registered. On 16 July, 251 Jews were counted, reports Serge Klarsfeld, “although secretly there were definitely more.” The list was never sent to France because “in Monaco at the time there was strong opposition” confirms
MONACO-HISTORY 09 Klarsfeld. This in itself led lots of Jews in France to head to Monaco. But finally in 1941 the principality could no longer resist the ever increasing pressure from France. All departments from the Free Zone - the as yet unoccupied southern part of France - had to send a total of 10,000 Jews to Germany. On 26 August 1942 mass arrests of Jews took place in the whole of the Free Zone, even in Nice itself: in panic, many Jews sought refuge in Monaco’s hotels - not suspecting that on the following day the guards would widen their hunt to the principality. But 27 August was not a lucky day. Not only Prince Louis II but also the Monegasque Minister of State Emile Roblot, both the most important decision makers and known for their opposition to the Nazis, were on holiday, as usual for the time of year, and couldn’t be reached quickly. Instead the French consul in Monaco turned to the Minister of State’s deputy - and within a few hours had permission from him, for all but a few exceptions, to arrest all the Jews who had come to Monaco since 1936. Towards 3am in the night leading up to 28 August, Monaco’s police forced their way into the hotels in the Principality and took all the Jews who came their way - men, women and children. In total, they took 66 people, and 56 of those had just fled from the department of Alpes-Maritimes within the last 24 hours. On that very same night they were handed over to French police and taken to Nice. Forty-five of them, predominantly Poles, Austrians, Germans and Czechs - among them a five-year-old girl - were deported. Only five of them came back from concentration camps. Neither the little girl, nor a certain 31-year-old Gertrude Herget, born in Löwenstein, were among them. She had lived with her husband in Monaco since 1938 - but her last resident’s permit had run out just four days before the arrests. Between 31 August and 11 November 1942 exactly 664 Jews were deported from Nice, together with the 45 from Monaco. During the Italian occupation - between 11 November 1942 and September 1943 - there were no more arrests of Jews in the Principality. Italy surrendered on 8 September; on 9 September the occupiers left Monaco. On 10th September, German soldiers took over command. From this moment on there were regular arrests in Nice and the whole of the Alpes-Maritimes. Again, many Jews from there fled to Monaco. In 1944 the Gestapo took a total of 31 more Jews into custody - “in scattered incidents here and there, not a targeted action like two years previously,” Serge Klarsfeld said. All 31 - among them many French, Poles, Austrians and Germans, among others and in total nine people who were residents of Monaco - were deported. Just two of them survived to return. How do those, who so responsibly and painstakingly carried out the research, judge the behaviour of the then Prince during World War Two? “Louis II and his Minister of State did what they could in order to protect the Jews,” answers Serge Klarsfeld, the Jewish lawyer and historian. “I think that if they’ d been there that night of the mass arrests, they would have prevented all the Jews being rounded up. But that’s just my personal opinion.”
Prince Albert asks for forgiveness
During the night of 27 to 28 August in 1942, 66 Jews were arrested in the principality and most of them were deported. Only five survived. On the same day 73 years later, an emotional memorial ceremony in homage to the victims took place at the Monaco cemetery. BY PETRA HALL
At the Monaco cemetery: Prince Albert at the memorial service with representatives of the Jewish community and Mr and Mrs Klarsfeld
“I
t was our duty to protect them, but we failed,” said a visibly shaken Prince Albert in his address at the cemetery in Monaco on 27 August. “We ask for their forgiveness.” He was referring to the 66 people of Jewish descent who were arrested in the principality during the night of 27 to 28 August in 1942 by the henchmen of the Vichy regime in the presence of Prince Louis II and the then Minister of State. Of the total arrested, 45 were deported and only five survived the operation. In the absence of the Monegasque Minister of State, Michel Roger, Chief Rabbi, Haim Korsia, the Bishop of Monaco, Bernard Barsi, Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, Max Maldacker, press officer for the German embassy in Paris, as well as numerous members of the Jewish community, the Prince
asked for posthumous forgiveness from the victims. The memorial ceremony, during which a minute’s silence also took place, brought to an end an initiative that Prince Rainier started as long ago as 1993 in order to fully explain the tragic events of the war years (see adjacent article). At the end of the ceremony and accompanied by Yiddish singing, Prince Albert unveiled a commemorative plaque engraved with the names of all those involved. On the sidelines: A gentleman who made a point of standing throughout the ceremony despite the blazing hot sunshine, murmured in a barely audible voice and with a wistful smile: “It is good that Prince Albert has asked for our forgiveness. Many others have not done that.” Apart from his father, he lost his entire family in Auschwitz.
Interview with Max Maldacker, envoy and press officer for the German embassy in Paris Max Maldacker, envoy and representative of the German embassy in Paris, with Beate Klarsfeld. She became world famous after she slapped Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger in the face. Together with her husband she has enabled the prosecution of numerous Nazi criminals.
Mr Maldacker, you were invited by Prince Albert to this day of remembrance for the Jews who were deported from the principality. How important was the participation by an official representative of the German state? Prince Albert II invited the German ambassador to the memorial service. Ambassador Meyer-Landrut had only just arrived in Paris and had not yet presented his credentials. He therefore asked me to represent him in Monaco - a task I was very happy to undertake. The federal government has sent out an important signal with the participation by an official representative. Germany is aware of its historical responsibility and faces up to its past. This is highly valued and acknowledged by our friends across the globe.
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What emotions did you experience on this occasion? I was particularly moved by the many German names displayed on the pillar. I was no less moved by the address from Prince Albert II, who apologised to the Jewish community in the name of his family and the government of Monaco. How do you stand on the question of guilt after more than 70 years? Guilt lies with the individual, not with people or nations. But what a nation can do is face up to its responsibilities and learn the lessons of history. The Federal Republic of Germany has accomplished this in an outstanding way, I believe. The peaceful and friendly coexistence with our neighbours, especially France and Poland, testifies to this.
BUSINESS 10
George Kasiliyake with BPOY chair of the Panel of Judges, Dorothy Foster, from the Skema Business School (left), and BPOY Judge and Riviera RT Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Petra Hall (right)
Phoenix from the ashes: Riviera Business Club The RBC experienced
a renaissance in the hands of George Kasiliyake
Before we say goodbye to the president, there’s just one more task: The most prestigious awards scheme for entrepreneurs in the region. BY SARAH HARVEY
T
he entrepreneur responsible for resurrecting t he R iv iera Business C lub, G e orge Kasiliyake, has announced he will be stepping down next year. But before he departs, there are more events and activities to circle in red on the calendar, including the upcoming Business Person of the Year Awards. Kasiliyake has somewhat of a reputation for being able to turn whatever he touches into gold. Three years ago the businessman, who has been based on the Riviera for almost two decades and runs his own events company, was brought on board at the British Chamber of Commerce, BCC, to see if he could use his Midas touch to turn its fortunes around. The BCC had been running very successful for about 16 years but by 2012 it was in need of a major overhaul. “There were more and more members from all over
the world, not just Great Britain, so after some time some of the people ended up feeling a bit out of place in the BCC,” explained Kasiliyake, who himself was born in Singapore to Sri Lankan parents, and holds dual British and Sri Lankan citizenship. “It was successful for many years but later the president had some problems and didn’t have enough time to organise events, for various reasons, and the club eventually died. Nobody took over.” That was when Kasiliyake’s skills at injecting life back into clubs were required. He had previously helped to successfully revamp a number of other groups on the Riviera including the Commonwealth Club. “A couple of people contacted me and asked if I could help get the club resurrected again. I took it over but wanted a new start and so we registered it under a new name, the Riviera Business Club, in June
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2013. When I took it over we had two members – nobody had re-subscribed of course because the club had closed. Membership fees for individuals back then were €100, which is something I changed too, to €40.” Today the RBC holds regular events, business coaching workshops, seminars and other activities. Kasiliyake had the idea to resurrect the Business Person of the Year awards, BPOY, and turned it into the most prestigious international awards scheme for entrepreneurs in the PACA region. Kasiliyake recalled: “I only booked the first BPOY Awards event in 2013 for 60 people because I didn’t think it was going to be very big, but we had 140 people come to it: the club was alive again! It only took a little bit of credibility to get it going. We now have over 100 members.” The upcoming Business Person of the Year and Startup of the Year awards night will take place on 3 December, with nominations closing on 15 October. Riviera Press is a proud sponsor, and our editor-inchief, Petra Hall, will be on the panel of judges. There are two trophies - Business Person of the Year 2015 and Start Up of the Year 2015. The Panel of five judges, chaired by Dorothy Foster of the Skema Business School, will evaluate and shortlist the nominees and then select the best five from each category, who will then be personally interviewed by the panel. The winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony which will take place at the Marriott Riviera La Porte de Monaco. Full details of the nominations procedure, qualifications and judging criteria as well as the nomination form is available on the BPOY 2015 page of the RBC website. Contact details are given at the end of this article. So, what else does the future hold for the RBC? Next year there will be more businesses-orientated events, such as workshops led by successful business people in the area. And, of course, Kasiliyake will be handing over the reins to a successor, so that he can concentrate on his own business. “For the first two years we have concentrated on building the club up with fun events and the big Business Person of the Year awards, but next year I think I’m going to hand it over to someone else: I have been here for three years now, and done anything for it to prosper. But it needs some fresh air to come in,” said Kasiliyake. “I’ve done what my job was, which was to get it up and running again, and now it’s up to someone else to build on that and take it to the next level. I relished the challenge. I think I’ve achieved what I set out to do.” For more information on RBC and the Business Person of the Year Award visit www.rivierabusinessclub.fr, email info@rivierabusinessclub.fr or call 07 58 44 18 37.
SUCCESS STORY 11
“Monseigneur, we need good beer” How Tonio Arcaini persuaded the Prince to hold ‘Oktoberfest’ at the Café de Paris
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene with Tonio and his wife, Rebecca.
People of around 141 different nationalities live in Monaco today, and most of them have an interesting tale or two to tell: One of them is the Italian, Tonio Arcaini, who looks back on a life that has not only been exciting but also very successful. BY PETRA HALL
“I
was always extremely successful, no matter what I tried in life. I also had a great deal of luck and a certain marketing touch.” This is how Tonio Arcaini confidently and succinctly summarises his personality. But this Italian businessman with German roots has many more aspects to his character: for example, the ability to understand the mentalities of different countries and bring their respective citizens together. He can also laugh from the heart, but become unpleasant when things do not go as he expected. And when he talks about his wife Rebecca, a former well-known actress, and his four children, the proud father is all smiles. He has his German mother to thank for his perfectionist streak. When he was 10 years old, she made Tonio read aloud in her language every day. “I hated it,” he recalls. The family then lived in Milan, where his father was musical director at La Scala. From the tender age of six, Tonio was already at home in the opera. When he was 14 the family moved to Munich. To this day Arcaini still looks back with horror on his years in the Jesuit monastery. “The worst time of my life. I was hit on the fingers with a cane until they swelled up. Free thinkers were not welcome there.” However, he would not have been Tonio Arcaini if he had let this get him down. He attended evening classes to complete his business diploma and worked during the day. He then studied business administration for a couple of semesters and funded it himself, but found university ‘pointless’ and gave up his studies. “I have always done what I wanted,” he says. He looked for a job and sold American marketing strategies. Within only six months he was the top salesman in Germany. With his first big pay cheques he bought a smart Alfa Romeo and drove it to his mother’s house, who asked him anxiously: “Tonio, are you involved in some crooked dealings?” To which her son calmly replied: “No, I am just successful!”
