Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Blast From the Past: Monaco's Beloved Waterfront Gathering Place Returns as Stars of Monaco

 

For many residents of Monaco, the announcement feels less like the launch of a new restaurant and more like the return of an old friend.
 
In a move that is already generating excitement across the Principality, the iconic waterfront venue at 6 Quai Antoine Ier is preparing for a new chapter with the arrival of Stars of Monaco, a concept that revives the community-first spirit that made Stars’N’Bars one of Monaco’s most cherished destinations for more than three decades.
 
Set to officially open on June 16, Stars of Monaco represents a nostalgic return to the atmosphere, energy and inclusiveness that transformed the original Stars’N’Bars into far more than a restaurant. For countless residents, it was a second living room — a place where children grew up, friendships were formed, business ideas were born and visitors were welcomed into the unique social fabric of Monaco.
 
When Stars’N’Bars first opened in 1993, it quickly became one of the Principality’s most recognizable gathering places. Families shared meals overlooking Port Hercule, sports fans packed the venue during major events, and locals from every corner of society found themselves drawn to the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that became its trademark.
 
Following the passing of co-founder Kate Powers, the venue entered a period of transition with the introduction of Marius, a more refined dining concept that sought to reimagine the historic address. While Marius brought its own identity to the waterfront location, many residents continued to long for the vibrant community spirit that had made Stars’N’Bars such a beloved institution.
 
Now, after listening to years of feedback from loyal patrons and the wider Monaco community, the venue’s operators have chosen to embrace those roots once again.

The result is Stars of Monaco — a concept that combines the warmth and familiarity of the past with a contemporary approach designed for today’s Monaco.
 
At its heart is a simple philosophy: create a place where everyone feels comfortable, whether stopping in for a quick coffee, a business lunch, after-work drinks, a family dinner or an evening with friends. Rather than catering to a narrow audience, Stars of Monaco aims to become a destination for all generations and all occasions.
 
The social calendar reflects that ambition. Happy Hour gatherings, Girls Night events, Aperitivo evenings, live Jazz Nights and themed weekend celebrations are all planned as part of a broader effort to restore the sense of connection and spontaneity that once defined the venue. The bar area will once again become a focal point of the experience, bringing people together through live entertainment, special events and the revival of several cocktails remembered fondly by long-time patrons.
 
The menu also delivers a healthy dose of nostalgia.
 
Many of the signature dishes that became synonymous with Stars’N’Bars are making a highly anticipated comeback. Guests can once again enjoy the famous guacamole, cheese nachos, signature salads, legendary burgers and the much-loved Banana Split that became a rite of passage for generations of Monaco families.
 
Alongside these familiar favourites, the kitchen will introduce a selection of contemporary dishes showcasing premium ingredients including Puglian burrata, fresh truffle, wild king prawns and Charolais beef, creating a menu that balances comfort with culinary refinement.
 
Perhaps the most celebrated return of all is the Kids Club.
 
For years, it was one of the defining features that set Stars’N’Bars apart from virtually every other venue in Monaco. Under the new concept, the Kids Club will once again welcome young visitors every evening, offering supervised entertainment, dedicated activities and a safe space for children while parents enjoy the waterfront setting. 
 
A dedicated children’s menu and family-focused facilities further reinforce the venue’s commitment to remaining one of the Principality’s most family-friendly destinations.
 
While Stars of Monaco draws heavily on the legacy of Stars’N’Bars, those behind the project are careful to position it as an evolution rather than a replica. The goal is not to recreate the past but to capture the qualities that made the original so successful: accessibility, warmth, diversity and a genuine sense of belonging.
 
For a location that has occupied such a special place in Monaco life since the early 1990s, the transformation carries significance beyond hospitality.
 
In many ways, Stars of Monaco represents a rare blast from the past — a return to an era when community gathering places formed the heart of local life. At a time when many cities are losing these kinds of shared spaces, Monaco appears poised to welcome one back.
 
When the doors open on June 16, many residents won’t simply be visiting a new restaurant. They’ll be revisiting a piece of Monaco’s collective memory — and perhaps creating a new generation of memories for years to come.

Tribute to Mimmo Rotella at NEO Art & Culture Lab x VogelART

 

Two decades after his passing, Mimmo Rotella continues to stand as one of the most disruptive and influential voices in post-war European art. His practice—rooted in the transformation of urban advertising into layered visual poetry—still feels startlingly contemporary, especially in a world even more saturated with images than the one he first responded to.

After completing his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, Rotella moved to Rome in 1945, entering a period of rapid experimentation. But it was in 1953 that his practice shifted decisively. In what he later described as a moment of “Zen illumination,” he began to see torn advertising posters not as visual noise, but as raw artistic material.

