La Turbie, a story that has height
The first article in our series devoted to the Grimaldi Sites focuses on this town, which has had close ties with the Principality for several centuries.
As a bordering town that overlooks Monegasque land, La Turbie naturally shares close ties with Monaco. But the proximity of the town to the Principality is not limited to sharing a border. Both are linked by a very old story, told to us by the mayor of La Turbie, Jean-Jacques Raffaele.
” It’s a story that began when the Turbiasque population received Prince Florestan I, in 1853he explains. Then followed a certain number of visits from Princes, such as Charles III in 1860, received by the priest, who showed him around the church of Saint-Michel. In 1914, Prince Albert I was welcomed by the then mayor. The Prince was then interested in the restoration of the Trophy of Augustus, and he offered the clock of the old town hall. The Rondo was also named Prince Albert I after this visit. »
Ties that have never been broken since: in 1950, Prince Rainier III was granted honorary citizenship in La Turbie. A Rondo, returned in 2007 by Prince Albert II, bears his name today. Finally, in 2017, the Sovereign Prince was also present for the inauguration of the Princess Charlene municipal swimming pool.
” On a rich history, for a very, very long time “, underlines Jean-Jacques Raffaele, who also reminds us that this common history includes some anecdotes. ” Today we can laugh about it, but there have been many border disputes, over seven centuries, between Monaco and the commune, since La Turbie extended to the sea at the time. It was not until 1760 that the boundaries were defined “, he details.
Today, quarrels are forgotten. Witness the emblematic places that attest to the common heritage between La Turbie and the Principality. For the mayor, it is difficult to choose just one even if, in his eyes, the most striking point remains the Cours Albert Ier, in homage to the Prince Explorer and to what he gave to the town.
“To see the future, you have to look at the past”
La Turbie was subsequently able to count on the Principality on several occasions to finance certain infrastructures, such as the Princess Charlene municipal swimming pool, the AS Monaco performance center, the municipal stadium, the new shooting range or again from the next Beausoleil exit ramp. “ The list is long, I certainly forget some, but these are big investments “, underlines the city councilor, who specifies that other projects are under study. ” Important projects, in which there is a strong link with the Principality “, he adds.
Historical, cultural, economic links… For Jean-Jacques Raffaele, the Grimaldi Sites network consolidates relations between La Turbie and Monaco, but also with other municipalities, in France and abroad.
READ ALSO: Behind the scenes of the inauguration of the AS Monaco Performance Center
” I think that this network of sites was lacking, to retrace the history between La Turbie and Monaco, but also between the Principality and other municipalities. It was necessary to remove that the links of the past and the links for the future that we share are vital, but also to attest to the values that we share with the Principality. They always say that to see the future, you have to look at the past. “says the mayor.
Thanks to this network, La Turbie has been able to forge links with neighboring municipalities, of course, but also with more distant municipalities, such as Mur-de-Barrez, in Aveyron. ” We were able to discuss with the cycling club and propose a hike that goes from Aveyron to Place du Palais. We can see the scope of these relations with the Grimaldi Sites festival: little by little the links are being forged and things are falling into place. We hope to create strong links between municipalities, so that we can gradually organize actions with the Principality he concludes.
Good to know :
The Grande Corniche, which passes through La Turbie, remained the only route to the Principality for a long time, until the arrival of the railway in 1868 and the seaside road in 1883. With the tremendous economic expansion of region, were born the municipalities of Beausoleil, in 1904, and Cap-d’Ail, in 1908, from the territory of La Turbie.