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The Province
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Want to travel Canada? Montreal delivers luxury, glam and whimsy
In the heart of Montreal's Golden Square Mile area is the Four Seasons hotel: base camp for sensory encounters The mural honouring Leonard Cohen on Crescent is illuminated in Montreal. Dave Sidaway photo/Postmedia Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Montreal's Golden Square Mile is the launch pad to the city's wistful, whimsical sensory encounters — and Barbie like you've never seen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In the heart of the area is the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal: luxury base camp. From the rosé-hued velvet wallpaper in the reception lobby, to the cheeky photos of — and taken by — Margaret Trudeau that line the walls of the third-floor hallways of the lounge and Marcus restaurant, this five-star hotel is not one to satisfy decor requirements with the generic. Instead, there are ever-changing art installations on each floor, and whimsical touches, such as a crystal infinity crab sculpture that marks the entrance to the adjoining Holt Renfrew Ogilvy store. The third floor lounge and bar has floor-to-ceiling German crystal on the windows, and touches of Italian marble, while the after-hours bar — a favourite among locals — was created to mimic stepping into the forests atop Mount Royal with it's deep-green leafed wallpaper that curves onto the ceiling for a dark, sexy atmosphere. The women's washroom, with pink stone and gold accents, is a favourite spot for selfies because its flattering lighting makes it impossible to look in one of the many mirrors and have a bad hair or makeup day. A custom chef's tasting menu at Montreal's Four Seasons Marcus restaurant features a six-course menu — with wine pairings — created by executive chef Jason Morris. Diners can watch the kitchen staff prepare all the dishes. Lynn Mitges photo Executive chef Jason Morris helms the Four Seasons Marcus restaurant and is renowned for elevating Canadian cuisine. On this night, he's creating a personal six-course menu, served with wine pairings. This chef counter tasting experience — a concept popular in Asian markets — must be reserved and typically has the diner, or diners, at the bar with a front-row seat, but it can be reserved for as many as 12 people. From a bar stool at the counter, it's a culinary performance as Morris crafts each dish, such as a creamy potato latke topped with two types of caviar; sustainably caught tuna with Quebec horseradish cream; and cod with white asparagus and Champagne sauce. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The kitchen is the stage everyone can see, it's like a performance,' says Richard Feldman, the restaurant's general manger. Margaret Trudeau with Andy Warhol, one of several photos of the former wife of Pierre Trudeau that adorn the walls on the third floor of the Four Seasons hotel in Montreal. Lynn Mitges/Postmedia Need to get in touch with your chill side? Head to the Guerlain Spa Care and its Kneipp hydrotherapy, one of the oldest forms of treatment using hot and cold water and a reflexology path and one which is rarely found in North American spas. Start with dipping your feet into the hot bath that features a bed of smooth stones on which to carefully walk, before moving to the cold plunge. A gingerly walk on the reflexology path stimulates blood flow and boosts the immune system with a Zen-like calm. History through art and architecture The Four Seasons abuts Crescent Street, home to the iconic 21-storey wall mural — titled Tower of Songs — of the late Leonard Cohen, one of two murals honouring the Canadian singer and songwriter. Cohen often referred to himself as neither a Canadian, nor a Quebecer, but a Montrealer. You can sit in the Four Seasons' dining room with Cohen for company as he looks down through the windows. Within walking distance is Les Quartiers du Canal, which includes the up-and-coming Griffintown neighbourhood, Little Burgundy and Saint-Henri and is peppered with artistic murals, and 18th century architecture along the Lachine Canal. You can tour these neighbourhoods in an afternoon without breaking a sweat. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Oscar Peterson mural in Montreal's Little Burgundy. Photo by John Kenney / Montreal Gazette Drinks at the Atwater Cocktail Club, a cool bar whose entrance is from an alley in Montreal. Lynn Mitges/Postmedia Griffintown borders the canal on the south, and a biking and walking path snakes through a picturesque neighbourhood dotted with cafés, shops and antique stores. A favourite restaurant for locals is Nora Gray, ranked as one of Canada's 100 best with its take on southern Italian cuisine. And they serve ramps — an exciting surprise. Ramps are a delicacy unique to Eastern Canada and the U.S. and related to the wild onion and garlic family, or perhaps a cousin to spring onions and leeks. You can't buy this delicacy at a grocery store because it takes seven years for a ramp rhizome to become a shoot. Ramps' pungent, garlicky flavour is prized among chefs, and their appearance on menus heralds spring. Next to Griffintown is Little Burgundy, which was home to Black English-speaking residents, most of whom were labourers and sleeping car porters on railway lines and was known as Harlem of the North in the 1920s. The late jazz pianist Oscar Peterson was raised in Little Burgundy and a three-storey mural honours him and his contribution to jazz, as does another mural of Oliver Jones. Montreal's murals are stunning — all 3,500 of them and counting. Take a stroll over to the Atwater Market, housed in an art deco building from 1933 in Saint-Henri — another jewel in Montreal's crown of architectural enchantments. You could try to find some ramps, but local chefs will likely beat you to it. Nearby is the Atwater Cocktail Club — a very cool neighbourhood speakeasy-style bar whose entrance is from an alley on Atwater Avenue. The bar is dark and cosy but with shiny, banquets: brasserie style with sophistication. