Pays de la Loire

Basic Information• Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions within France• Capital : Nantes• Means “Lands of the Loire River”• Population: 3,222, 061

• Leading region of France in economic development

• Home to notable monuments such as “Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne” and the old city, Les Mans.

• Temperature is “micro-climate”. Summers are considered dry while fall and winters are mild and sometimes wet.

Architecture• The Dukes’ of Bretagne Castle is the main attraction

of the city and was built in the 13th century.• The classic Renaissance style even has a draw bridge.

• Most other buildings have a modern touch, including old historic buildings

Art• Built in 1801, the

Fine-Arts Museum was built with Roman architecture.

• It contains sculptures and paintings ranging from the 13th and 18th century to the 19th and 20th century.

The Loire Valley is divided into three sections:1. Upper Loire includes the

Sauvignon blanc,2. Middle Loire is dominated by

more Chenin blanc and Cabernet franc wines,

3. Lower Loire that leads to the mouth of the river's entrance to the Atlantic goes through the Muscadet region which is dominated by wines of the Melon de Bourgogne grape.

Cuisine

Berlingot’s are a famous and common treat in Pays de la Loire. The name Berlingot is said to come fom the game of jacks, or osselets which was called berlingù in Provençal.

Salted butter caramels are also a popular treat for those with a sweet tooth.

CustomsTraditional clothing: • Males-- black felt vest with

four pockets, pants with back flange, black shoes with laces.

• Female-- cap topped with starched lace, decorative ballet delicate lace on the front, full length skirt, apron with pockets, and dangling earrings.

Local Celebrations:• Le Mans 24-Hour Race: 24-hours

endurance race held in June of each year

• It is customary for individuals from the Pays de la Loire region to drink Muscadet for celebratory occasions, the drink is made just outside the city of Nantes, capital city of the region.

• Known for its windmills (les moulins), it was customary years and years ago for someone to communicate with mothers miles away by manipulating the mills wing formation. Often times, a certain position meant such things as a death in the family.

Region• It is one of the

regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes.

• During the 16th century the French royalty and nobility returning from wars in Italy had been struck by the sumptuosity of Italian Renaissance and chose to have castles built in this valley which were quite different from medieval keeps and defencive bastions that were already there.

• It has been the demarcation line between North and South and that of occupied France in WW2. It has seen many battles from Roman times to WW2

Fin