From 1969 to 1974 he rose to become Europe’s top-selling sales manager at Rank Xerox. He subsequently worked at the real estate company Kaufman & Broad, which he helped extricate from the mess it was in at the time. Then in 1981 he decided to set up his own company, using his skills to trade in formaldehyde glues for chipboards, initially in Teheran. He then acted as a mediator for barter trade between Hungary and East Germany. “Business slumped when the borders opened at the end of the 1980s, but I never feared becoming poor,” says Arcaini looking back. Then Siemens approached him about a new telephone system in the Eastern European countries with a large number of connections. Arcaini left Germany in 1992 and went to London. “I could have gone under there, but again my luck held. I met a good friend and told him my woes. He advised me to move to Monte Carlo. My response was: ‘No, only tax dodgers live there!” ‘You are saying the same stupid things that everyone who does not know Monaco says,’ was his friend’s reply. The entrepreneur applied for a visa for the principality and was accepted after his second attempt. “I don’t want to become a Monegasque, however. I was born Italian and will die Italian.” He immediately established his consultancy firm T.A. Consulting, followed by the successor company T.A. Business Development SAM in 1996. But there was one thing in Monaco he did not like at all: there was no “decent” beer there, in his view. Once again, the stars aligned for Tonio. Purely by chance, he had a conversation with Mike Powers, a very close friend of Prince Albert. The new resident did not realise who he was speaking to and complained about the “undrinkable” beer at the Café de Paris. Everything then happened very quickly. Mike put Tonio into contact with the prince, to whom he also expressed his desire for good beer. Albert smiled and said: “I’ll invite you when I go to the Oktoberfest in Munich.” Upon which
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the cunning Tonio gave his quick-witted reply: “Monseigneur, why don’t we hold an Oktoberfest at the Café de Paris?” The prince was filled with enthusiasm, and Arcaini found a reliable partner in the form of Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world. He founded the company T.A. Distribution, which today not only imports the traditional beer to Monaco (where it is sold by Carrefour among others) but also to the whole of France. He and his family also formed a cordial friendship with Prince Albert. His visionary instinct for marketing is also reflected in a project which after many years of hard work is nearing completion. At a time when health has become an increasingly important issue, Arcaini is developing a unique hop extract formula which could be an international revolution. This year, the Oktoberfest initiated by Tonio Arcaini celebrates its tenth year of existence. Arcaini’s team put their heart and soul into organising the event, which attracts thousands of visitors. Indeed, increasingly more people are now coming in the traditional Bavarian costume of ‘dirndl’ for women and ‘lederhose’ for men. This year’s 10th anniversary event takes place from 23 to 31 October and will include many attractions: as well as the celebratory music and original Bavarian dishes, a Bavarian marching band from Freising will play and a horse-drawn carriage will pick up the prince from the palace and drive him at a leisurely pace to enjoy some “decent” beer. Once the celebrations are over, what’s next for Tonio? “Increasingly, my priority is the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where I was appointed to the supervisory board a year and a half ago. This world has an indescribable fascination for me.” After almost seven decades, Tonio Arcaini’s childhood is finally catching up with him – a time when he sat wide-eyed and with glowing cheeks in the front rows of the Milan opera.
LIFESTYLE 12
Azure skies Discover the Riviera from the air!
Soaring above the coastline, it’s hard not to be impressed by the emerald green foliage, terracotta roof tiles and of course the vibrant azure blue water that gives the C ôte d’Azur its name. BY SARAH HARVEY
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ne of the most breathtaking and exciting perspectives to view the Riviera is from above. With runways on the seaboard at Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and St Tropez le Mole, you’re touching down amidst some of the most attractive vistas in the country – if not the planet. “Of course the landings offer some of the best scenery in the world,” said Adam Twidell, CEO of PrivateFly private aviation company. Twidell should know, after all, he has been a pilot for 25 years and seen a fair few runways. Last year, in fact, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport was voted winner of PrivateFly’s ‘Best Airport Approaches’ poll. “I have landed there myself many times, both as a pilot and as a passenger, and it is always a memorable experience - a winning combination of blue sea, sky and mountains, along with glimpses of the stunning homes, yachts and helicopters buzzing below,” said Twidwell, who previously spent 10 years flying for the RAF (British Royal Air Force). Twidwell first got the ‘flying bug’ at the RAF’s University Air Squadron in Edinburgh, then became a private jet pilot with Net-
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LIFESTYLE 13
Jets and others before launching PrivateFly in 2007, after recognising the need to offer travellers the ability to compare and book online in private aviation. Nice Côte d’Azur is ranked in the top three busiest private jet airports in Europe, with 31,474 total private jet flights in or out of it in 2014 alone. It becomes the number one private jet airport in Europe during the peak summer season, and a similar seasonal peak is seen at Cannes Mandelieu, St Tropez le Mole and others in the region, the Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival are factors. “Cannes Mandelieu is in a great location and offers a very discreet, VIP service. But Nice, being open 24 hours to private jets and able to accommodate aircraft of all sizes, is always the most popular.” According to Twidwell, more than half of his company’s flights to the Riviera are for leisure purposes. They organise anything between five and 50 flights per week in the regions alone - depending on the time of year. “From May to August, the Riviera is our busiest European destination, ahead of other popular
hotspots such as Olbia and Ibiza,” said Twidwell. A growing number of private jet customers are based in the region, either as their main residence, or a second home, while the three most common origins for PrivateFly’s services to the Riviera are, perhaps somewhat predictably, Paris, Geneva and London. The most popular aircraft in the private jet industry is the mid-sized Citation XLS (the same family of aircraft that Twidwell enjoys flying for pleasure, whenever he gets the time!), which seats up to 8 people. For short hops within Europe, the four-seater Citation Mustang is very popular. It is also “the most cost-effective jet aircraft currently available,” said Twidwell: You can fly from Paris to Nice for a total charter price of €7,600. But at the most luxurious VIP end of the scale are long-range jets such as the $65 million Gulfstream G650, which can fly further and faster than any other civilian aircraft. Dassault Aviation’s $50 million Falcon 7X and Bombardier’s Global 6000 offer a similar experience: These aircraft include the latest in onboard entertainment and connectivity, multiple zones in the luxury interiors, seats that convert into double beds, shower rooms and a galley for hot food preparation (most long range jet flights will include cabin crew). And how about unusual requests from customers? “We’re used to sourcing a specific newspaper (sometimes not todays), a particular brand of dog food for the pet travelling on board or an unusual brand or colour of hire car to be waiting on arrival,” said Twidwell, whose company also recently decorated an aircraft with balloons, ribbons and a ‘Just Married’ sign as a surprise for a newly married couple… Now imagine you’re on a private yacht far off the coast of Sardinia but you’re unhappy with the quality of the tomatoes and other fruit you have on board. What do you do? Call for a helicopter pilot to fly in fresh fruit and vegetables from your favourite producer of course! The staff at Monacair helicopter company code-named the procedure amongst themselves ‘Operation Tomato’: This is just one of the many examples of how private aviation companies in the region take requests such as this in their stride. More commonly, they might be called upon to organise special dinners, book hotel nights, medical appointments, private jet connections…or even arrange marriage proposals! With headquarters in Monaco, the company has just announced it is to start regular scheduled helicopter flights between Monaco and Nice Airport, due to high demand for services. The six H130s light helicopters will arrive in December and the first commercial flight is planned for January 2016 – with flights running no less than every 15 minutes! “We are really excited with this new challenge and I am sure our customers will appreciate the aircraft’s comfort and high visibility” said Gilbert Schweitzer, managing director of Monacair. “We need to offer the customer service levels which are legitimate to expect in the Principality, but also safety is key.” The H130 accommodates one pilot and up to six passengers. Monacair currently has a fleet of 20, mainly twin engine, helicopters, which include the popular Agusta Westland’s 109 SP Grand New. One of the most high-end offerings is the EC 145 C2 Mercedes Benz Style due to its uber-luxurious interior. “The helicopter is often an extension of the private jet for our customers,” explained Schweitzer. It includes the best leathers, new technology, minibar, video systems etc. But the helicopter also offers many more possibilities: you can relax without worrying about traffic, with the same privacy of being in a villa; it makes distant restaurants easily accessible, the same for hotels, wi-
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neries... or it can be sent directly to a yacht. “Corsica and Sardinia are popular summer destinations… Above all else, everything is close by helicopter: less than an hour to get to Courchevel to ski; Courchevel or Gtsaad are the busiest winter destinations. Our customers can avoid potential congestion problems in Geneva or Chambery by taking the helicopter from airports of the Riviera”. In fact, during the last taxi strike , Monacair helped to transport stranded passengers during the chaos on the Riviera.
Flying in style! The plush interior of PrivatFly’s G660 (above). Top left: The €50 million Falcon 7X. Below: The Gulfstream G650 can fly faster than any other civilian aircraft. Opposite page: a four-seater Mustang. Photos: PrivatFly
Senior staff at Monacair celebrate the announcement of their new Monaco - Nice scheduled helicopter service. Below them the picture shows Monacair’s EC 145 C2 Mercedes Benz helicopter
LIFESTYLE 14
Celebrating a decade of Oktoberfest at Café de Paris
Legendary venue honours Bavarian festival, Monaco-style
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ever one to miss out on a major cultural celebration, Café de Paris, which is owned by the Société des Bains de Mer, is hosting an exclusive interpretation of Oktoberfest from 23 to 31 October under the canopy in Place du Casino. Guests can discover all kinds of delicacies directly imported from Bavaria, including specialties hand-picked by Jean-Claude Brugel, Head of the Café de Paris. This is an opportunity to discover that Bavarian cuisine can be innovative! Attendees will also be able to enjoy famous premium beers such as Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world, and the Xan Wellness, a soft drink enriched with natural hop-extract, xanthohumol (distributed exclusively by TA-XAN AG). This stylish German-Monegasque version of Oktoberfest launches on 23 October at 7.30pm in the Café de Paris marquee - with a traditional seating layout consisting of kegs of beer - in the presence of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, prominent Monegasques and a Bavarian delegation. Traditionally, Oktoberfest is officially launched by the mayor of Munich with the exclamation - “O’zapft is!” (a Bavarian phrase, meaning ‘it’s tapped!’). And in honour of this tradition, “O’zapft is!” will be declared in Place du Casino, followed by a performance by the Bavarian group “Echt Guat”, under the direction of Michael Stumberger. The menu for the opening night costs €140 per person. €20 from each diner will be donated to the Albert II Foundation. Organizers Tonio Arcaini (TA Distribution SAM), Stefano Brancato (Director of Café de Paris) and the team of Brewery Weihenstephan in Bavaria commented they are delighted to mark the 10th edition of Oktoberfest, which will be even more festive this year in light of its 10 year anniversary in Monaco. Be ready to dance with or without your Lederhose (for men) and Dirndl (for women)! Café de Paris Reservations: Tel. +377 98 06 36 36 from 10am to 7pm. For further information email office@ta-distribution.com
An authentic ‘Oktoberfest’… in Monaco For 11 years
Gerhard‘s Café has channelled the spirit of the traditional German beer festival
Taking place between 9 and 11 October, it has now become an institution at this popular bar, run by Vienna-born Gerhard Killian.
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f you see a lorry as large as a Grand Prix truck parked on the Monaco-Fontvieille quay in October, it’s a signal that the Munich beer festival, commonly known as ‘Oktoberfest’ has begun at Gerhard’s Café. Between 300 and 500 guests celebrate the festival every year with Paulaner beer, sausages and other Bavarian delicacies. An authentic Austrian caterer cooks everything in his lorry and the plates are then carried over the street to the bar; Austrian music creates a terrific atmosphere and, of course, gets everybody’s toes tapping. Gerhard’s Café has been in existence for almost 20 years. Originally a meeting place mainly for German speakers, it is now an international melting-pot based right on the quay of Fontvieille, adjacent to the yachts. The unique atmosphere captures the friendly spirit of Bavaria, ensuring that every visit is a pleasurable experience - whether you’re going for oysters or sausages, a litre of beer or a glass of chilled champagne. Booking in advance is essential for the Oktoberfest.
Gerhard’s Café 42, Quai Jean-Charles Rey Port de Fontvieille, Monaco Phone: +377 92 05 25 79
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Always friendly and fun at Oktoberfest in Gerhard’s Café. The event is laid on by Viennese expat, Gerhard Killian (main photo, and above, on the right) and features the music of his homeland.