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Barbie Expo is a permanent haute couture exhibit at Montreal's Cours Mont-Royal. Barbie Expo The McCord Stewart Museum, a walk of less than 10 minutes from the hotel, is renowned for documenting the city's social history. Costume Balls, Dressing History, 1870-1927, is a sassy exhibit of more than 40 costumes that runs until Aug. 17 at the McCord Stewart Museum and tracks the lavish parties and skating carnivals of Montreal's elite. Lynn Mitges/Postmedia The Costume Balls exhibit: pure camp and costume of Montreal's elite. Lynn Mitges/Postmedia Costume Balls, Dressing History, 1870-1927, is a sassy exhibit of more than 40 costumes that runs until Aug. 17 and tracks the lavish parties and skating carnivals of the city's elite. The costumes were created — or were ancestral outfits brought out to vamp at these events — more than a century before selfies took over this performance art. The crowning costume riff is at Expo Barbie, the largest permanent Barbie exhibit in the world with more than 1,000 dolls — and it's just three blocks from the hotel. The exhibit is the creation of a member of a company that owns Les Cours Mont-Royal mall, in which all the Barbies make their home. Admission is free. This is not everyday Barbie, but a glam gal in custom couture gowns and sometimes not even as herself: she is Jennifer Lopez Barbie; she is Rose, from the Titanic movie, Barbie; Mulder and Scully Barbie from the X Files; and Barbie decked out in Vera Wang and Armani, and then putting in an appearance with Daniel Craig, James Bond style. She also undertakes the cutest shilling for brands such as Coca-Cola, Pottery Barn and Ferrari that any mortal woman would be hard pressed to pull off. Go Barbie. Go Montreal. lmitges@ The writer was a guest of Four Seasons Hotel Montreal and Tourism Montreal, neither of which vetted this article.
TimesLIVE
13-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid and become coach of Brazil
Italian Carlo Ancelotti, one of the most decorated managers in world football, will become Brazil coach after leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season, the Brazilian FA (CBF) said on Monday after finally landing their first-choice candidate. The 65-year-old Ancelotti has enjoyed four hugely successful years in his second tenure at the Spanish giants but they are set to finish this season without a trophy. He is set to be replaced at the Bernabeu by former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, with sources close to the 41-year-old former Spain international saying he has agreed a two-year deal with the option to extend it by an extra year. 'Ancelotti begins his mission next week,' the CBF said in a statement. 'He will meet CBF officials to finalise the preliminary list of players called up for the World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay next month. On the 26th, in Brazil, the coach will announce the final squad.' Earlier.. Carlo Ancelotti: "The day I will leave, whether today or a year from now, the first thing I'm going to do is THANK REAL MADRID for EVERYTHING." Good luck in your new stage 👏🏻 — Real Madrid Info ³⁶ (@RMadridInfo) May 12, 2025 Brazilian soccer sources said Ancelotti will sign a one-year deal to become the world's highest-paid national team coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the option to extend his contract. Real have yet to announce Ancelotti's departure. 'Bringing Carlo Ancelotti to coach Brazil is more than a strategic move. It is a statement to the world that we are determined to regain football's top spot,' CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues said in the statement. 'He is the greatest coach in history and now he is at the helm of the greatest national team on the planet. Together, we will write new chapters in the glorious history of Brazilian football.' The CBF's announcement confirms a highly anticipated move, ending a saga that has rumbled on for years. A maior Seleção da história do futebol agora será liderada pelo técnico mais vitorioso do mundo. Carlo Ancelotti, sinônimo de conquistas históricas, foi anunciado nesta segunda-feira (12) pelo presidente da CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, como o novo técnico da Seleção Brasileira. Ele… — CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) May 12, 2025 Rodrigues first acknowledged in an exclusive interview with Reuters more than two years ago that he intended to sign Ancelotti, saying 'it would be a no-brainer' having him in charge after coach Tite left after a heartbreaking loss on penalties to Croatia in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals. Rodrigues was unable to lure Ancelotti away from Real then and when the Italian extended his Real