A Christmas Royal Destination: Chateau Bellevue-Grimaldi

I love Christmas beyond words. For me, it has a special meaning, and every year I do my best to enjoy the simplest but perhaps the most meaningful things around me. If in our real world everything around us turns into a magic decor, houses smell of fir trees and ripe oranges – and people come together to enjoy all the good deeds, experiencing Christmas in Second Life is a feast for both: eyes and soul. This virtual world offers a multitude of unique locations that are effortless to explore: landscapes that seem torn from a heavenly dream, destinations where music and poetry take you to distant times, or festive locations where you relive the joy of your childhood.

In this section we embark on a journey through the most delightful and newly discovered places in Second Life during the Christmas season. From snow-covered villages adorned with twinkling lights to places full of life and festive cheer, we guide you through some of the must-see SL destinations that capture the essence of these holidays. Because whether you want to simply enjoy the cozy warmth of a virtual fireplace, attend the hottest parties or formal prom nights, join winter sports or go shopping, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

The first destination is Chateau Bellevue-Grimaldi 亗 – already on my personal favorites places list. Amazing is perhaps an understatement – I feel it’s more appropriate to say that it’s just dreamlike – a destination that you absolutely must visit! Although this is a private sim, in the spirit of Christmas it is now open for visits – which seems to me a real Christmas gift because it`s truly that kind of place that once you have visited, you feel richer.

Chateau Bellevue-Grimaldi 亗  is the country residence of Her Grace Serenya Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi, the Princess of Monaco and Duchess de Valentinois.  She is also a member of the Princely family of Monaco. Located in the Île-de-France region, the Chateau is made in the style of Louis XV, surrounded by french style gardens, with a mix and match interior inspired by Louis XVI. As Her Grace Serenya Charlotte was so kind to share with me, her private collection includes important 20th paintings – a touching journey through time.

A bit of history…

Charlotte Louise Juliette of Monaco was born in 1898 in the city of Constantine, Algeria where her father, Louis Grimaldi, served in the French Army, and her mother, Marie Juliette Louvet, worked as a laundress and a seamstress. No one seems to know exactly where Charlotte’s parents met. Perhaps this happened in Paris, when Marie Juliette performed in a cabaret, and later they went to Constantine together.

A woman committed to the war effort

During the First World War, while Prince Louis, a foreign volunteer with the French Army, took up a role as a staff officer for the Fifth Army, his daughter Charlotte worked as a nurse in the temporary hospital set up at the Riviera Palace in Beausoleil. In this large hospital with 450
beds, she had contact with gravely injured and sometimes contagious patients. The work earned her the Medal of French Gratitude and the Medal of Epidemics.
In 1939, Charlotte reprised her role as a nurse in a field hospital, which was subjected to enemy shelling in May 1940. In 1947, she was awarded the Red Cross Silver Medal in the Cour des Invalides. A charitable soul, Princess Charlotte devoted her entire life to helping others. She came to the aid of Russian refugees in the 1920s, soldiers on the frontlines and prisoners of war during the Second World War, and, after the war, worked to recover freed prisoners. Having become a prison visitor, she received the Penitentiary Medal in 1952, proof of the value attached to such work by the Ministry of Justice.
In accordance with her final wishes, she was buried in the estate at the Château de Marchais, to which she was very attached and where she lived out her last years. She was a great lover of dogs, and liked to surround herself with them. In Monte-Carlo, Boulevard Princesse Charlotte is named in her honour. (Source: journeepatrimoinemonaco.com)

Built in 1309 for Rainier Grimaldi and converted into an Italian-style residence in around 1620, Château Grimaldi was bought by Cagnes Council in 1937 and became the municipal museum in 1946. The Château-Musée Grimaldi hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art in a harmonious setting adorned with bright, typically Italian colours, marble, sculptures and trompe l’oeil.

Here is the LM to visit Chateau Bellevue-Grimaldi III in Second Life – a must-visit destination. We will be back with more in January ☺