LIFESTYLE 15
A spook-tacular Halloween Trick or treat: A round-up of the top spots to celebrate on the Riviera
Each year Halloween gets bigger and bigger on the Côte d’Azur, and it’s not just kids who are having all the fun…
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ince Halloween isn’t a traditionally French festival, it used to be almost impossible to find anywhere to celebrate it on the Riviera, or anywhere else in the country for that matter. Perhaps it is indicative of globalisation, but what began with a handful of private Halloween house parties 20 years ago has started to seep a little further into French popular culture: Today there are regular annual events at bars, clubs and other venues. Admittedly, Halloween in France is still nowhere near as much of an institution as it is in the USA - or even the UK and Australia for that matter - but a number of venues, and even village communities, habitually take part in special events for locals and expats alike on 31 October, including many on the Riviera. In fact, some of the ‘Azuréen’ venues have already been having many consecutive years of success with organising ghoulish high jinks. THE FOLLOWING ARE OUR PICK OF THREE OF THE BIGGEST FRIGHT NIGHT PARTIES IN THE REGION: Stars’N’Bars in Quai Antoine 1er, Monaco, hosts one of the biggest and longest-running Halloween parties in the area, with more than 300 families attending. Remarkably, this year will be the 22nd Halloween party at the venue.
Annette Ross Anderson of Stars’N’Bars said: “Each year Stars’N’Bars hosts more than 300 families for the annual fright-fest on the port of Monaco. The entire three-storey restaurant and enormous terrace is transformed into a playground for monsters and ghosts of all ages, featuring haunted houses, torture chambers, wild beasts, spooky bouncy castles and an authentic Trick or Treat.” The “reservation only” event for children begins at 6pm on 31 October, but after 9pm the general public – in costume - can enter and take part in dancing, and enjoy music and a Monster Mash. The Halloween celebrations at the Blue Lady in Rue Lacan, Antibes, include a costume party with live music, but the festivities are not only just confined to the pub itself: costumed revellers usually also take part in a treasure hunt around the town. However, due to the Rugby World Cup final this year, the treasure hunt may be on hold due to the number of people who will be glued to the screens during the party. But there will be traditional Halloween games including apple bobbing (in cider) and a pumpkin-carving competition. “This year’s Halloween Party will be just that bit more special due to the fact that we will be showing the Rugby World Cup Final at 5pm. This will be followed by a Halloween Fancy Dress Party with live music,” said Sara Peudecoeur, of the Blue Lady Antibes. “We always
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have a great crowd and everyone goes to a lot of effort with their costumes, it is always a memorable night!” Never one to miss a good reason to throw a party, Ma Nolans Irish pubs in Nice (Rue Saint François de Paule and at the Port) as well as in Rue Buttura in Cannes will be marking Halloween with typical enthusiasm. Guests are invited to dress up in creepy costumes and there will be a prize for the best one. In addition, there will be live music, cocktails and games. “It’s a really good night and always busy in all three bars,” Mela Nolan told us. “There will be a fancy dress competition for fabulous bar tab prizes for the scariest costumes.” OTHER HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES ON THE RIVIERA INCLUDE: Valbonne: Although no official event is organised by the council or tourist board, the village comes alive with families taking to the streets for trick-or-treating, fun and games. ST JEAN CAP FERRAT: The tourist office organises games and activities for kids each year, as well as scary movie screenings. For more details call 04 93 76 08 90.
SPORT 16
The legend of the man who invented rugby
William Webb Ellis’ spirit lives on
1)William Webb Ellis is popularly believed to have invented rugby football in the 19th Century whilst he was a student at Rugby School. 2) Sculpture at the cemetery gate by Graham Ibbesen, representing the young William Webb Ellis. 3) Webb Ellis’ grave in Menton, adorned with tributes from fans and the rugby world. 4) The famous Webb Ellis Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup 5) A depiction of an early rugby game.
With the Rugby World Cup underway, take a moment to consider the man whose name is engraved on the trophy, William Webb Ellis, who was buried on the Riviera… BY SARAH HARVEY
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t’s not a very widely-publicized fact, but the final resting place of the Briton credited with inventing rugby was none other than the coastal town of Menton. As such, even today, fans make the pilgrimage to the Riviera to pay their respects to William Webb Ellis. It was a slightly perplexing start to my search: I was scanning Menton tourist office for any leaflets or brochures about its famous former resident but failed to locate anything. So I approached the staff behind the counter. “William Webb Ellis?” Looks of puzzlement. There was a brief discussion between the staff. “I think I can help!” one of the staff chimed in. “We don’t have much information, but I can tell you that he was a religious man from England, and he was in Menton for his ministry, and he died here. Nobody from his family in England asked for his body to be returned, so we will keep him here – we will keep him in Menton for eternity!” she said. “Do many fans come this way looking for him?” I inquired. “Some…”, was the reply, with a small
shrug. “…Mostly English people, and those who are really fond of rugby…There was a programme on French TV recently about William Webb Ellis’ grave because of the Rugby World Cup, so perhaps more locals are coming now too…” The tomb was about 25 minutes’ walk from the town centre, in the Vieux Chateau cemetery. Equipped with a map and a photocopy from the tourist board of an old newspaper article about Jonny Wilkinson visiting the grave in 2012, I set off in search of the site. It was a steep march up the hillside in the blazing sun, past the beautiful Saint-Michel Archange Basilica and the narrow winding streets of the Old Town. And as I walked, I began to wonder if so many people made the pilgrimage there after all. Arriving at the entrance at the lower end of the cemetery, I began to wonder some more…No signs, just rows of cracked tombstones surrounded by eerie wrought iron railings. I was thankful for the brilliant sunshine and clear sky; on a cloudy day this place
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SPORT 17
would have a rather more portentous atmosphere. My intuition suggested that I should try looking for another entrance so I walked further up the road that tightly hugged the wall of the cemetery. And there it was: An entrance befitting of a rugby legend. On one side of the gate, a statue of William Webb Ellis and a commemorative plaque. On the other: An inscription from 2007 signed by the captains of the 20 nations competing in the World Cup in France, including Phil Vickery, Gareth Thomas, Jason White, Brian O’Driscoll, Richie McCaw and Stirling Mortlock. “On October 6, 2007, the captains of the 20 nations competing at the Rugby World Cup 2007 paid tribute to William Webb Ellis to celebrate exploits in the game of rugby”, it read. Perhaps Webb Ellis hadn’t been so forgotten after all, with names of that magnitude putting their signatures to his memory. A sign adjacent to it explained that William Webb Ellis invented the game of rugby, and another sign just inside the gate pointed the way to his grave. Shaded by the Cyprus trees above the old town; the bright blue ocean in the background seemed a bit incongruous, although it certainly wasn’t a bad spot for the Anglican clergyman to have ended up. And the sight of it allayed my concerns that perhaps he had been forgotten. The gravestone was adorned with flowers, rugby relics and tributes from around the world, including from the New Zealand Rugby Union President and the UK Rugby Football Union and Webb Ellis’ former school, The Rugby School. The words on the grave echo those inscribed on a plaque erected at his former school in 1895, 13 years after his death, in delightfully British tone: “This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis, who with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the rugby game.” The grave, situated among various fallen heroes from the Napoleonic Wars as well as expats from the 19th Century, was discovered by a local rugby player, Roger Dries, in 1958. It seems that the site was in a state of disrepair but thanks to a concerted campaign by fans, The Western Daily Press and the French Rugby Union, the grave was restored in a style befitting to the great man ahead of the 2007 World Cup in France. “His grave has been beautifully adorned by the French Rugby Football Union, I know a lot of people who go to visit it on a regular basis” Paul Jackson, curator of the William Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum in Rugby, Warwickshire, told me. “It’s very common, not just for British fans of rugby but also people from around the world. Last time I was there with my wife one summer’s day we met two New Zealanders who were looking for his grave. “It’s not exactly a shrine, but it certainly is a nice place to visit for the rugby purists, and of course there are also a lot of places they can go to for a glass of wine afterwards. It also gives some gravitas to the whole story of William Webb Ellis, the man, and his death.”
How did this man, born on 24 November 1806 in Salford, Lancashire, come to be in Menton, you may be wondering. Webb Ellis had been suffering from an illness and, like many affluent Britons of his time, moved to Menton because the milder climate was better for his health. He arrived in 1859 but not much is known about the following 13 years. He is said to have left an estate of £9,000 – a not inconsiderable amount for the time - mostly to various charities. “Like many British folk of the time who could afford it, he went to Menton for the air and the sun, which they believed was more beneficial to their health. In fact Nice, Menton and whole area was a very British site then – they built the Promenade des Anglais in Nice and seemed to use the area much more than the French did, so that’s why he moved to Menton.” With the World Cup in full swing, it’s fitting that a number of venues in the area are showing screenings of matches, including at the Webb Ellis Rugby Club in Menton. And looking ahead, Jackson is hoping to help re-introduce matches between Menton and the Rugby Lions. There used to be regular matches between the two teams held at The Rugby School in honour of the two town’s historic ties. It seems that William Webb Ellis lives on…
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“Nobody from his family in England
asked for his body to be returned, so we will keep him here – we will keep him in Menton for eternity!” OCTOBER
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GOURMET 18
Lanterna Blu - Amore mio!
Massimo Fiorillo is internationally acclaimed for gastronomy. But again and again he keeps returning to Lanterna Blu, the restaurant in Imperia, which his Sicilian grandmother founded 1952.
New concepts for good food keep bubbling out of him. In Germany, he conducted cooking classes for chefs working in company canteens, developed the idea of Planet Pasta, opened the “second best restaurant in Frankfurt” and led the hip local dining scene to greater heights in Long Island in the United States. But ultimately, he always wanted only one thing: to save the Lanterna Blu. Petra Hall tells Massimo’s story.
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Unbelievable: More than 65,000 visitors have seen Massimo Fiorillo’s cooking demonstration on Youtube. What did he prepare? The traditional Mediterranean spaghetti dish, ‘pomodoro e basilico’!
t was the beginning of the 1960s. The yachts were nestled close together in the port of Imperia. Liguria was a very popular destination for boat owners, and also for many Northern Europeans, who carefully restored second homes in the villages of the hinterland. Down on the waterfront of Porto Maurizio, you could spot a smart six or seven-year-old boy almost every day during the summertime. He strenuously pulled behind him a wagon laden with chunks of ice, red roses and cards from the restaurant, Lanterna Blu. So the little kid went from yacht to yacht, distributing sought-after ice and handing out flowers as ‘PR” for his grandmother’s restaurant, which by now both his parents were working at. “Originally, we were a fishing family, and my ‘nonna’ cooked for the sailors. Mom and Dad had fallen in love here, and I was born in the Lanterna Blu,” says Massimo, his brilliant blue eyes looking more Nordic than Sicilian in origin. “Her dishes were completely Southern Italian - no long cooking times, ‘al dente’ pasta, sun-ripened tomatoes with pickled anchovies and capers.The combination with Liurian products such as the wonderful olive oil was certainly one of the secrets of our success.” But it wasn’t this alone. His father Tonino, a young fisherman from Naples who completed his military service in Imperia, also charmed his guests with his wonderful singing. Along with his mother, Lucia, the couple turned the simple 1950s trattoria into one of the best known gourmet temples on the Italian Riviera. And of course, marketing strategies such as the distribution of chunks of ice and red roses played a part in endearing them to the community...The Lanterna Blu became the favourite address of visitors and residents alike. By 1965 Massimo’s father had created a freshwater pool for lobster and crayfish. In 1974 the restaurant was awarded the Gold Medal by the Italian Cooking Academy - a forerunner of the Michelin star, which Lanterna Blu was actually awarded 1989. But times are changing. At the beginning of the 1990s Massimo went to the US, the young man wanted to find his own path in life. And in his luggage was a priceless treasure: “I learned the art of cooking from mom.” Massimo became head chef at a trendy restaurant in Long Island. But then he returned to Imperia: The city was quite “run down”, Massimo
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says. His parents were getting old, the restaurant’s Michelin star was gone, there was a lack of flexibility and it proved difficult for them to adapt to new circumstances. The Lanterna Blu dangled in front of his eyes. Then a German guest who had a house in the hinterland asked him if he could host a dinner for the Executive Board of his catering company. The customers were so enthusiastic about his cooking skills, he was hired on the spot to go to Germany. There, he designed innovative concepts for institutional kitchens, worked for BASF chemical company, gave cooking classes at a high level and realised a dream by opening “Planet Pasta”. Massimo, who had by now acquired almost perfect German, eventually opened his own restaurant in Frankfurt: Acqua Pazza. In a very short time it became the second most popular Italian restaurant in town. “I wanted to copy the Lanterna Blu of my childhood,” says Massimo. After initial success, it was hit by the economic crisis in the capital; people didn’t pend so much money on eating out anymore. In 2009 Massimo returned to his homeland. In the meantime, more people had started moving to Imperia, following the start of the port restoration project. But then a bribery scandal surrounding the operating company became public, and again the provincial town sank into a deep sleep. By now, Massimo has understood something important: “Never give up, and make the most of your experience! I do well, when I’m alone in the kitchen. In the morning I take care of the shopping, I specialize in freshly-caught fish.” For 50 euros per person, there are four to five antipasti, a first and a second course, and dessert. Anyone looking for a menu will be disappointed. Massimo personally accompanies diners on their culinary journey. Next to the kitchen, he also manages to receive his guests, and respond to Internet comments – for better or worse. The guests can request what they want to eat: Just call! The restaurant is open four nights per week, from Thursday night through to Sunday night, plus Sunday lunchtimes. “What I am doing here is actually a matter of the heart. My concern is to save the Lanterna Blu permanently,” admits the man who first saw the light of day in this house 54 years ago. “It is my great love.”