contract for two more years in December 2023 it appeared to end any chances of him taking over the five-times world champions any time soon. However, after Brazil's new manager Dorival Jr was fired in March after just over a year in the job due to a series of bad results, Rodrigues turned to Ancelotti again. The Italian had a year remaining on his contract but Real's underwhelming season and his desire to coach Brazil have led to a mutual agreement to part ways, soccer sources added. An official announcement regarding a managerial change is expected before Real's last game of the season at home to Real Sociedad on May 25, when Ancelotti should receive a fitting farewell to recognise his great success with the club. His replacement Alonso, 43, who said on Friday that he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen after guiding them to a domestic double last term, will join Real before the inaugural Club World Cup in the US from June 14 to July 14, club sources said. When Ancelotti was lured back to Madrid for a second spell three years ago, after the departure of club great Zinedine Zidane, the Italian knew that his only mission was to increase Real's trophy haul and he did not disappoint. He became the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe's top five leagues — England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France — and has guided Real to two Champions League and LaLiga doubles in three seasons. Ancelotti's Madrid silverware includes three Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and one Intercontinental Cup.
The Age
21-04-2025
- The Age
I said Italy was overcrowded and overpriced. Then I went back
Hotel Hassler is one of the city's last independent luxury hotels, and right on top of the Spanish Steps. I knew I had a haven after a big day's sightseeing. I could nip out in the early mornings and evenings after tour groups had departed. I could tap into the concierge's local knowledge. Places to walk without having to battle the tour groups? Yes. Recommendations for proper restaurants where Romans eat? Tick. When I couldn't be bothered to eat out, my terrace had views of Rome and the Vatican for a panoramic picnic, with quality prosciutto and prosecco from a nearby supermarket. Upgrading your hotel and price-cutting elsewhere is sometimes wise. Informed choices are a must in any destination that has issues of tourist overcrowding and creaking infrastructure. With a week to spare behind the wheel of a hire car after Rome, that meant avoiding Tuscany and Venice and opting for Umbria. Umbria has its problems, too. Its roads and motorways are cracked, patched and uneven. I wasn't breezing along a country road in a red sports car beside a movie starlet. I was lurching along highways surrounded by trucks, terrified my rear wheel was going to come off in an unanticipated pothole. And Umbria, while less visited than some parts of Italy, is hardly crowd or rip-off free. Orvieto's old town barely hangs on to its old-time shops and eateries. I got a terrible and expensive meal in Assisi. I knew it was going to be terrible, but I needed the energy boost – and somewhere to sit. The knowing helps dampen some of the annoyance, but good planning makes for a better visit. In Assisi, the church associated with St Francis is glorious, and all I needed to see in a town subsumed by tourists. There are places to linger in Umbria. I spent an afternoon in Todi and saw only a handful of other tourists, even though this medieval town has a hilltop location and fine architecture. Gubbio was quiet, too, and as dense in old buildings as anywhere in Tuscany. Like Todi, it still had proper family restaurants for a fine meal, served by agreeable waiters not yet schooled in indifference. I got over the horizon from the obvious in Umbria and my experience was better for it. Visitors should carry some blame if all they have is a bad time. That doesn't let Italy off the hook, however. Tourism isn't about people making random, spontaneous decisions. It's a highly regulated industry in which tourist choices are controlled, directed and managed. All levels of government policies on everything from budget airlines to Airbnb and whether to facilitate Netflix filming influence where people go and what they do. What's more, towns generally become over-touristed because they have nothing else to rely on: alternative businesses and opportunities have gone. That's why Perugia gets a big thumbs up. Its old town is superb and culture-dense, but this university and manufacturing town hasn't sold its soul to tourism. Loading The Italian government is aware of the problem. In interviews, Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanche has said Italy needs to focus on better quality, sustainability and organisation, and encourage tourists to come year-round and visit Italy's smaller towns. Wise words. But while you're waiting for Italian governments to solve problems, you might use those guidelines yourself the next time you plan a trip to Italy. It will give you a much better experience.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-04-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
I said Italy was overcrowded and overpriced. Then I went back
