Monstrosities are common on the Côte
d'Azur, but nowhere - not even
Cannes - can outdo
MONACO .
This tiny independent principality,
no bigger than London's Hyde Park,
has lived off gambling and catering
for the desires of the idle
international rich for the last
hundred years. Meanwhile, it has
become one of the greatest property
speculation sites in the world - a
sort of low-rise Manhattan-on-Sea
with an incredibly dense
concentration of
fin-de-siècle
Edwardian hotels standing in for the
skyscrapers.
The principality has been in the
hands of the ruling Grimaldi family
since the thirteenth century, and
legally Monaco would once again
become part of France were the royal
line to die out. The current ruler,
Prince Rainier, is the one
constitutionally autocratic ruler
left in Europe, under whose nose
every French law is passed for
approval prior to being applied to
Monaco. There is a parliament, but
with limited functions and elected
only by Monegasque nationals - about
sixteen percent of the population.
But there is no opposition to the
ruling family. The citizens and
non-French residents pay no income
tax and their riches are protected
by rigorous security forces; Monaco
has more police per square metre
than any other country in the world.
One time to avoid Monaco - unless
you're a motor-racing enthusiast -
is the last week in May, when racing
cars burn around the port and casino
for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand
Prix . Every space in sight of
the circuit is inaccessible without
a ticket, making casual sightseeing
out of the question.
The Principality
The oldest part of the two-kilometre-long
state is Monaco-Ville , around the
palace on the high rocky promontory,
with the new suburb and marina of
Fontvieille in its western shadow.
La Condamine is the old port
quarter...
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