CULTURE 19
BY ULRICH ALBERTS
The legacy of Liszt Josef Bulva crowns triumphant return with a double CD on a great composer
T Spirit of the Russian Ballet
Images capture grace and beauty of dance
Encapsulating the fluidity and emotion of ballet is no simple feat. But that is just what photographer Alain Hanel has succeeded in doing in a series of striking portraits for a new exhibition.
“L
ively, full of energy and movement, and rich in emotion” best describes the 40 large format photographs adorning the walls of Monaco’s Métropole Shopping Center. For the third time, stage photographer Alain Hanel is exhibiting a selection of his finest images taken over many years in the Principality, at the Monte-Carlo Opera, the Printemps des Arts music festival, the International Circus Festival and musicians in the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic-Orchestra.
For the October exhibition the photographer has adopted the Russian Year in Monaco theme with selected photos of Russian ballet ensembles who have performed in Monaco over the last ten years. Almost all the major ballet companies have been hosted by the Principality. About a dozen photos by Alain Hanel are very recent as they were taken on September 12th and 13th at the Russian Gala in the Grimaldi Forum.
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he legendary RCA has honoured their house pianist, Josef Bulva, by issuing a double album featuring his earlier performances of works by Franz Liszt. For this purpose, the RCA especially purchased various recordings, which span the composer’s 55-year career. Like his great predecessors, it highlights the development of this outstanding musician. Music lovers can marvel again at his performances when listening to the album, such as when the then 17-year-old pianist perfectly played La Campanella in the right tempo, and at the end of the rendition set an unprecedented speed record. In addition, you can hear the elegance and the spiritedness of the E Flat piano concerto and how he mastered the B Minor Sonata solo as profoundly as a symphony. Aficionados, however, can also recognise and appreciate Bulva’s clear drive and determination with regards to his artistic goals, the analytical rendition and the transformation of the piano sound: Famously he presented the Grande Polonaise in E flat major with the same sharpness as the Scarlatti Sonata and celebrated the Ricordanza with great refinement. Of all these incredible performances on his Steinway, the interpretation of the Spanish Rhapsody is arguably the best recording of this double CD. If 30 years after Bulva’s first registration he is still called “the pianist among the pianists” there are several reasons: For example, the sheer incomprehensible finesse and acoustic fireworks Bulva launches into at the end of the recording, and the almost insolent delight of his own virtuosity when he plays the Jota Aragonesa.
Josef Bulva plays Franz Liszt. 2 CDs RCA / Sony 88875073052 (April 2015)
MONACO 20
Rhythms of Monte-Carlo
Festival celebrates the cream of jazz & blues
The Festival starts with eight evenings of class acts lined up into December in the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s stunning Salle Garnier venue. November fields a host of young talents such as Richard Manetti, GoGo Penguin from Manchester and Cory Henry representing the new generation, supporting established stars like Joshua Redman, Selah Sue and Marcus Miller. Meanwhile the line-up in December features a veritable chorus of renowned jazz vocalists headlined by Melody Gardot, Barbara Hendricks, Paolo Conte and Gregory Porter, plus Kyle Eastwood, Hugh Coltman and Daby Touré.
N O V E M B E R First up on the 23 is the Richard Manetti 5Tet (quintet) performing Manetti’s new album Groove Story. The versatile guitarist started out under a gypsy jazz star, sharing the stage with the likes of Didier Lockwood before moving away to offer a breathless blend of funk, fusion, blues and bop spanning the history of “groove”. Sharing the stage is J ames Farm, a quartet who are all virtuosos in their own right and take a collective approach, often revelling in improvisation. Joshua Redman (sax), Aaron Parks (piano), Matt Penman (bassist) and Eric Harland (drums) shake up the traditional image of jazz in veering towards ‘expressionist jazz’. Thursday 26 sees one of contemporary jazz’s most emblematic figures take to the stage with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, as Avishai Cohen brings his eclectic trad-jazz-pop-hard-bop spontaneity to the classics, something he has done before with other orchestras. He is preceded by Thomas Enhco who has just released his first solo album Feathers in which he unleashes all the tenderness, conflicts and reconciliations of being in love. Forget the piano as instrument and retain the haunting vocals of this promising youngster. Next up on Friday 27 is one of the most exciting new bands to emerge from the UK. GoGo Penguin (Jamie Cullum is a fan), are defined by skittering break-beats, a powerful sub-bass, telepathic interplay and penchant for anthemic melody. Their album v2.0 was named a Mercury Prize Album of the Year in 2014. They are followed by singer-songwriter Selah Sue who hit the headlines four years ago. In a hint of what to expect she says, “Success has not treated my wounds. Nothing has really changed. It is a journey, a battle that will last all my life.” Saturday 28 another star on the up, pianist-organist Cory Henry, captures the essence of jazz and gospel to create his own language with his band The Funk Apostles. Inspired by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, Henry’s improvised performances have earned him a legion of fans on YouTube. Then it’s a journey from Mali to Paris, New Orleans to San Paulo and across the Caribbean to get back to the source of black music’s rich rhythmical heritage with two-time Grammy winner Marcus Miller touring his new album Afrodeezia.
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D E C E M B E R The chorus of jazz vocalists starts Thursday 3rd with Sicilianborn singer Mario Biondi who cut his teeth in church choirs and accompanied big name soul artists, including Ray Charles, before making his mark with his first album Handful of Soul in 2006. His show features pieces from his latest album Beyond. He’s followed by another singer with his roots in church choirs, this time gospel. Gregory Porter established his own style with his first album Water in 2010, but really made his mark in 2013 with Liquid Spirit “shot through with gospel, blues and R&B influences” earning him a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Friday 4 - Having clocked up thousands of miles touring his blues band The Hoax and busking in Paris singer-songwriter Hugh Coltman went solo with two pop albums, Stories from the Safe House in 2008 and Zero Killed in 2012. But a meeting with Eric Legnini converted him to jazz, one result being his tribute album Shadows - Songs of Nat King Cole performed here. Keeping the tempo cool is veteran Italian Paolo Conte who exudes a sensual charm and touching melancholy tinged with an oh so Italian self-deprecation. Famous for his Via con me, Un gelato al limon, Sotto le stelle del Jazz and Sparring Partner, this former lawyer’s creativity hasn’t wavered throughout a long career. Kyle Eastwood is first on stage on Saturday 5 performing his latest album Timepieces in which he returns to “pay his debt to jazz at the end of the 1950s/60s”, his first love. The bassist has been pushing personal boundaries in the 2000s with three albums starting with the cool sophisticated electro-blue Paris Blue (2004). He’s followed by Melody Gardot, sometimes compared to Norah Jones and Diana Krall, who hit the headlines in 2008. Her latest album Currency of Man blends soul, blues, jazz and funk. And finally on Sunday 6 singer-songwriter Daby Touré brings his storyteller voice to Amonafi. His ethereal voice, masterful guitar work and catchy original songs never fail to captivate his audience. Staying with the theme, Barbara Hendricks and her Blues Band take fans on a journey to the cotton plantations in the Mississippi - a poignant expression of human distress to the political aspect of the blues and the human rights struggle - with songs from her latest album, Everywhere I go.
10th MONTE-CARLO JAZZ FESTIVAL November 23rd to December 6th, 2015 Tickets: €50 to €70 Exhibition: Jazz à Garnier - 10 Festivals featuring photographs by Sébastien Darrasse, Philip Ducap, Umberto Germinale and Adriano Scognamillo.
MONACO 21
A not so impossible dream
Tetraplegic yachtsman announces round the world ‘Accessible Oceans’ sailing project at the Yacht Club de Monaco
A
t a conference held at the Yacht Club de Monaco where disabled British yachtsman, Geoff Holt, launched his round the world ‘Accessible Oceans’ sailing project an abiding image remains - Geoff in his wheelchair with a giant photo on the screen behind him of his 18-year-old self in 1984, the day before a swimming accident left him paralysed from the chest down. There followed a photo of him in hospital with his head in traction, but a broad brave smile on his face, and another of staff wheeling him to the ambulance to go home - all smiling. “I believe we have it within us to carry on when tragedy happens,” was his comment, and he is a shining example of that, fully supported by his wife, Elaine, who he met in hospital, and son Timothy who is 13. This is a man who lived and breathed yachts, having already sailed across the Atlantic three times before the accident. It was seven years before a friend could persuade him to go out on the water again (“It was a conscious decision not to sail because I thought I would be frustrated”) in a small catamaran, but after that there was no stopping him: “Seeing my wheelchair on the dock it was as if I was leaving my disability behind.” First disabled man to sail single-handed round the UK in 2007 (109 days, 51 ports, 1,500 miles and “a lot of people” on land to
help), and first tetraplegic to cross the Atlantic single-handed in 2009 (28 days, 3,000 miles) accompanied by just one very seasick carer, Susannah (“she was brilliant”) and a cameraman, both of whom took no part in the sailing. Photos of him navigating the catamaran Impossible Dream under clear skies mask the reality of how gruelling the trip was in reality. Now, he says, the time has come for a disabled person to sail round the world. If he succeeds it would be another first, and yet this project is not about personal glory. “My vision is clear and uncomplicated,” he says. “I want our oceans to be accessible to everyone, because I know that the physical and psychological benefits of being afloat are many, especially for disabled people.” The starting point is the boat - it will be another multi-hull which offers the horizontal space to accommodate a wheelchair. Looking ahead, he can see no reason why those designing catamarans today can’t make the necessary adjustments as a matter of course so anyone can sail them. The voyage, scheduled to start spring 2017, will take Geoff to 12 destinations and take around 15 months. This time he will be accompanied by two personal assistants (and a cameraman) who will assist him with his daily living requirements, but will play no part in the sailing. The plan, through his charity
Yacht Club de Monaco President, Prince Albert II of Monaco, with Geoff Holt and his wife, Elaine (top). Geoff Holt aboard Impossible Dream - the catamaran he crossed the Atlantic on (directly above).
Accessible Oceans, is to end up with five “hubs” with an ocean-going sailboat accessible to the disabled. As he says, “Life should be more about what we can do, not what we can’t”. Anyone interested in supporting the project (logistics, marketing, donations, etc.) or becoming a sponsor can contact Geoff through: www.geoffholt.com
TRAVEL 22
EVENTS 23
October
From Menton to Saint Tropez, there’s always something happening on the French Riviera. What’s hot & where to go!
