Summer 2024

Thinking about relocating to France but
uncertain about what you need to know?
Lisieux
It became a popular haunt for Impressionist
painters and grew into the elegant resort that
we see today. Trouville managed to escape
the two world wars relatively unscathed,
although the half-timbered seafront villas
were incorporated into the Nazi’s formidable
Atlantic Wall fortifications, with some having
concrete bunkers attached at the rear.
The villas were painted in drab colours to
camouflage them when they became the
lodgings for senior officers. Now restored to
their former glory, they provide a welcome
insight into another age.
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Lisieux
Pont l’Eveque, © Ben Collier, Normandy Tourism
Moving to France
Lisieux suffered devastating bombardment
by the Allies in World War Two ahead of its
liberation in 1944. As a result, this neat and
compact town of around 55,000 inhabitants,
has many mid-20 th -century buildings
alongside medieval half-timbered treasures.
The most impressive feature is surely the
imposing, almost century-old basilica, set
high on a ridge overlooking the town and
medieval cathedral. Inside, the basilica walls
are covered with mosaics illustrating the life of
Saint Thérèse. Born in 1873 she died at just 24
in a Lisieux convent. Second only to Lourdes,
Lisieux welcomes around 30,000 pilgrims
each year to honour her life and works, but for
non-believers the basilica is still worth a visit
for its colourful interior and the sheer scale
and beauty of its construction.
Based in a typical Norman half-timbered
building, the town museum tells the story of
Lisieux, from the Hundred Years’ War, when
it was captured by the English, up until World
War Two. Collections feature distinctive,
glazed ceramics from the nearby Pré d’Auge
workshop.
And don’t miss the chance to try the area’s
famous apple brandy at nearby Château du
Breuil, home to renowned Calvados distillery
La Spiriterie Française.
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