Hotel Hassler is one of the city's last independent luxury hotels, and right on top of the Spanish Steps. I knew I had a haven after a big day's sightseeing. I could nip out in the early mornings and evenings after tour groups had departed. I could tap into the concierge's local knowledge. Places to walk without having to battle the tour groups? Yes. Recommendations for proper restaurants where Romans eat? Tick. When I couldn't be bothered to eat out, my terrace had views of Rome and the Vatican for a panoramic picnic, with quality prosciutto and prosecco from a nearby supermarket. Upgrading your hotel and price-cutting elsewhere is sometimes wise. Informed choices are a must in any destination that has issues of tourist overcrowding and creaking infrastructure. With a week to spare behind the wheel of a hire car after Rome, that meant avoiding Tuscany and Venice and opting for Umbria. Umbria has its problems, too. Its roads and motorways are cracked, patched and uneven. I wasn't breezing along a country road in a red sports car beside a movie starlet. I was lurching along highways surrounded by trucks, terrified my rear wheel was going to come off in an unanticipated pothole. And Umbria, while less visited than some parts of Italy, is hardly crowd or rip-off free. Orvieto's old town barely hangs on to its old-time shops and eateries. I got a terrible and expensive meal in Assisi. I knew it was going to be terrible, but I needed the energy boost – and somewhere to sit. The knowing helps dampen some of the annoyance, but good planning makes for a better visit. In Assisi, the church associated with St Francis is glorious, and all I needed to see in a town subsumed by tourists. There are places to linger in Umbria. I spent an afternoon in Todi and saw only a handful of other tourists, even though this medieval town has a hilltop location and fine architecture. Gubbio was quiet, too, and as dense in old buildings as anywhere in Tuscany. Like Todi, it still had proper family restaurants for a fine meal, served by agreeable waiters not yet schooled in indifference. I got over the horizon from the obvious in Umbria and my experience was better for it. Visitors should carry some blame if all they have is a bad time. That doesn't let Italy off the hook, however. Tourism isn't about people making random, spontaneous decisions. It's a highly regulated industry in which tourist choices are controlled, directed and managed. All levels of government policies on everything from budget airlines to Airbnb and whether to facilitate Netflix filming influence where people go and what they do. What's more, towns generally become over-touristed because they have nothing else to rely on: alternative businesses and opportunities have gone. That's why Perugia gets a big thumbs up. Its old town is superb and culture-dense, but this university and manufacturing town hasn't sold its soul to tourism. Loading The Italian government is aware of the problem. In interviews, Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanche has said Italy needs to focus on better quality, sustainability and organisation, and encourage tourists to come year-round and visit Italy's smaller towns. Wise words. But while you're waiting for Italian governments to solve problems, you might use those guidelines yourself the next time you plan a trip to Italy. It will give you a much better experience.
Arab Times
19-04-2025
- Arab Times
Italian court upholds life sentence for parents of Pakistani woman killed by family
ROME, April 19, (AP): An Italian appeals court Friday upheld life sentences for a Pakistani couple convicted of murdering their 18-year-old daughter in a so-called honor killing after she refused an arranged marriage. The case shocked many Ital ians and became a symbol of the brutal mistreatment of immigrant women who rebel against inflexible family rules. The appeals court in the northern city of Bologna said that Saman Abbas, whose body was found at a farmhouse in 2022, 18 months after she disappeared, was killed with the participation of the whole family. The court upheld a life sentence for both the teenager's father, Shabbir Abbas, and her mother, Nazia Shaheen. It also sentenced to life in prison two cousins who had been previously cleared by a lower court. Saman's uncle, Danish Hasnain, was also sentenced to 22 years in prison for his involvement in the murder. He had been previously given a 14-year sentence. The court case, in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, became t he most high-profile of several criminal investigations in Italy in recent years dealing with the slaying or mistreatment of immigrant women or girls who rebelled against their family 's insistence that they marry someone chosen for them. So-called honor killings are common in Pakistan, where family members and relatives sometimes kill women who don't follow local traditions and culture or decide to marry someone of their own choice. Saman Abbas' body was dug up in November 2022 in an abandoned farmhouse near the fields where her father worked in northern Italy. Italian prosecutors contend the woman was murdered by her family on May 1, 2021. A few days later, her parents flew from Milan to Pakistan. Saman Abbas' father was later arrested in Pakistan and extradited to Italy for prosecution. Her mother was convicted in absentia but was arrested in May last year after three years on the run. Abbas' uncle, two cousins, her father and her mother went on trial first in February 2023. All the defendants have denied wrongdoing. Saman Abbas had emigrated as a teenager from Pakistan to the farm town of Novellara in Italy's northern region of Emilia-Romagna.