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2015
EVENTS 24
French Events 1st-11th October
NICE EUROPEAN MASTERS GAMES NICE 2015 Major multi-sports competition for veteran sports people of all levels from all over the world and also open to all countries worldwide. In 2015, the City of Nice is hosting the 3rd international event, which is held every 4 years, on the Promenade du Paillon. www.emg-nice2015.fr
2nd October
M O N T E C A R LO VIVANOVA NIGHTS AT MODJO MONACO Champagne Dinner Club Party, from 8pm at Port de Fontvieille. www.clubvivanonva.com
2nd-4th October
MOUANS-SARTOUX BOOK FESTIVAL One of the main book festivals in southern France with no less than 400 guest authors. From 10am-7pm. Tel. 04 92 92 47 24 - www.lefestivaldulivre.fr
3rd-4th October
R AYO L- C A N A D E L- S U R- M E R GONDWANA Festival of mediterranean plants in the heart of the Jardin des Méditerranées at the Domaine du Rayol. The festival focuses particularly on the plants of South Africa. Open from 9.30am-6.30pm. €7.50 or free for those under the age of 12. www.domainedurayol.org
6th-25th October
CAGNES-SUR-MER HORSE SHOW 90 international competitions within two weeks. www.cagnes-tourisme.com
7th-10th October
NICE SCIENCE FAIR At Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis, parc Valrose. Tel. 06 20 30 02 32 - www.fetedelascience06.fr
8th-10th October
NICE “DIRTY DANCING” Dance show at the Palais Nikaïa. Tickets from €35. To book: Tel. 04 92 29 31 29. - www.nikaia.fr
8th-10th October
ANTIBES “LE DIABLE AUX CORPS” A musical comedy by Philippe Decouflé. Each evening at 8.30pm at the Anthéa, salle Jacques Audiberti. To book: Tel. 04 83 76 13 00 - www.anthea-antibes.fr
9th-11th October
M O N ACO SALON DU CHOCOLAT Chocolate fair. Different shows and peculiarities around the theme of chocolate. Friday 2pm-10pm, Saturday 10am-7pm. 9€ and children under 12 years free. www.salonduchocolat-monaco.com
9th-11th October 2015
VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER SCIENCE FAIR At the Observatoire océanologique de Villefranche. Tel. 06 20 30 02 32 - www.fetedelascience06.fr
9th-16th October
NICE 12TH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL OF NICE Single tickets €3-5. Passes €15 (reduced) or €20. www.nicefilmfestival.com
10th-11th October
MANDELIEU-LA NAPOULE
WEDDING FAIR
Dozens of exhibitors showing their latest collections. 10am-7pm at the Centre Expo Congrès. €8. www.lunedemiel.com
10th-11th October
ANTIBES SCIENCE FAIR At the Palais des Congrès d’Antibes. Tel. 06 20 30 02 32 - www.fetedelascience06.fr
11th October
GORBIO TRAIL DE GORBIO Competitive sports event. 42km/2895m D Challenge Trial and 16km/900mD+ discovery challenge. Will depart from the centre of the village. Tel. 06 77 41 72 99 - www.asgorbio.com M O N ACO “SALON DE LA CROISIÈRE” Jet Travel, in association with its sister company, webcroisieres.com, presents a cruise expo for industry insiders and travellers alike, from 10am to 6pm at the Hotel Meridien Beach Plaza. www.webcroisieres.com
14th-31st October
CANNES P’TITS CANNES A YOU CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL Theatre, circus, dance, film and workshops for young audiences. Entrance €3. www.ptits-cannesayou.com
15th-17th October
AVIGNON AVIGNON BLUES FESTIVAL Organised by the association, “La Voix du Blues”. Tickets from €15-€50 and free for those under the age of 12. For more information about artists, timing and venues visit: http://www.avignonbluesfestival.com
15th October-11th November
M O N ACO STEVE MCCURRY “REGARDS” An exhibition of superb portraits by the photographer Steve McCurry at the Salle d’Exposition, Quai Antoine I, from 1pm to 7pm. Free entry.
16th-18th October
NICE FRENCH RIVIERA CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW Cars, motorcycles, boats. Models presented in the Allianz Riviera Stadium. Friday 10am-10pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-6pm. €9 at the box office and €7.5 at the online ticket office. www.fr-cms.com
16th-19th October
S A I N T- J E A N - C A P - F E R R A T STOREKEEPERS RUMMAGE SALE Will take place in the village. Tel. 04 93 76 08 90 (Tourist Office)
17th-18th October
THEOULE-SUR-MER THEOULE ART AND WINE A fair combining arts and wine. Some sixty vineyard owners, artists and tradesmen from the catering industry meet in Place Général Bertrand in a warm and friendly environment. Saturday: 11am-10pm, Sunday: 11am-7pm. Tickets are €3. Tel. 0 4 93 49 28 28 - www.theoule-sur-mer.org
17th-18th October
EZE JOURNÉES DE LA GASTRONOMIE A traditional food fair of the village. www.eze-tourisme.com
18th October
S A I N T- T R O P E Z ST TROPEZ CLASSIC CHARITY RUN in aid of the Fondation Prince Albert II of Monaco. Have fun and help raise cash for a good cause. www.clubvivanova.com
18th-23rd October
S A I N T- J E A N - C A P - F E R R A T A DAY WITH THE BARONESS Over the course of a day, discover the daily life of the villa and its Belle Epoque gardens with three unique visits for adults and children. Tel. 04 93 76 08 90 (Tourist Office)
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2015
18th, 21st, 24th, 27th October
MARSEILLE SEMIRAMIDE Opera by Gioacchino Rossini at the Odéon Marseille Théâtre Municipal. http://opera.marseille.fr/saison-15-16/opera/semiramide
20th-25th October
S A I N T- J E A N - C A P - F E R R A T HALLOWEEN DAY PARTY Tel. 04 93 76 08 90 (Tourist Office)
22nd-24th October
NICE 13TH GUITAR FESTIVAL New talents and international artists. Each evening at 9pm at the Espace Magnan, salle Jean Vigo. Tickets from €16. www.blues-guitare.com
23rd-25th October
GRASSE FARMYARD ANIMALS The show presents an exceptional variety of pure breed farmyard animals, raised organically by passionate amateur breeders who want to protect and reintroduce these magnificent beasts. At Espace Chiris. €5. www.ville-grasse.fr/saca
23rd-25th October
NICE 1ER SALON CUISINE ET SAVEURS DU MONDE Gastronomic fair at Nice-Acropolis, Palais des Expositions. www.salondelacuisine.fr
Until 24th October
ANTIBES BŒUF THEATRE (CAFE-THEATRE FESTIVAL) The Festival Boeuf Théâtre brings together young comedians and famous faces in a spirit of openness, fun and enthusiasm. This event is now the oldest comedy festival in France. Tickets from €11. www.boeuf-theatre.fr
24th-25th October
NICE SENIOR AVENIR (SHOW) This “Next Generation Senior” trade show aims to be unique in France and a “trendsetter” that will meet the expectations and needs of the over 50s... Nice-Acropolis, espace Méditerranée. €3-€5. To book: Tel. 04 93 92 83 00. www.nice-acropolis.com
25th October
S A I N T- P A U L - D E - V E N C E GRAPE HARVEST AND CHESTNUT FESTIVAL 10am-5pm, Place De Gaulle. Tel. 04 93 32 86 95 - www.saint-pauldevence.com
25th October
EZE GARAGE SALE Over 80 stands. 8am-5pm in the village. Tel. 04 93 41 26 00 - www.eze-tourisme.com
31st October-1st November
NICE SALON DU CHAMPIGNON This is the perfect opportunity to observe the many species of mushrooms that grow in our region and importantly, learn how to tell them apart. 9.30am-5.30pm at Parc Phoenix, salle Emeraude. €3. www.parc-phoenix.org
Exhibitions
Until 10th October
NICE WORLD WAR TWO EXHIBITION Display at the Louis Nucéra library in Nice includes written and printed documents, song lyrics, a rare gramophone record dating back to 1918 and a photo album created by a soldier of the French Army with more than 100 previously unpublished photographs from the frontline. Free admission. http://bmvr.nice.fr
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16th-18th October
Until 29th November
Until 31st October
Italian Events
NICE ART3F – 2ND EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY ART True to the motto, “art is for everyone,” the exhibition will remain open to galleries and artists of all kinds. www.art3f.fr LE CANNET HENRI MANGUIN Chief representative of the movement of Fauvism. His works of art from the pre-war period (1900-1914) will be exhibited. 10am-6pm. www.museebonnard.fr
Until 16th November
MARSEILLE ANCIENT ART Archaeological pieces displayed in the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Mediterranée. €8-12. www.mucem.org
Until 16th November
VALLAURIS RETROSPECTIVE Olivier Gagnère shows 200 works in the Magnelli Museum. Open 10am-5pm. Admission: €2-4. Tel. 04 93 64 71 83
Until 16th November
MENTON “LA CHAMBRE D’ORPHÉE” Poetry, theatre, film, drawing, photography - Anne and Patrick Poirier present their creative works. They mainly play with light and shadow. In the museum Jean Cocteau. Free admission. 10am-6pm. www.museecocteaumenton.fr
19th October-16th November
M O N ACO “FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE ORGANISTICO” 17th International Organ Festival.
19th-21st September
S A I N T- PA U L - D E - V E N C E ART BY GERARD GAROUSTE “En chemin” is a tribute to the art of 1980. The Fondation Maeght is open every day from 10am-7pm. Adults pay €15. Moderate fare: €10. www.fondation-maeght.com
Until 5th October
GENOA “SALONE NAUTICO” Music festival and Latin American dance. Molo delle Tartarughe. Saturday 9:30pm-12pm and Sunday 6pm-8pm. Nautical fair. www.fiera.ge.it
Until 27th December
D O LC E ACQ UA “VISITA GUIDATA DEL BORGO” Guided tour through the Old Town followed by tasting of Ligurian wine, “Rossese” in the Enoteca Regionale della Liguria. €10 per person. Reservation required. Tel. 01 84 22 95 07
Every second Sunday of the month
D O LC E D O “MERCATINO DEL PRODOTTO BIOLOGICO” Biomarket with producers from around the world.
Every third Sunday of the month
TAG G I A “MERCATINO D’ANTIQUARIO” Antique market.
ALBENGA “MERCATINO D’ANTIQUARIO” Antique market. In the historic centre and on the Piazza San Michele.
LAIGUEGLIA “REGARD SUR LES BALLETS RUSSES” Alain Hanel’s forty photographs of Russian ballet companies will adorn the walls and floors of the Métropole Shopping Centre in Monaco. The photographs convey a wide range of emotions and reflect the sensuality of the dance. A dozen photographs, which will be taken at the Grimaldi Forum during the Gala Russe from 12th- 13th September 2015, will be presented exclusively.
Until 23rd November
NICE LYRICAL ABSTRACTION The semi Frenchman, Wang Yan Cheng exhibits his works at the Musée des Arts départementale asiatique. Free admission. www.arts-asiatiques.com
Painting: Henri Maugin
OCTOBER
Mouans Sartoux book festival
2015
Keeping you up to date with all the important news and information concerning your community. From interesting news in brief and details on the latest government initiatives, to helpful classifieds and recommended restaurants, we bring you the fine points to make
your life easier in the French Riviera and Monaco. ACTUALLITY
27
HEADLINES
29
WE
30
RECOMMEND
COMMUNITY
32
CLASSIFIEDS
33
NEWS
34
PEOPLE
35
28
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ACTUALLITY 27
Photo: Peter Seyfferth
‘ A sylum-seekers welcome’ Alpes-Maritimes sub-prefect: Refugees seeking sanctuary from persecution will not be turned away
On the doorstep of one of Europe’s most affluent communities, refugees are sleeping beneath sun umbrellas on the jagged rocks of the seashore; flimsy tarpaulins flutter on the esplanade. BY SARAH HARVEY
V
entimiglia has become the epicentre of an unofficial refugee camp which has sprung up in the midst of the picturesque Ligurian seaside resort. At the time we went to press, Red Cross volunteers were distributing an average of 150 breakfasts, 250 lunches and 200 dinners per day to refugees. The refugees in Ventimiglia are almost all male; three young boys have been taken into care by the municipality’s social services department so far. An average of 60 to 70 new refugees are arriving in Ventimiglia each day. They risked their lives to get to Ventimiglia on the French-Italian border, and many of them, still weak and disorientated from their perilous journeys, are hoping to continue their travels onwards from the Italian Riviera in order to find asylum elsewhere in Europe. Charities including the Red Cross are helping to feed and clothe the refugees, as well as some remarkable individuals with no previous history of collaborating with aid agencies; residents of the Cote d’Azur and Italian Riviera who were united by a basic desire to help. While the French Government has announced it will accept 24,000 refugees over the next two years and has already accepted 1,000 - some refugees are being deported from France on arrival. This includes a number of refugees attempting to enter the country from Ventimiglia via Menton, who are being sent directly back to Italy. Reports in local newspaper Nice Matin
suggest the figure could be as high as 100-200 per day. There are daily police patrols of the land crossing between Italy and France, including people searches throughout the carriages on the Ventimiglia to Cannes trainline. But local authorities claim only those attempting to seek asylum in another country than France are being deported on arrival in France. Alpes-Maritimes sub-prefect, Sébastian Humbert, told us that no refugees wanting to claim asylum in Alpes-Maritimes are being turned down: “We are not refusing any”, he said. “Even if it sounds unbelievable, the reality is, the majority of those coming into France at Menton don’t want to ask for asylum in France. They want to go to the UK, Sweden, Denmark etc. That is why we send them back. If they were asking for asylum here, they would have to stay here.” Humbert said 559 refugees have claimed asylum in the region so far in 2015. The majority were Chechen, with the second largest group from Ukraine, followed by Albania, Syria, Iraq, Georgia and Afghanistan. He added that only 11 refugees crossing from Ventimiglia have asked for asylum in France so far in 2015. Two associations in the Alpes-Maritimes Department have been charged with looking after the refugees in so-called ‘CADA’ homes especially designated for asylum-seekers: they provide a total of 346 beds. A further 250 asylum-seekers have been put in hotels, mostly in Nice. The prefecture wants to create another 200 beds by working in partnership with private landlords.
