As we mentioned in our last post, the new issue of the Monocle magazine is devoted to nation branding.
One of the main stories in this issue is about Costazzurra (or Costazzurria) , an imagined country born after a succession crisis within the Grimaldi dynasty. “A failed Italy and a Grimaldi household in shambles presents the perfect opportunity for a marriage of convenience between Liguria and Monaco in 2014”, the magazine imagines. With Genoa as capital, the republic hails a return to the days when Liguria was king of the Med.
This model nation-state seats on the Mediterranean shores, in a strait of land ranging from Cannes in France to Genoa in Italy through Nice, Antibes Monaco, San Remo and Forte dei Marmi, like a modern-day Liguria. It offers citizens unbeatable climate and seaside vistas, first-rate transport links as well as superb shopping experiences (with a ban on big-chain retailers) and a potent local culture. Bynamed ‘a Switzerland on the Sea’, this political fiction nation provides the magazine with the opportunity to play a bit about nation branding.
