The city of Cannes, and most notably, its unwavering mayor, David Lisnard, have been working non-stop to fight for the livelihood of the local community, not only for the health and safety of people, but also the survival of their businesses. Together with the tourism board of the Côte d'Azur, the city has prepared an extensive and creative tourism recovery plan for the summer!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reportedly want to keep their apparently flourishing southern French vineyard "Château Miraval" in Le Val near Correns (Var) according to their own statements. After their separation, they had initially wanted to sell the dreamlike estate. But it seems that the Hollywood stars have come closer again after their War of the Roses like split. Of all things, the coronavirus is said to have played a peacemaking role. 

Now that we're allowed out into nature again, we're sharing our article on Cap Roux. Our gourmet writer, Lewis Longman, traded his fork for trainers and takes us on a hike through the Esterel mountains just west of Cannes for breath-taking views of the Côte d’Azur. But did he bite off more than he can chew?

We're free! As of 11 May, France was no longer under lockdown for the regions marked ‘green’, which includes most of the hexagon, including the south. But there are a series of regulations and sanitary guideline in place, so while we may feel like we have new sudden freedom, this is only the first phase. Here we go over what you need to know, what is opening, what is still closed, and how far from home you can travel.  

Lemon asparagus, crab salad with grapefruit and avocado; proper madeleines; lemon cake; asparagus gnocchi, fried artichokes, Creole chicken… Lots of Michelin star chefs, top hotels and famous restaurants are sharing some of their favourite recipes online or on their Instagram feeds. We have rounded up a decent list!

If the Coronavirus never spread across the planet, today would be opening day of the Festival de Cannes. Originally scheduled to take place from 12 - 23 May, the Cannes Film Festival is one of the most anticipated international events of the year. The entire Croisette gets lined in red carpet, posters of stars cover whole sides of buildings, and crowds gather outside the fancy hotels, hoping to catch a glimpse of an A-list star. 

France’s confinement ends on 11 May, but that doesn’t mean a return to normality. Restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and performing arts centres still have no clear date of reopening. It is the tourism sector (worldwide) that will be hit the hardest out of this crisis and there is a spreading concern for the future of our local businesses. We list what has been cancelled and what has been postponed and a promising plan from the city of Cannes.

The May/June issue of Riviera Insider is the biggest and most exciting edition of the year. Out of the sleepy winter lull, the Côte d'Azur kicks into high gear for the start of the season (and the economy) with the Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco Grand Prix, Amber Lounge, Top Marques, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and more. But the Coronavirus brought all this to a slamming halt, causing event cancellations from early February through June.