Haute-couture has, for decades, been a prominent feature of the Cote d’Azur’s most affluent and dizzyingly cosmopolitan cities and towns, such as St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice and Monaco, although predominantly in a fashion sense.

Yes, you certainly don’t have to walk far in the Cote d’Azur’s most glamorous towns before your eyes meet an elegant-looking individual dressed head to toe in the height of haute-couture fashion.

The haute-couture fashion this stretch of southern France has become seemingly irrevocably renowned for quickly moved into other walks of Cote d’Azur culture, including furniture, interior design and arts and crafts.

But have you ever heard of haute-couture cuisine?

In typical avant-garde fashion, Monaco is leading the way in the emerging concept of haute-couture cuisine, with one man in particular pioneering this new gastronomic scene on the Cote d’Azur – Paolo Sari, a dynamic and youthful Italian chef.

In combining the authentic and traditional Mediterranean cuisine the Cote d’Azur masters so effectively, with an exotic and teasing mix of cuisines and tastes from across the globe, Sari looks set to redefine cuisine in Monaco.

Sari, who has already earned himself a reputation as being a top, world-class chef, has been awarded with the privilege of being head chef of Monte Carlo Beach’s top restaurants – Le Deck, Sea Lounge, Restaurant Elsa and La Vigie.

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In the 1800s, Monte Carlo wasn’t the glamorous, luxurious, fine dining and unparalleled shopping and entertainment, the ‘Las Vegas of Europe’ is world-renowned for today.

On the contrary, in the 1800s the town of Monte Carlo was a much quieter, passive and less well-known part of the Cote d’Azur. In fact, so ‘quiet’ was Monte Carlo, that in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, the Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois, due to a lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco, decided to open an opera house.

What is known as the Salle Garnier was opened in 1879 and was originally Prince Charles III’s private theatre, reserved only for himself and his family.

The design and construction of the Salle Garnier was carried out by the legendary French architect Charles Garnier, best-known for designing the Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world and a powerful symbol of Paris. The Salle Garnier was an exact replica of the Palais Garnier in Paris, although an albeit scaled down version, having just 524 seats.

In 1879 the first opera was performed at Monte Carlo’s Salle Garnier, the French composer of songs and operettas, Robert Planquestte’s Le Chevalier Gaston.

Throughout the twentieth century many great opera performers played at the Salle Garnier, including Feodor Chaliapin, Nellie Melba and Enrico Caruso and Monte Carlo quickly gained a reputation as being a thriving hub of opera sensations. Whilst the Salle Garnier’s “Golden Age”, which occurred in the early twentieth century, may have passed, today the legendary opera house still boasts a thriving production calendar, presenting between five and six operas a season.

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From painters, poets, writer and sculptures, over the centuries the Cote d’Azur has attracted many an artistic genius to its lands. Filmmaking is another artistic genre that has been drawn to this sensational region of southern France.

The late David Lean was one such film director who was unable to resist the unique charms of the Cote d’Azur. The English firm producer and screenwriter, who is best remembered for his legendary screen epics, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), A Passage to India (1984) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), owned an idyllic luxury retreat on the French Riviera known as Moulin du Jardinier.

The story goes that Lean fell in love with the derelict 15^th century ruin, tucked away inconspicuously within a seven-acre garden in Mouans-Sartoux, a medieval town desirably located between Grasse and Cannes. Lean’s love affair with the ancient ruin allegedly began whilst the filmmaker was working on the screenplay for Nostromo in St Paul de Vence.

Lean restored the mansion to a standard that has been described as ‘almost clichéd Provencal beauty’, with its old walls scattered with wines.

Internally Lean’s Cote d’Azur retreat is said to merge baronial chic with bohemian opulence, being vast and open-plan where grand stone archways separate mighty rooms with staggeringly high ceilings where the eye is drawn to extravagant chandeliers. A huge canopy in the house is believed to pay homage to David Lean, which sits beside a mural of the snow palace from Dr Zhicago.

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The Cote d’Azur, with its stunning natural landscapes, charmingly quaint fishing villages and dramatically luxurious cities, framed immaculately by the unique colours and characteristics of the Mediterranean Ocean, such as its laid-back and agreeable lifestyle, has long be an inspiration for many an artist.

In was during the 20^th century when this inimitable region of the Southern France really began to attract artists from around the world and became legendary for its association with Modern Art.

From Matisse, Picasso, Bonnard, Chagall and Renoir, many of the world’s finest painters found inspiration on this stretch of Mediterranean utopia, inspired by its special light and devotion for ‘living’.

As a consequence of being such a hub for 20^th century artists, there are numerous museums in the region fundamentally dedicated for displaying the spectacular creations of some of the world’s most influential artists.

The Musee Renoir, for example, in Cagnes Sur Mer, is situated within a park brimming with olive trees, which was one of Auguste Renoir’s most cherished loves.

The Renoir Musee features 11 original paintings from the Cagnes and Nacre periods, as well as hordes of Renoir’s old photos, sculptures, sketches and personal belongings.

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When one thinks of Monaco, lavish cars, flamboyant casinos and luxury fashion boutiques immediately spring to mind, with ‘eco-consciousness’ and ‘green living’ rarely emerging in our thoughts about Monaco or the French Riviera in general.

Despite being world-renowned as being the hub of extravagance, affluence and flamboyance, over the past decade Monaco has been a beacon of eco-conscious creativity, in its drive to become a more eco-friendly community.

In continuing its pledge to lead an eco-conscious existence and to maintain a fight against pollution, Monaco has initiated a new environmentally friendly slogan, ‘Less energy, less water, less paper.’

At the heart of Monaco’s race to be a leading green city is the city’s Grimaldi Forum, Monaco’s main congress and cultural centre, which was the first congress building in Europe to have successfully obtained the certification in Environmental Management.

The Grimaldi Forum won this highly prestigious award in 2008 and has since continued championing eco-awareness and environmentally friendly activities.

The ‘Less energy, less water, less paper,” initiative has been launched to help lower the Grimaldi Forum’s carbon footprint even further, despite of cutting its electricity levels by almost ten per cent during the last five years.

Talking about the new eco-awareness campaign, Nathalie Paccino, the Grimaldi Forum’s environmental and human resources manager admitted that eradicating ‘luxuries’ had not been easy but “the return is worth the investment.”

“Less energy, less water, less paper,” these are the things we want to achieve,” said Paccino.

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