The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco celebrated its 20th birthday yesterday, on the 20th of July. A special anniversary ceremony was geared towards thanking the staff for their two decades of commitment. The festivities were marked by the current economic situation but the Principality's Centre de Congrès et de Culture nevertheless wanted to live up to its ambitious goals for the future.

In accordance with new French health regulations, starting from Monday 20th, wearing a mask in closed public places has become mandatory in all of France. Without necessarily raising an alarm, the necessity to be slightly more precautious has encouraged the government to make it an obligation to at least respect certain health safety measures.

For the 26 to 27 July, independent wineries throughout PACA and the Var are opening their doors for convivial picnics amongst the vines! This is a great chance to get to know a local winemaker and spend a lovely afternoon with friends in the outdoors. What better way to enjoy the southern French lifestyle? We have a long list of participating wineries...

One of the greatest musical contributors in history has departed this world. Ennio Morricone was a composer, conductor and trumpet player, but his mark left on the world will endure for generations to come. Famous for his film soundtracks, the Italian musician scored over 500 films in his long career, but he also composed over 100 concert works and was the man who penned the songs of many famous artists, including Andrea Bocelli, Mina, Sting and more. 

The outlook for summer events was very 'iffy' as we came out of confinement, but as things are reopening and our numbers are good, Cannes wasted no time to launch their official summer programme. On 25 June, members of Cannes city council along with Mayor David Lisnard, presented "Sous le Soleil - Différement", a thorough and eclectic cultural events agenda 'different' from the usual, prepared for public safety and distance requirements but still bringing us together for culture, music and art.  

Music, dance, theatre, sport: the wide-ranging summer programme "Mon été à Nice" held at several locations throughout the city, uses new formats and offers to show how creatively this special time can be dealt with. From 3 July to 3 October, more than 200 events at 60 different locations ensures Nice remains a top cultural destination despite the corona pandemic while still ensuring that distances and hygiene rules are observed through the mostly "open-air" events.

Travel within the EU is now possible, with most countries reopening their borders on 1 July and the number of flights to and from Nice increased significantly. However, there are some exceptions, some requirements and still some complete bans for certain destinations. Travel beyond the EU and EEA is more complicated and regulated, especially for the United States, which currently has a complete travel ban. Here we break down the details.

We are pleased to announce our new July/August issue, finally back in print! This issue is an unusual two-in-one edition, thanks to the coronavirus… We have made a double-issue with our sister publication, RivieraZeit (in German), so one side is Riviera Insider and if you flip it over, it’s RivieraZeit.