https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed More than a century after its completion, the iconic basilica is set to get official recognition equal to that of the Notre Dame and the Louvre museum. But its bloody past is making the decision a controversial one - even today. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201015/why-making-paris-sacr-cur-a-historic-monument-is-causing-a-stir Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:14:59 +0200 why-making-paris-sacr-cur-a-historic-monument-is-causing-a-stir An Italian court on Wednesday rejected a last-minute bid to halt the loan of Leonardo Da Vinci's iconic Vitruvian Man drawing and other works to France's Louvre museum, ending a bitter cultural row. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191016/should-italy-loan-da-vinci-vitruvian-man-to-france Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:09:43 +0200 should-italy-loan-da-vinci-vitruvian-man-to-france French President Emmanuel Macron launched a new lottery Thursday to raise funds for the restoration of endangered heritage sites, including an island fort in Brittany, a Roman aqueduct near Lyon and a disused sugar refinery on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180601/scratch-to-save-a-castle-france-launches-heritage-lottery Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:10:31 +0200 scratch-to-save-a-castle-france-launches-heritage-lottery The list of the 250 crumbling French monuments set to benefit from the country's new special edition lottery and scratchcard game has been revealed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180329/map-the-250-crumbling-french-monuments-set-to-be-restored Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:48:30 +0200 map-the-250-crumbling-french-monuments-set-to-be-restored Thousands of people have joined together in a crowdfunded effort to save a 13th century French castle. https://www.thelocal.fr/20171205/6500-strangers-club-together-to-save-crumbling-french-castle Tue, 05 Dec 2017 12:46:09 +0100 6500-strangers-club-together-to-save-crumbling-french-castle There’s no country in the world with more cultural influence than France, according to a study released at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160120/france-is-worlds-top-trendsetter Wed, 20 Jan 2016 16:41:11 +0100 france-is-worlds-top-trendsetter After France was awarded two new World Heritage sites at the weekend The Local has dug up some of the country’s least known gems on a list that now boasts 41. How many of these have you heard of? https://www.thelocal.fr/20150706/unesco-sites-france-you-wont-have-heard-of Mon, 06 Jul 2015 11:52:33 +0200 unesco-sites-france-you-wont-have-heard-of A French Socialist politician, embarrassed by revelations of her €5.4 million fortune, says she plans to leave it to the French state. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141202/wealthy-ex-minister-to-leave-fortune-to-state Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:07:00 +0100 wealthy-ex-minister-to-leave-fortune-to-state A resident in a small town of Brittany, western France, was so intent on getting a sea view that he used a jackhammer to bust off part of an extremely rare two-billion-year-old rock formation outside his home. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140924/frenchman-smash-priceless-rocks-for-sea-view Wed, 24 Sep 2014 19:08:00 +0200 frenchman-smash-priceless-rocks-for-sea-view Once a year France opens the doors on tonnes of fascinating, bizarre and important places that are generally closed to the public. Here are 10 things not to miss this weekend for ‘Heritage days’. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140918/ten-must-see-sites-for-frances-heritage-days Thu, 18 Sep 2014 18:03:00 +0200 ten-must-see-sites-for-frances-heritage-days Could the famous Promenade des Anglais along the Nice seafront become the latest French landmark to join Unesco’s World Heritage list? That’s the wish of local authorities, who are said to be preparing a bid. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140422/nice-unesco-promenade-des-anglais-seafront-heritage Tue, 22 Apr 2014 11:56:53 +0200 nice-unesco-promenade-des-anglais-seafront-heritage