From 4 to 6 January, Monaco’s balloonists took part in the 35th Montovi International Balloon Festival. Three extraordinary days in which sport and spectacle came together to the delight of spectators and locals who gathered in large numbers around the Montovi Aero Club and elsewhere in Piedmont.
The balloons and international crews gathered for the occasion successfully overcame difficult weather conditions, choosing the right time windows to take to the air several times over the weekend.
The Monegasque balloon, so dear to Alain Kruteanski’s heart, stood out from the rest, proudly representing the Principality both on the ground and in the air, sometimes at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres.
After preliminary briefings for all crews, local weather conditions allowed Monaco’s aeronauts to fly over Montovi three times.
And that’s not counting the ‘night shows’, during which some of the balloons invited to the festival took to the air, this time without leaving the ground, as night fell on the main site… in front of several hundred enthusiastic spectators. The Monaco Balloonists are members of the Montovi Aero Club.
‘Given our close ties with Montovi, I think it is important that the Monegasque balloonists take part in this first festival of the year. It is a wonderful moment of fraternity and exchange with our Italian friends. I am always happy to come back here and participate, if only out of respect for the organisers who always make us feel welcome,‘ said Alain Kruteanski, President of the Monaco Balloonists’ Club.
There is no doubt that the Monegasque balloon will shine in the skies of Piedmont many more times….
