A CHANGE OF SCENE
Monaco film festival director Rosana Golden tells us why she swapped the glamorous Côte D’Azur for the tranquillity of Italy’s Bordighera
Rosana Golden has
found a new home
in Bordighera “IF I’VE HAD A BUSY MORNING AND I NEED TO RELAX, I TAKE MY BIKE AND CYCLE DOWN TO THE BEACH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. The town is quiet; everyone else is at home or at work so I have the beach to myself. I can gaze at the sea and feel the breeze on my face and go back home feeling completely refreshed.”
Before Bordighera, Rosana Golden lived in the French resort of Cap Ferrat — at least until three years ago when sky-high rents and crime drove her out.
“Burglars came into our flat in the middle of the night,” she remembers, “it was a really frightening experience, but the police did nothing. They just shrugged and told us to be glad that we were still alive.”
She has no regrets about leaving behind the restaurants of the Côte d’Azur. “The food is fabulous here in Liguria. I prefer it to French cuisine,” she says.
Rosana is used to relocating. She has lived in such exotic locales as Marrakech, as well as cosmopolitan London and New York. Yet it is this Italian seaside village which reminds her most strongly of Barcelona, where she lived as a child.
“There is a true sense of community here. Bordighera is a safe and friendly place by the beach. The air is so clean and it takes just five minutes to get into the countryside,” she says.
Bordighera is only a few
kilometres — but a world
away — from the frenetic
Côte D’AzurA true European — her mother is from Spain and her father from Hanover — Rosana has had a long and varied career, from working as a model to running an art festival in Marrakech. Five years ago she founded the Angel Film Awards and the Monaco International Film Festival, an event which aims to promote non-violent cinema. Since its inception in 2003, the event has grown steadily, both in terms of popularity and critical acclaim.
Running such a glamorous annual event means that Rosana is constantly travelling around Europe, either to other film festivals to view the latest movies or to talk to potential sponsors about funding for her event.
Fortunately, Bordighera is not too far from Genoa. “It is very handy for me to be able to fly to other places in Italy and Europe, but I also go to Genoa for a shopping spree. There are some great boutiques there.”
Photo: Corbis;
AlamyLiving in Italy can come with its downside. “Italians can be quite crazy when they drive. I still haven’t managed to get used to that,” she laughs. Nevertheless, it seems to be a small price to pay.
“Bordighera is perfect for me,” she says, “I wouldn’t trade it for any other country in the world.” Rosana should know; she has tried quite a few.