All minors arriving in the region without a close relative accompanying them are automatically given the right to stay. Since 1 June, AlpesMaritimes has received 500 minors – mostly from Afghanistan. The majority have been placed in foster care: “La France accueil” added Humbert. France attracted a great deal of condemnation after it emerged last month that a far-right mayor in Beziers, Languedoc, stormed into a Syrian refugee squat in his town and attempted to evict the family, telling them “You’re not welcome here”. Earlier the same month, another influential French Mayor caused outrage by saying only Christian refugees should be accepted in the country to avoid an influx of “disguised terrorists”. Speaking about the role of local mayors in the refugee debate, PACA senator, and mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, said: “Many mayors did not wait for the government to act. For example, Nice already hosts many Eastern Christians, this isn’t because we’re being exclusive, it is not the religion or nationality that is the determining factor. But the State cannot lean on communities to overcome its inability to solve this problem. We do not have to compensate for François Hollande’s lack of courage. “The government does not understand that Europe is facing one of the most serious challenges in modern history. It is necessary to distinguish between economic migrants and refugees. There is a list of countries - Syria, Libya,
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2015
Iraq, Eritrea – whose citizens are entitled to request asylum.” Estrosi stressed the importance of the community as a whole pulling together to deal with the situation. “We must help all individual and collective initiatives conducted by those who are willing to demonstrate their generosity. We can help to bring together these initiatives volunteers, families, charities, religious institutions etc.” But Estrosi insisted that government resources should be concentrated on those seeking asylum in France, for whom France has a duty of care, and that the current system needs to be updated. 95% of rejected asylum-seekers remain in the territory and 20% of places in detention centres remain occupied by unsuccessful applicants. “Wemustreformtheasylumforbetterprotection,” he said. “If we are to protect the refugees we have a duty to accommodate them. It is particularly important to reform the asylum system without further delay so that it is not abused.” The PACA senator concluded that Europe has a key role to play in the humanitarian crisis and called for the EU to secure the Schengen area, in order to hit the traffickers, and to strengthen cooperation with Africa. He suggested the EU could create assembly points under its control, where refugees are welcomed and cared for. “From these points, one could examine the eligibility of asylum cases and then make an allocation in the EU countries,” he said, adding that Gulf countries should do more to help.
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PEOPLE POWER
Expats get proactive to help refugees
g
roups of concerned citizens across the Riviera have decided to take action to help the refugees currently camped on the French-Italian border at Ventimiglia. None of them are charity workers or NGO staff, but with the central concept of helping humanity at heart, they are collecting donations and funds to ferry to the recent wave of men, women and children displaced from Syria and neighbouring countries. It is estimated that around 100-200 refugees per day are being escorted back to Italy from the Alpes-Maritimes department each day. The French government insists that they must be returned to the country they landed in. While local branches of the charities including the Red Cross is doing what they can for the families, many of which are camped out temporarily on the rocks on the shoreline, a number of individuals on the French Riviera have decided they can’t stand by while this happens on the doorstep. A new Facebook group, Refugee Aid Côte d’Azur, sprang up and is already helping to mobilise supplies and aid for the refugees. One of the organisers, Emma Colvin, told us: “The group has been designed by three mums to bring together the expat community of the Alpes-Maritime to assist the refugees closest to us, in Ventimiglia. It is a non-political, non-debating site with its main objective being kindness to others.” They were moved to set up the group after seeing the harrowing images of drowned children on the shores of the Mediterranean which saturated the media last week. “The photo of the child being washed up on the beach were the catalyst for us starting the site immediately, although over the past year, like for everyone else, the constant horrifying news stories were playing on our minds,” said Emma. “The haunting images were something that we felt we could not ignore and when we keep seeing so may people wishing to help the refugee crisis but not knowing how to we thought we could offer a platform for people to act.” The site is a springboard for those wishing to donate - whether it be an offer of their time, a vehicle to make a delivery to one of the drop off points or donating the items needed by the charities. One of their biggest aims is to get 50 schools to participate in donation drive events. “We have had a huge amount of interest so far, and the first school to confirm their donation drive was Les Colibris, the Montessori school in Sophia Antipolis, followed by Mougins International School. Since then we have Marie Maters in Roquefort les Pins and
OCTOBER
Tramontane in Juan Les Pins and around 15 other schools in the process of confirming dates and details just this week.” More events will be posted shortly. Emma added that there are lots of people wishing to do a donation drive within their workplace too, and already this week two groups, one in Vence and one in Tourettes sur Loup, have come together to plan their private collection drives. “Under the ‘files’ section of our site is lots of information to help - obviously the charities themselves with their lists and drop off location and contact details, but also poster stencils, top tips and labels in Italian. All the information has also been translated to French by a kind volunteer! “We have seen such brilliant community spirit in the site already, and exactly as we hoped, strangers are connecting with one another and pulling together with the same goal: to get the aid to those that need it, fast. There is great momentum and I think with positivity and energy we can make a huge difference to hundreds of people if not more, by showing them that we do care, we are seeing and listening to their stories,” she said. Refugee Côte d’Azur on Facebook or email refugeeaidcotedazur@gmail.com
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renda Van Zoeren, from Yacht Chandlers in Antibes, is another resident who decided to use her resources to help the refugees. Since her company has an office in a central location in Antibes along with vans to get the items where they need to be, they decided to do help with collection and distribution. “We have six people in our office, all mothers, and one father, of young children and all left with broken mother-hearts following the news last week,” she said. “We decided we wanted to help these children and their mothers and fathers and gathered as much things as we could from our own homes. But we wanted to do more! Since we all worked on yachts in the past, we know there are always items which are not used anymore on the yachts, and which could make a difference for the refugees. So it made sense to reach out to our clients and the rest of the yachting industry. And since we are visiting the ports and shipyards on the weekly basis anyway it made even more sense that we were going to collect the items ourselves on our travels!” Andthelocalyachtingcommunityhasresponded with huge generosity, according to Brenda. “We have had a lot of responses from yacht crew: Not only do they give ‘surplus’ items to us, but some captains also send out their crew to buy new items from the list we provided them (based on the lists from Amnesty and the Red Cross) which is fabulous of course,” she said.
2015
“Some of them also asked us ‘what more can we do’ and started their own little projects within their port or shipyard which we then collect once a week from them. We have just asked our clients to check for toiletries, old uniform/clothing items and any bedding they might find when doing their end-of-season clean-out which we collect from the yachts around the Riviera this week and bring to the different depots.” The items are being sorted by Brenda and her colleagues and passed on to Amnesty International and the Red Cross. Donors can get in touch via Brenda@ yachtchandlers.com Tel: 06 84 06 73 13 or Brea@yachtchandlers.com Tel: 06 86 62 79 21 or they can drop donations at Yacht Chandlers, 21 Av Mirabeau, Antibes.
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nother of the individuals who decided to help out was Shelley LeBreton, who with her friends have simply been calling the Red Cross in Ventimiglia and asking them what they need, as this changes on a day-to-day basis. The catalyst was photos by Peter Seyfferth, a German photographer from Roquebrune Cap Martin (http://www.seyfferth.de/) who captured portraits of the refugees in Ventimiglia. “I can’t really say I was inspired, rather that I followed by example, thanks to Peter Seyfferth’s photos and article which in turn prompted YCO yacht brokers to send a vanload which collected from Antibes to Monaco,” said Shelley. “I think it’s what anyone would do if they saw someone in distress. If someone is willing to leave behind loved ones and the country they love and risk death to escape despair, the least one can do is comfort them by providing food, water and shelter while governments and countries decide what to do.” According to Shelley, Amnesty in Menton is in need of Arabic interpreters. She is also continuing to collect donations and is dropping them off at the Red Cross and Caritas. “In the first couple of weeks that people dropped off goods to me, but there are no boundaries or borders to people’s generosity. I was given more than a thousand euros in cash to spend on food water and essentials such as toothpaste and shampoo etc, to deliver to the Ventimiglia Croce Rossa. It just rolled on from there,” said Shelley. She was then put in touch with a German friend of a friend whose company, Pantaenius, decided to donate 2,000 euros to the Croce Rossa. To contact Caritas: Tel: +390 18 4 20 35 50 58. To contact the Red Cross Ventimiglia: +39 0184 232060
HEADLINES 29
LOCALPLATFORM JOURNALIST for citizenship DIES at Cannes applicants Yachting Festival IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO MAKE THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING FRENCH CITIZENSHIP EASIER. As of October 15, applications for becoming a French citizen by naturalization or marriage by individuals living in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes will be heard at interdepartmental office in Nice. The current system of obtaining French citizenship was implemented in 2012 in order to try to make the process more fair, transparent and efficient. With this in mind, the decision was taken to open more platforms across the country to ensure a coherent and consistent review of applications for naturalization.It is hoped that the new local platforms will improve the process. Applications will now have to only be sent by registered mail to the following address: Préfecture des Alpes-Maritimes, Centre administratif départemental, Direction de la réglementation et des libertés publiques, Plate-forme de la naturalisation 147, boulevard du Mercantour, 06 286 Nice cedex 3. The application forms and explanatory notes are available on the following websites under the heading “Accueil des étrangers”: www.alpes-maritimes. gouv.fr andwww.var.gouv.fr. To assist individuals in preparing their applications, th a new phone service has been launched. It is open from Tuesday to Thursday from 1.30pm to 4pm. Tel: 04 93 72 26 65.
A WOMAN HAS DIED IN AN ACCIDENT AT CANNES YACHTING FESTIVAL after being struck by the propeller of a power boat. The accident happened after the vessel hit a large wave around one mile from the shore, in the Bay of Cannes area, at around 7pm on 12 September. According to an official press communiqué, three passengers were onboard at the time. Two of them were thrown into the sea immediately as the boat hit the large wave, but the third jumped into the sea, presumably in panic, and was caught in the propeller. Firefighters rescued the two remaining passengers who were in a state of shock. The victim was a 30-year-old Serbian journalist. According to French newspaper 20 Minutes, the Grasse prosecutor said: “Three people, two journalists of a Serbian newspaper specializing in boating and the Italian brand owner of the boat, who was driving, were participating in a demonstration of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat of ten metres off the coast of Cannes when the captain, for reasons still undetermined, was ejected. “One of two journalists, a man, was then also ejected before the young woman, in circumstances not yet established, was ejected from the boat then caught up and killed instantly by the propeller.” A joint investigation is underway by the Saint Raphaël maritime police and Cannes police. The prosecutor continued: “Not all the witnesses have yet been heard, including the surviving Serbian journalist who is injured and has been hospitalized. “Not all of the elements have been recovered, there is still video evidence to consider,” he added, stressing that the investigation will seek to establish if all maritime rules were being respected during the demonstration, which was held as part of Cannes Yachting Festival.
CLOSURE OF US consular agency THE US EMBASSY TO FRANCE AND MONACO AND THE US CONSULATE GENERAL IN MARSEILLE have announced a consolidation of consular services in southern France in order to better serve the public and enhance security for customers and staff. The US Consular Agency in Nice has now closed and services have been relocated. All routine and emergency consular services in the Marseille consular district will be provided by the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille. The Marseille consular district includes Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Ariège, Aude, Aveyron, Bouches-du-Rhône, Corsica, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Herault, Lot,
Lozere, Hautes-Pyrénées, PyrénéesOrientales, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Var, Vaucluse, and Monaco. The closure is aimed at improving the consular service to US citizens and foreign nationals in a location that offers a secure environment for all concerned. All US passport applications, reports of birth abroad applications, and notarial services must be scheduled at either the US Consulate General in Marseille (http://marseille. usconsulate.gov) or the US Embassy in Paris. For emergency services in the Marseille consular district, US citizens are advised to contact the consular section at the US Consulate General in Marseille. For emergency services in other regions of France, US citizens are advised to contact the US Embassy in Paris.