That insight gave rise to his signature technique: décollage. Unlike collage, which builds up surfaces, décollage works by stripping them away. Rotella physically removed posters from city walls, then reworked them in the studio—tearing, scraping, and reassembling fragments before transferring them onto canvas, wood, or metal. The result was not just composition, but collision: layered histories of the city embedded in a single surface.


His approach quickly positioned him at the forefront of European avant-garde art. His work is now held in major collections including the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art, and he exhibited widely across international platforms, including the Venice Biennale in 1964. In 1960, Rotella joined the radical movement Nouveau Réalisme alongside artists such as Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Arman, all united by a desire to rethink art through the material reality of contemporary life.


Now, Rotella’s legacy returns to the spotlight in “Mimmo Rotella & Friends”, a new exhibition at NEO Art & Culture Lab x VogelART in Nice, curated by internationally recognized artist Gregor Hildebrandt.

Rather than functioning as a conventional retrospective, the exhibition is structured as a cross-generational dialogue between Rotella and fourteen contemporary artists. Hildebrandt frames the show as a living conversation, where Rotella’s décollages act not as historical artifacts, but as active provocations that continue to generate new artistic responses.

Among the participating artists are major figures in contemporary art practice, including Barbara Kruger, Isa Genzken, John Baldessari, Katharina Grosse, JR, and Rosemarie Trockel, each engaging with themes of appropriation, image culture, and visual memory.

At the heart of the exhibition remain Rotella’s iconic décollages—fragmented urban surfaces that carry the residue of advertising, politics, and everyday visual overload. Surrounding them, contemporary works expand the dialogue into new material and conceptual territories, transforming the exhibition into a multi-voiced reflection on how images accumulate meaning over time.

Organized in close collaboration with the Rotella family, the project also resonates strongly in Nice—a city closely tied to the artist’s cultural memory and Mediterranean context.

Exhibition Details

Mimmo Rotella & Friends

  • Vernissage: June 23, 2026, 6 pm – 10 pm

  • Exhibition dates: June 23 – July 12, 2026

  • Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 2 pm – 7 pm

  • Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays

  • Admission: Free entry

Location, Location, Location: A Friendly Côte d’Azur Guide for Visitors

 

They say it’s all about location, location, location.

So first of all, welcome to the Côte d’Azur.

And before anyone panics, this article is written with a gentle tone and a smile.

One of the local traditions on the French Riviera is discussing whether the visitors seem to be arriving earlier this year. It’s classic small talk. Along with plans for the weekend, what upcoming events will be taking place, it is one of the region’s favourite conversation topics.

As locals go about their daily lives, one thing we often notice is that a certain shift happens around the time of the Cannes Film Festival. Suddenly social media fills with breathtaking photos, glamorous videos and excited posts from visitors declaring how much they are enjoying Cannes.

The only slight problem?

Quite often the photo was actually taken at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes.

Two completely different places.

To be fair, nobody is offended. Quite the opposite. Most locals are simply curious about how these geographical mix-ups happen. Those of us who live here tend to see each town, village and city as having its own distinct personality and character.

If I happen to overhear visitors wondering where they are or assume they are in a certain location, I usually jump at the chance to help. Not because I am correcting them, but because I genuinely enjoy sharing information about the area.

If someone thinks they are in Nice while standing in Villefranche-sur-Mer, I completely understand how that could happen. The two are neighbours after all.

Helping visitors discover where they actually are often becomes part of the fun.

Many of us have also witnessed the familiar scene at train stations and bus stops. Someone is staring intensely at their phone, looking slightly confused, trying to work out where they are and where they need to go next.

Trust me, we’ve all seen it.

Some of us have even stepped in to help complete strangers find their train, bus, hotel or beach. We want visitors to enjoy themselves. Travel mistakes are part of the adventure and often become the stories people laugh about later.

That said, if you’d like to spend less time looking confused at transport maps and more time enjoying rosé by the sea, a little planning ahead goes a long way.

Before arriving, spend some time reading about the places you want to visit. Learn a bit about the towns, the transport routes and the attractions that interest you.

Of course, if you’re the spontaneous type who enjoys wandering wherever the day takes you, that’s perfectly fine too. Some of the Riviera’s best experiences happen by accident.

Just don’t try to see the entire Côte d’Azur in three days.

We can always spot those visitors. They have the thousand-yard stare of someone who has attempted to visit Monaco, Èze, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Menton before lunch.

The Riviera isn’t a checklist.

It’s an experience.

So after some conversations with friends, colleagues and fellow locals, here are some of the geographical mix-ups we hear most often:

• Cap d’Antibes is not Cannes.
• Villefranche-sur-Mer is not Nice.
• Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is not Monaco.
• Monte-Carlo is not Èze Village.
• Nice is not Cap d’Ail.
• Monaco is not Villefranche-sur-Mer.

