Perched high up in the Paillon valley North of Nice, sits the medieval village of Luceram which currently boasts a circuit of 450 creches to visit. Nativity scenes are perched everywhere - on ledges, on letterboxes, on window sills, on doorstops, on balconies......
They are hanging in trees, floating on troughs, swinging in lanterns, peeping out of every niche, crevice, basket, wheelbarrow, gourd, shell, plantpot, and barrel.....There are full scale models of Luceram in crochet, ceramic, and papier mache with santons of every villager.....
In addition to 450 Nativity scenes, the medieval village is beautifully decorated with swathes of sapin and shiny baubles at every twist and turn of the cobbled alleyways....
At every twist and turn, there are picturesque vistas to photograph....and don't miss the beautiful baroque churches with 15th century altarpieces.....
Reaching the top of the village, there are wonderful views of the surrounding countryside - the hills and valleys stretching away in vistas of blue...
Disproportionately there are 450 creches to only 1 restaurant in town, but fortunately La Boccafina is well worth a lunch stop. Service is very friendly and pleasant, and the menu, though only containing a few simple dishes, is very tasty and well-presented - homecooking with fresh, local ingredients.....perfect whilst you are waiting for the bus back to Nice....
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day out over the Christmas holidays!.....and thanks to Kevin Hin and his blog who first posted about Luceram and gave me the idea to get up there for a visit. Check out his very informative and interesting blog at www.french-riviera-blog.com Enjoy!!
7 comments:
What a delightful place to visit over the holidays! Marvelous, colorful captures as always, Catherine! Hope you have a wonderful and very Happy New Year!! Enjoy!
Sylvia
This looks to be a very interesting place to visit. The lunch looks nice too.
How absolutely delightful!
Wishing you many more happy discoveries in the New Year.
This confirms once more that the hinterland is the best part down there! ... and a restaurant with few dishes on the menu gives a better guarantee of fresh, homemade dishes!
All the best to you for 2013 - and later!
What a beautiful discovery. I want to go there!
I'm glad to see that you begin to discover the surroundings of Nice!And happy to see that you enjoy thetrip!
Happy New Year to you, with all my best wishes!
Thanks for all the lovely comments this week - much appeeciated as always...
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