NICE AIRPORT’S record-breaking summer
SUMMER 2015 SAW ALMOST 3 MILLION PASSENGERS PASSING THROUGH NICE AIRPORT IN TWO MONTHS - over 111,000 more passengers than in the same holiday period in 2014. The figures, which have just been released, also reveal Sunday August 2 was a record-breaking day with 53,000 travellers arriving and departing. July itself was the best month ever recorded at the airport, with almost one and a half million passengers passing through. The majority of the travelers were arriving from, or departing to, international destinations (72%). The majority, 65%, of the international traffic was between European destinations, which has been attributed to improved services and new routes. The busiest routes were between the Benelux Union (Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands), which accounted for 18%, mainly due to the arrival of a third operator offering daily links between Nice and Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam. In second place was the Iberian Peninsula (Madrid, Barcelona Lisbon) followed by Turkey, which has seen almost 50% growth in the market due to a new regular service between Nice and Istanbul. As ever, Scandinavia continues to be a popular source of visitors to Nice, with 6% growth overall. There was also a boost in traffic from the North American continent, with an 8.6% increase from Canada, as well as a 9.8% increase from North Africa. Domestic traffic statistics remain stable. A company spokesman said the reduction this summer of airport charges for the commercial aviation sector has played a part in boosting its traffic. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is the second busiest airport in France after Paris, with 105 direct destinations and 53 scheduled airlines serving 34 countries. Apart from Paris, it is also the only French airport to offer daily routes to New York and Dubai. The French Riviera Airports Group operates Airports Nice Cote d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and St Tropez.
OCTOBER
2015
CHARITY CHILL DAY For orphans CHANCES FOR CHILDREN HELD A CHILL FOR CHARITY DAY ON FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER IN VALBONNE. The day included yoga, superfood workshops, massage therapy, a vegetarian lunch selection, swimminginthepoolforthosewhofanciedit.There was also the opportunity to book treatments and consultation for massage/osteopathy, reflexology, dietary consultations, reiki with Beverly Holt and hypnotherapy/Body Talk with Kate Banks. There were two different yoga workshops. Chances for Children operates an orphanage for 58 children in Uganda. The event will help the orphanage to continue its work. With the funds raised from the previous event they were able to fund the running of the orphanage for almost two months. An organiser said: “It’s a fantastic way to meet new people and network as well as allowing participants to treat themselves to some ‘me time’ whilst raising money for a good cause. “There are so many charities out there but, unlike others, the directors of this one don’t pay themselves wages and they cover administration costs out of their own pockets. They can genuinely say that every single euro that’s raised goes directly to helping the children. “And that, along with the smiles on the kids’ faces and being able to see what a clear difference that the money which is raised makes, is what makes this particular charity stand out and so very special.”
WE RECOMMEND 30 And of course, there will be honeytastings, allowing visitors to discover the diversity of honey from Provence, not to mention organic pressed grape juice, street entertainment, strolling musicians... and the traditional hive-smoking competition! For more information visit www.miels-de-provence.com
G A R DE N I NG - T I PP S
A RAVISHING RASCAL Now is the time to get to grips with Oleander
NICE HOSTS EUROPEAN MASTERS GAMES Sport for all: From 25 to 100
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plant of motorways and hedges, Nerium oleander is so common along the Med that this flowering shrub seldom gets enough attention. However this southern icon can bring a lot of joy – provided it is given a suitable location, sufficient nutrients and good pruning. ‘Twiggy’ shoots mean it is in the wrong location. Oleander wants full sun, always. It dislikes slopes, but loves lots of water when young. Visible basal roots show something’s wrong. Mr. O. is tough, but he’ll frown at that. Compost is a solution. As a swift grower, he needs regular formative pruning. Dead wood must be removed - all the way down. Diseased branches should be cut back to the healthy wood by about three leaf nodes – a cut slightly above the node keeps diseases off. Sharp, clean secateurs and loppers are a must; hedge trimmers and machines? No way! Clean, quality tools and fine pruning give plants beauty and health. A ‘showy’ oleander needs training, right from the start. Five to seven main shoots form the structure over time. For a little tree, one to five upright-growing shoots are enough. Water sprouts and basal shoots consume nutrients; criss-crossing or rubbing branches attract diseases, so they need attention too. Shoots can be cut back by one third. That makes the rascal healthy and gives him a good shape. Oleander accepts heavy pruning in the south. Shrubs which get the correct treatment now will look fabulous by spring. A scoop of compost rounds off this autumn therapy. But why call it a “rascal”? Oleander is beautiful, but poisonous in all parts, even when burnt! Gloves and a dust mask are needed when working on it. Kids and pets must not ingest residues from pruning! However, feel free to compost them. Toby Albert
www.greenparrotgardens.com
A SWEET TREAT! Arcs-sur-Argens Honey Festival
OCTOBER 3 AND 4 IS THE DATE OF THE TRADITIONAL FÊTE DU MIEL awhich this year takes place in Arcs-sur-Argens, Var. A whole weekend of entertainment will be laid on for young and old alike. Organised by the Var Union of Professional Beekeepers for the 22nd consecutive year, it celebrates the precious nectar with free activities for the community. Throughout the weekend, from 9am to 7pm the events will be based around Place du General de Gaulle. A huge artificial beehive becomes the hub of the entertainment. This hive, with transparent walls, will host professional beekeepers and their equipment, who demonstrate their work and teach visitors about the bee colony residing there. Indeed, honey extractions will be performed live in front of the audience, who will be invited to taste the fresh honeycomb. There will also be a photo competition and exhibition, plus the world of bees will be introduced to children through fun and educational workshops, with an opportunity to paint hives or participate in retrieving pollen.
OCTOBER
NICE WAS CHOSEN IN 2011 BY THE INTERNATIONAL MASTERS GAMES ASSOCIATION (IMGA) to organise and host the European Masters Games in 2015. The IMGA is a non-profit association based in Lausanne, Switzerland, which has organised World Masters Games for more than 20 years. The Sydney edition in 2009 was a huge success in terms of participation (more than 33,000 participants including 28,500 competitors – 60% of them ranging from 40 to 60 years old) and economically too (more than €45 million spent by visitors in two weeks). This concept is aimed at the ‘wider’ population, ranging from 25 to 100 years old and more, age limits depending on each sport and each international federation’s regulations. The Masters Games movement is all about ‘sport for all’. It is a great multisport competition for master athletes of all levels of performance coming from all continents, it is open to all countries around the world. Participation is what matters, and only a medical certificate of fitness and an civil insurance certificate are required to register. The event’s concept fit perfectly with Nice, a city that is strongly committed to sport and senior citizens (100,000 seniors live in Nice). In addition, a series of off-competition activities before and during the Games will reinforce the conviviality of this major sporting event for Nice in 2015. During 10 days, Nice will be the world capital of “sport for all”, of health and well-being of master and senior athletes. European Masters Games: 1-11 October. www.emg-nice2015.fr
Read More at:
www. rivieratimes. com 2015
Photo: Aila Stöckmann
WE RECOMMEND 31
Hiking-bistrot !
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New concept combines cuisine and scenery
alling all lovers of beautiful scenery and local cuisine, Bistrot Rando is for you. With 13 unique trails (12 plus one electric bike track) enjoy the great outdoors and the ‘bonne vie’ in one. Rando Bistro combines three delicacies: A hike accompanied by a qualified professional, a meeting with a farmer or a local artisan to hear about local production techniques and meals in a ‘Bistrot de Pays’. The Bistrot Walks take place across
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur’s hilltop villages and spectacular scenery, celebrating tasty local products. The ‘bistro walks’ began in September and will continue to take place throughout October 2015 in the Alpes-de-HauteProvence, Hautes-Alpes, in the Vaucluse a n d t h e A l p e s - M a r i t i m e s . T h e fu l l programme is available on the website www.bistrotdepays.com. Ne manquez pas les prochains départs!
Jacques Gantié’s
Jacques Gantié is the author of the only regional restaurant guide Guide Gantié, which is available in French in hardcopy, and electronically in English. It contains hundreds of great insider tips.
RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS
PAN DEÏ PALAIS Close to La Maison Blanc, this ‘palace’ built by General Allard for his Indian wife, Pan Dei, and now owned by Stéphane Courbit (Les Airelles, Le Chalet de Pierres in Courchevel) is full of charm and character. It conjures an atmosphere of the Indian colonial era, with canvas paintings on the walls, a floral mural of the ‘Tree of Life’ and a grand marble staircase. The chef, Renaud Capelle, conveys the spirit of travel through his cuisine such as with the Mumbai tart with crunchy figs from Parsi, ‘fritto misto’ calamari with Massala spices and salad of squid and pineapple, risotto with truffles and Colonnata lard, exquisite Thai sea bream steamed in a banana leaf, figs and lemon millefeuille...Exotic flavours, without being excessive: A calculated use of condiments and spices.
The terrace by the pool with cedar ‘honeymoon beds’, surrounded by palm trees and bamboo, is a sublime setting for a meal. A VIP oasis in the bustling heart of Saint-Tropez RUE GAMBETTA 83990. TEL: 04 94 17 71 71
TABLE D’EXCEPTION
GRANDE TABLE TABLE DE QUALITÉ COUP DE COEUR
OCTOBER
2015
COMMUNITY 32
INTERNATIONS SAYS FAREWELL TO SUMMER
SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION TRAINING WORKSHOP JOIN A TRAINING WORKSHOP WITH VALÉRIE AUSSEIL, PWN Vice President and Mentoring Leader, as part of PWN´s Mentoring Programme on 6 October from 6pm to 9pm. Discover techniques and tools used to optimize the relationship between a mentor and mentee, manager and team member, leader and staff. You will learn why communication skills are so important, what are the common communication mistakes, how to set and reach a desired outcome, how to give effective feedback and much more. The Mentoring Programme´s purpose is to increase and enhance our member´s professional success and satisfaction. We help our network members/mentees to define their professional goals. By pairing mentees with mentors who can offer the advice, experience and knowledge that their particular challenges require, the Mentoring Programme aims to increase mentees´ opportunities to achieving these goals. The cost is €25 for members/ €35 for non-members (men are welcome too). The price includes a buffet, beverages and 2-hour training seminar. Final registrations: Friday 2 October. Location: Splendid Hotel & Spa, Nice. For more information visit: www.pwnnice.net
LAST BEACH PARTY OF THE SEASON, BUT MORE EVENTS TO COME It was InterNations Nice’s last beach party of the year: The trendy organic Hi Beach and Hotel, under the new management of Thierry Thiercelin, opened especially for the expats and locals party on 14 September. Guests arriving early were able to take advantage of the sunshine with a quick swim before the revelry began. A DJ span some tunes on the decks while the attendees mingled, enjoying wine, cocktails, beer and delicious tapas. Hi Beach and Hotel manager, Thierry Thiercelin, said he was delighted to host the InterNations event and enthused about the concept of bringing locals and expats together for friendship, networking and fun. The gathering was organized by InterNations ambassadors, Beverley Holt and Kath Martin, who said: “This is the most popular, trendy beach venue in Nice - and the only organic beach club. The atmosphere is sensational!” There are two InterNations social events each month in Nice, with other local groups also based in Monaco and Cannes. InterNations is the largest international community for people who live and work abroad, offering global networking opportunities, local events and relevant information for new arrivals in cities across the world. To ensure the quality of the network, InterNations membership is by approval only. Further details can be found on www.internations.org
INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF THE RIVIERA THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF THE RIVIERA IS APPROACHING THE END
of another eventful year of activities. We are looking forward to a revamped ICR with new and exciting events with a new team put in place at the Annual General Meeting of the Club which will be held in December. If you would like to be part of the new team please do contact us ASAP. We need fresh faces in the Committee as well as new and enthusiastic members to run the various different internal clubs in the ICR. The International Club is proud to sponsor many Clubs/Sub Groups to cater to a wide variety of diverse interests and activities: International Sailing Club, International Golf Club, International Tennis Club Family Fun Club, International Art Club, International Theatre & Drama Club International Gourmet Club, ICR Polo Club and ICR Wine Club. In the meantime, the ICR continues with its regular programme this month with a Golf Outing on 15 October at the Provençal Club in Biot where you can play a 9-hole round in the morning followed by lunch at the Clubhouse. The Gourmet Group will start a new series of Dinner Outings, entitled ‘Around The World’s Kitchens’ where we will visit different restaurants from exotic countries every month. For more details of the above and other events, and to come and to join one of the most active, multi cultural social-cum-business networking clubs on the French Rivera, visit www.internationalclub.fr, call 07 58 44 18 37 or email us: info.internationalclub.fr.