And perhaps the most common one of all:

Nice is not the entire French Riviera.

Yes. We really do hear that one a lot.

The beauty of the Côte d’Azur is that every destination has its own identity. The atmosphere in Villefranche-sur-Mer is different from Antibes. Antibes feels different from Cannes. Cannes feels different from Menton. Monaco feels different from all of them.

That diversity is what makes the region special.

The Riviera isn’t somewhere to rush through so you can say you’ve been there. It’s somewhere to slow down and experience. The visitors who enjoy themselves the most are usually the ones who leave a little room for discovery.

And if you do happen to find yourself standing in the wrong place while telling your friends that you’re somewhere else?

Don’t worry.

A local will probably appear out of nowhere to help. Not to get in your business but to be by your side to help.

After all, the Côte d’Azur isn’t beautiful simply because of its history, beaches and scenery.

It’s beautiful because of the people who come here from all over the world—and because many of them decide they can’t wait to come back.

Hope to see you again soon. And this time, perhaps you’ll know exactly where you are. Or maybe not. That’s part of the adventure.

Saturday, June 6, 2026

French Riviera Travel Health Update for LGBTQ+ Visitors

 

The French Riviera remains one of Europe’s most welcoming and vibrant destinations for LGBTQ+ travellers. From the beaches of Cannes to the nightlife of Nice, thousands of visitors come each year to enjoy the region’s culture, cuisine, events and inclusive atmosphere.

This information is not intended to discourage anyone from visiting or enjoying their summer plans. In fact, there has been very little local discussion about the issue at this time, and for visitors, the French Riviera continues to offer the same welcoming experience that has made it a popular destination for years.

At the same time, European public health officials are urging awareness of a growing health concern: the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Shigella, a bacterial infection that causes shigellosis. Recent data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show that more than 2,300 infections linked to resistant Shigella clusters have been reported across Europe since 2023, with transmission occurring primarily—but not exclusively—among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

What Is Shigella?

Shigellosis is an intestinal infection caused by Shigella bacteria. Symptoms commonly include:

  • Diarrhea (sometimes severe or bloody)

  • Stomach cramps

  • Fever

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

  • General fatigue

The bacteria spread through the fecal-oral route and can be transmitted through contaminated food, contaminated surfaces, close personal contact, and certain sexual activities, particularly oral-anal contact. One reason Shigella is so contagious is that only a very small number of bacteria are needed to cause infection.

Why Are Health Authorities Concerned?

The concern is not simply the infection itself but the growing number of strains that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.

The ECDC recently warned that MDR and XDR Shigella infections are becoming increasingly common across Europe, making treatment more difficult when medical intervention is required. While many cases resolve without antibiotics, severe infections can occur, particularly among people with weakened immune systems.

France has also seen an increase in highly resistant strains in recent years, according to the Institut Pasteur, which notes that some strains now show resistance to many traditional first-line antibiotics.

Practical Advice for Travellers

Enjoying your holiday safely does not require fear or panic. Public health experts recommend:

  • Wash hands thoroughly and frequently.

  • Use barriers such as condoms and dental dams where appropriate.

  • Avoid sexual activity if you develop diarrhea or gastrointestinal symptoms.

  • Seek medical attention if symptoms become severe or persist.

  • Stay hydrated if illness develops.

  • Inform healthcare providers about any recent travel or possible sexual exposure so appropriate testing can be performed.

If diagnosed with shigellosis, public health guidance recommends avoiding sexual activity until symptoms have completely resolved and following medical advice regarding preventing further transmission.

Where to Seek Help in Nice

Nice has some of the best medical resources on the Côte d’Azur.

  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice is the region’s principal hospital system and can provide specialist infectious disease care if needed.

  • AIDES operates throughout France and offers sexual health information, testing guidance and support services.

  • CeGIDD Nice provides confidential STI testing and sexual health services.

Nice is also home to one of France’s largest LGBTQ+ communities outside Paris, with many local organizations able to assist visitors seeking health information or support.

Where to Seek Help in Cannes

Visitors staying in Cannes can access care through:

  • Centre Hospitalier de Cannes Simone Veil

  • AIDES outreach services in the Alpes-Maritimes region.

  • Local pharmacies (”pharmacies”) throughout Cannes, many of which can direct visitors to appropriate testing and treatment services.

The Bigger Picture

The emergence of drug-resistant Shigella is a public health issue, not a reason to stigmatize any community. Health authorities emphasize that infections can affect anyone and that awareness, testing, hygiene and early treatment remain the most effective tools for limiting transmission.

The French Riviera continues to be one of Europe’s most welcoming destinations for LGBTQ+ visitors. A little health awareness can help ensure that your memories of Nice, Cannes and the Côte d’Azur are about sunsets, beaches, culture and community—not an unexpected trip to the hospital.