#13. THE ROCK - MONACO

The Rock of Monaco (French: Rocher de Monaco) is a 62-metre tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast of the Principality of Monaco. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the Port Hercules. The Rock has been a coveted possession from the beginning of the ancient Massilian colony of Monoïkos, named for the Ligurian tribes who occupied the area and vied for control of it; even earlier, it was a shelter for primitive populations. The Rock of Monaco was also the first conquest of the Grimaldi dynasty, the rulers of the country for more than 700 years, founded when the Guelf Francesco Grimaldi disguised himself as a Franciscan friar in order to gain entry to the city and open the gates for his s...View all