BOOKS
The richer Nice, Antibes, Cannes, and Beaulieu became, the poorer Monaco seemed by comparison— until, that is, the construction of Monte Carlo. 92 QUEST
imagination of this privileged Mediterranean perch. Fiori’s book does not disappoint in its rich illustration of this vision of Monte Carlo, with luscious scenes of both charismatic personalities and glittering events: the famous Bal de la Rose; ex-king Farouk of Egypt; Winston Churchill and his wife, Lady Clementine, on their golden anniversary in 1958; the Red Cross Ball; Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis; Princess Grace and Prince Rainier; Sophia Loren at the Bal du Casino; Johnny Hallyday; Henri Matisse with the ballerina Alicia Markova; the ballets; the yachts; the race cars; the luxury cars; the sun-bathers… With what we know it as now, it’s hard to think that Monte Carlo wasn’t always this way. Fiori explains how the idea for Monte Carlo was really a last-ditch effort to save Monaco