by Eleonora Pedron
MONACO. We are pleased to report and publicize the following press communication: On November 3, 2020 the Mayor of Monaco, Georges Marsan, and the Mayor of Dolceacqua, Fulvio Gazzola, have been received at the Prince Palace by H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco. The two Mayors have delivered a letter to the Prince in which they communicate their desire to sign a twinning between the two communities to take place on November 3, 2023. This date is not accidental, but of historical importance: in fact, 500 years ago on that day a loyalty pact was signed by the representatives of the Doria of Dolceacqua Marquisate towards the Grimaldi Dynasty of Monaco.
The announcement will allow the two administrations to organize working groups that will involve not only the various authorities in charge, both Monegasque and Italian, but also associations and communities. It is in fact the will of the two Mayors to create a series of events (from January to November) throughout the year 2023, be they religious, sporting, culinary and cultural, to be held in both communities and to end on the day of the signing of November 3rd 2023. “It was a big surprise for us; – said the Mayor Fulvio Gazzola – given the consolidated relations with the Principality and the effective collaboration and friendship with the municipal administrators, we had proposed to formalize a collaboration between the two Municipalities, identifying the date as precisely 3 November 2023. Then, Georges Marsan has proposed to twin the two cities. This is obviously a great honour and a great opportunity for our Municipality because this will allow us to increase our reputation even more, especially at an international level, with evident positive effects on the economy of our activities, also by virtue of our development project “Dolceacqua 20-30″ that we will formalize shortly. To give even more importance to the event is the fact that today Monaco has only one twinning in place, the one with the Municipality of Luciana in Corsica, the town that gave birth to Santa Devota today protector of the Principality. Of course, our thanks also go to H.S.H. the Prince of Monaco who accepted and supported this proposal. In this particular moment of difficulty, for some people it may seem superfluous and unimportant news; but it is a duty for an administrator to pay proper attention to both current problems and difficulties (which we are doing every day), but at the same time he has the duty to plan the future of his community, especially after a period like this, where there is an absolute need to have a recovery perspective.” The document delivered was signed by the two Mayors in the presence of the Councilors Camille Svara, Marjorie Crovetto, Jacques Pastor and Karyn Ardisson Salopek for Monaco, and the Deputy Mayor Fabio Sbraci and the Councilor GIorgio Lamberti for the Municipality of Dolceacqua.
The historical fact – The Grimaldis and the Dorias were originally two rival Genoese families until in 1491 Francesca Grimaldi, sister of the lord of Monaco, Lucien, married Luca Doria, lord of Dolceacqua. In 1523, after the death of their parents, their son Bartolomeo Doria assassinated his uncle Luciano Grimaldi in Monaco. He aimed conquering the fortress, but he failed thanks to a revolt by the Monegasques. Bartolomeo Doria had to flee to other European states and Dolceacqua, together with the municipalities under the Dolceacquino feud (Apricale, Isolabona and Perinaldo) were left without a regent. Then, on November 3, 1523, in the orange garden of the Grimaldi’s Palace, the Dorias trustees made an oath of loyalty to Monaco in the person of Augustine Grimaldi, bishop of Grasse and lord of Monaco at that time. The original document is kept in the historical archives of the Prince Palace, but it is possible to see a digital copy of it in the “Doria and Grimaldi” Multimedia Room in the Doria Castle in Dolceacqua.