ADOPTION CORNER
LAIKO IS A BEAUTIFUL AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD, just one year old. He is friendly to other dogs, and is more afraid of cats. He loves people above all else, but you can tell that he previously received little attention or even affection. Hopefully that will all change now. We are looking for an owner for Laiko who is fairly knowledgeable about this breed, as well as wants a new member of their family. Tel: +33 (0)4 94 96 89 19, +33 (0)6 43 06 19 60, +49 (0)17 24 55 50 33, www.joshi2.de
OCTOBER
2015
LEISURE RUGBY CLUB
Calling new recruits! RIVIERA RUGBY CLUB WAS FOUNDED 11 years ago: Only a few towns on the Riviera have a rugby field so the club has moved around over the year, from Antibes to Saint Laurent du Var, finally settling in Nice at the Arboras Stadium on the Route de Grenoble. Riviera Rugby Club plays ‘Rugby Loisir’ (leisure rugby) which is a hybrid for those who want to play rugby in good non-competitive conditions, or if your life-style (professional, age, family with children etc) does not allow you to play competitive rugby, with its two to three training sessions each week plus a ‘championship’ game at the weekend. Rugby Loisir has one training night a week with one or two friendly games in the month; XV-a-side, Sevens, Touch Rugby or Beach Rugby in the summer. The club will also be entering an ‘Oldies’ team for the European Masters in Nice on 8 and 9 October. Members can be men and women aged 18 to over 75. You do not need experience to join – just a basic wish to play and a reasonable physical condition with a medical certificate from your doctor certifying that you are OK to play. We have players of all levels – beginners to very good players - and they all end up by playing well together in the team, which is what rugby is about. Our subscription includes federal player’s insurance – students & job-hunters pay €60 this season, the full subscription is €75. If the ‘Rugby Loisir’ formula is of interest, please come to our training evening – every Monday from 8pm to 10pm at the Arboras Stadium on the Route de Grenoble. For more information call Nick on
06 63 00 36 74 or visit www.rivierarugbyclub.fr or www.facebook.com/rrcrugby
CLASSIFIEDS 33 INTERIOR DESIGN
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L U X U RY L I N E N
CONSTRUCTION
H E A LT H
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C R E AT I V E
Sale - Golf membership of Royal Mougins Golf Club
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Get more information at:
www.rivieratimes. com Issue 160/September 2015 - 3,00 E
seeseemore, more,do domore, more,know knowmore more
World-class canyoning: Explore Europe’s most sublime gorges
REGATTA FEVER! The Voiles de St Tropez
MONACO YACHT SHOW: Silver anniversary special
RARE VULTURE
chicks released into the wild
New Edition! For sale at:
NICE RELAIS H AIRPORT 1 AND 2 FNAC 30 AV. JEAN MÉDECIN MONACO MAISON DE LA PRESSE SAINT TROPEZ LIBRAIRIE DU PORT 11 RUE DES COMMERÇANT
GUIDEGANTIE.COM
OCTOBER
2015
NEWS 34
Publishing Director
SEBASTIEN FRAISSE
s.fraisse@riviera-press.fr Editor in chief
PET R A HA L L
From countryside to concrete jungle? The battle to preserve Mougins
More than 200 residents in the historic village of Mougins are protesting against plans for high-density housing which they fear will destroy its unique character. BY SARAH HARVEY
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t’s a leafy, quiet village, noted for its picturesqueness as well as its famous former residents which include Pablo Picasso, Winston Churchill and Christian Dior. The principally historical buildings that constitute Mougins are surrounded by pines, olives and Cyprus trees, and the area is surrounded by forests. But plans by Mougins Town Hall to dramatically increase the urban density with new apartment blocks have been met with fierce opposition from residents. In particular, proposals to build three-storey high flats on the road directly in front of Domaine du Val Riant - stretching from the former garden centre to the local school, several hundred metres down the road. “These apartment blocks are set to be three storeys high and are totally out of step with the neighbourhood, architecturally,” said Irish expat,Mela Nolan, who lives close to the proposed site. Under SRU law (which is aimed at encouraging social diversity in urban planning) each municipality is required to acquire 25% social housing by 2025. The town of Mougins comprises 6% social housing to date. This means Mougins is required to create another 1,800 residences in the next 10 years, and needs to re-zone areas currently designated as ‘country’ to ‘urban’. “We are not against this law, although it’s not being implemented as thoroughly in other tourist towns whose architectural character must be preserved with the utmost care,” explained Nolan. “This project will completely change the landscape of our neighbourhoods and the housing proposed is not in keeping with what is already here. “We don’t want the proposed apartment buildings of three floors, 13 metres in height, mingling with suburban residential sectors; or increased traffic and road safety issues; an extreme case of overpopulation; disfigurement of our neighbourhoods. Plus we don’t want significant devaluation of our property prices (potentially 20-30%); or
for Mougins to become an extension of Le Cannet Rocheville.” Similar projects like this are also planned for Chemin de Campagne, Chemin de Jylloue and many other areas of the commune. In addition, there have been complaints from several parties about their property purchases being overturned by the Town Hall. “One young couple signed a ‘compromis de vente’ and got planning permission from the ‘Mairie’ only to be pre-empted by the same ‘Mairie’ at the last minute. This couple is now fighting the decision and have named it ‘illegal’. For the ‘Mairie’ to pre-empt someone, they require a reason to justify it: Their project is to build high density housing, but to build high density housing they need to change the zoning, which has not yet occurred. So there is no official project to build. No project, no pre-emption!” Added Nolan. It was this pre-emption by Mougins Town Hall which first drew people’s attention to the project to re-zone several areas of Mougins. A few of the residents teamed up to take their concerns to the ‘Mairie’ but claim initially their concerns were not well received. “We went to complain officially about the project and we were treated really badly by an employee who laughed in our faces and told us that our area wasn’t a quality one anyway. I was genuinely shocked by how tax payers are treated,” said Nolan. The Town Hall posted a notification of the project to rezone these areas in French newspaper ‘Nice Matin’ (as they are obliged to do) in mid-August. The protestors claim it was timed so as to ensure as few people as possible saw the notice. “The ‘Mairie’ didn’t even mention this project in the September edition of their monthly magazine which is distributed to most households in Mougins. Their excuse: It was too late to put it in the September edition,” said Nolan. Since then, an ever-growing number of residents have co-ordinated their protests together, including holding a demonstration. Linda Ampelas, a Scottish expat who for
OCTOBER
many years was a matron at Sunnybank Anglo American Hospital in Cannes, has lived in Mougins with her husband for 25 years, said: “Thanks to the attention that we aroused, the mayor had us leave our names and contact numbers, and consequently a few days later we were invited to a meeting with the mayor in early September. “Of course the mayor has to respect the laws, and of course he cannot please everyone. However we feel that it is his duty to respect the lay out of the land and the cultural value of Mougins.” At one of the most recent meetings, the mayor promised to not re-zone one of the areas of land in question. However, at the time of going to print, the Investigation Commissioner was due to make a decision on the project as a whole. “We were very well received by the mayor, who proved very understanding and even informed certain of us present that he would not re-zone our area,” said Ampelas. “If this proves to be the case, we are personally reassured, however this re-zoning does not only concern us and we are motivated to help other residents to conserve the garden aspect of the Mougins area.” (Above): Historic Mougins; Protestors take their concerns to the Town Hall. (Below) A map showing just part of the area earmarked for ‘re-zoning’ and urban development,
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2015
PEOPLE35 31 PEOPLE
VITAMIN VODKA The world’s most unique premium spirit
I AN EPICUREAN
autumn with Club Vivanova
Rare and Unique Gourmet Experiences: A new season of events
As we head into autumn, Club Vivanova is continuing to host an array of lively and unique business networking activities across the Riviera for epicurean entrepreneurs.
T
his month begins with a Champagne Dinner Club Party at Modjo in Monaco on 2 October: the elegant after-work seafront party from 8pm until late at Port Fontvieille in Monaco offers attendees the chance to experience fine food and wine, accompanied by a DJ playing through the night. Tickets are €40 which includes a selection of premium champagnes and a two-course dinner of an avocado and king crab salad followed by Thai fusion green curried chicken. Then on 3 October at the Michelin star Restaurant Alain Llorca, the Vida8 Singles Gourmet lunch will consist of a four course menu and two premium wines, followed by an after-lunch walk around picturesque St Paul de Vence. Tickets cost €150. For members wanting to venture slightly further afield, the Piemonte White Truffle & Barolo Weekend 2015 on 14 and 15 October starts in the morning with a hosted wine tour and tasting lunch at Agricola Marrone, then a visit to the Barolo Wine Museum and the Enoteca Regional followed by a wine dinner and overnight stay at the Country House Hotel Albergo Ristorante La Spiga. On Sunday morning, the group will visit
t is described by connoisseurs as the ultimate and purest premium vodka in the world, created from organic Australian sugarcane and the pure mountain waters of the Hunter Valley near Sydney, and only produced in limited quantities. This ultra-refined, diamond-filtered spirit is traditionally distilled 12 times in copper pots using natural, organic ingredients. And as befitting of such a high-end product, Vitamin Vodka is elegantly presented in a stunning glass decanter and gift box. French Riviera entrepreneur, Bradley Mitton, of Mitton International Wines, has been contracted by Vitamin Alcohol Company to act as the European Business Manager and will be the exclusive European Union importer for the brand. The company commented that Bradley’s knowledge of the local and international beverage markets will provide the perfect entry-point for such a niche product. Bradley Mitton’s Club Vivanova will also help to promote the product launch, since Vivanova specialises in creating innovative and unique gourmet experiences for
the Alba truffle market after which they will have time to roam around dreamy Alba, finishing off with a regional lunch at the Taverna dell’Oca. Piemonte in the autumn with its amazing scenery, wines and cuisine is a fabulous place to be: There will be a local Englishspeaking guide with the group on both days. This exclusive trip will be hosted by wine professional Bradley Mitton. Tickets cost €350 per person for this event and are limited to just 14 participants. With over 60 international gourmet networking events annually at five-star partner restaurants and leading hotels with exclusive food and wine concepts, Club Vivanova brings together professionals and international entrepreneurs in unique locations for rare experiences. The events attract a niche group of international professionals and business leaders in the region. The annual membership fee is now pro-rated to €45 and you can simply join online at www.clubvivanova.com. Membership runs through until the end of 2015 and is then automatically renewed. Contact: club@clubvivanova.com for details
OCTOBER
2015
the professional and international entrepreneurs. The initial launch took place on 7 September in the Presidential Suite at the Regent Hotel in Warsaw, Poland, followed by the Czech inauguration of Vitamin Vodka on 15 September at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Prague. The grand unveiling on the Côte d’Azur will be 6 November at Modjo and Monaco International Clubbing Show. It will then be showcased in the VIP Suite at Forty Seconds Nightclub in Berlin on 11 November. Anyone who would like to attend t h e M o n a co l a u n c h c a n e m a i l club@clubvivanova.com for an invitation. The Vitamin Alcohol Company is looking for distributors in Europe to pioneer this unique and luxurious vodka, with a view to launching into the best VIP and nichemarket night-clubs, bars and restaurants. For more information visit www.vitaminvodka.com. For inquiries on distribution and private purchase, email info@ vitamin-vodka.com or call Bradley Mitton on 06 78 87 01 21.
A DV E RTOT I A L
In Monaco next month, the Vitamin Alcohol Company is unveiling the world’s first and only vitamin-infused organic vodka, in association with Mitton International Wines.