The concept of, and the leisure class was born in the late 19th century England with the creation of weekends and paid holidays. Organized sports, reading, parks, photography and music were a central theme during this evolution of time well spent. By the early 20th century, the Olympic Games began along with the Tour de France, bringing with it a strong element of travel associated with leisure. Lebanon, often under foreign rule has been influenced by many cultures.
In 1943 Lebanon gained its independence from France, bringing both the country and capitol Beirut into a new era. Leisure emerged in Lebanon by the 1950’s, a cultural hub of French influence and Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heritage, being dubbed ”The Paris of the Middle East”. In the 1960s with advent of celebrity and film, many of the famous hotels, beach clubs and nightclubs were frequented by the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Marlon Brandot. Tax incentives encouraged filmmaking to take place in Beirut during this time furthering the influx of celebrity and the enclave concept.
The golden age continued until the civil war between 1975-1990, bringing with it a shift in both tourism and socialization, the Beirut that many know (from afar) today. Distilling La Dolce Vita, the Golden Age, that happens in both enclaves and cities thriving at the intersection of art, commerce, and finance captures the minds of and imaginations of creators and consumers to this day. Escape, and the transportive quality of storytelling brings with it an opportunity to both reference and rebirth history as well as imbue the art of leisure: a timeless prompt to inspire.

الحیاة الجمیلة
la belle vie