If anything, Princess Grace’s love for greenery has infected the Monegasque soil as well for Monaco is home to an endless array and variety of parks and green spaces for so small a country. Figurines in copper and burnished black marble lay prone in poignant poses, center pieces of water features and bubbling spouts within the Fontvieille Park. Taking a walk through the marked pathways, the intermittent rustling of palm fronds a wild lullaby, you would be immersed in the comfortable tranquility. A central lake steals the show in the 4 hectares of parkland beyond which lies the Princess Grace Rose Garden. Seen from above, the white walkways resemble looping serpents amidst a palette of a dozen pigments and textures.

It’s rather touching to note that this rose garden, universally seen as a symbol of love, was a tribute from Prince Rainier III to the late Princess Grace in her memory. The 8000 odd rose bushes form walls enclosing the separate sections of the park, 300 varieties of petals in every imaginable color and texture filling your sight no matter where you turn. The avid botanist is encouraged to flip out their phones to scan the QR codes installed to learn more about the care that goes into tending for these delicate plants. A masterful meld of artistic flair and scientific curiosity, the grounds of Fontvieille Park and Princess Grace Rose Garden are a much needed escape from the blaring lights and sounds of the central city of Monaco.