La Ricamarie: Vacation Rentals and Holiday Homes

La Ricamarie’s mining history comes to life at the Puits des Combes: the headframe and surface buildings were listed as historic monuments by decree on November 3, 2003. The headframe was completed in 1950 and is the last remaining headframe in La Ricamarie.

Anyone wishing to rent a vacation rental in La Ricamarie is planning a trip to La Ricamarie as a destination.

Culture

The Musée de la mine also ties in with the area’s mining history. It describes coal-mining methods and recounts the lives of former miners working underground. Guided tours at the Musée de la mine are led by former miners. The museum is located on the ground floor of a school behind La Ricamarie town hall.

The Chapelle polonaise is also part of the area’s local cultural history. It has been restored several times, including its plasterwork, paintings, and decorations, while taking the original forms and colors into account. The Monument des Étoiles commemorates the 14 victims of the so-called Fusillade du Brûlé on June 16, 1869. Every year, the municipality of La Ricamarie and the Épallle Théâtre commemorate the Brûlé shooting with the Résonances de luttes festival.

Nature

The Sentier de l’eau is a marked circular trail measuring 9.5 kilometers, taking around three hours and featuring a modest elevation gain of 176 meters. The trail leads from the washhouse past reservoirs to the Barrage de l’Ondenon and showcases older and newer water-extraction, storage, and distribution facilities. Hiking trails lead from the Barrage de l’Ondenon into the Pilat and uphill to the Belvédère du Guizay.

The Parc naturel régional du Pilat describes the Sentier de l’eau from La Ricamarie as an approximately three-hour route around the Ondenon, with a section at the Bessy orientation board. La Ricamarie also offers a two-hour walk along paths and forest roads.

Surroundings

The Abbaye de Valbenoîte is located in the immediate vicinity of La Ricamarie and is listed as a historic site. The surrounding area also includes the Château de Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, listed as a castle, and Essalois Castle, listed as a historic site. Chaussitre is located near La Ricamarie and is listed as a mountain; the Crêt du Bois Graizé is also nearby and is listed as a mountain.

The wider regional area around La Ricamarie includes the Château de Fontanes, listed as a castle, as well as the Crêt de la Perdrix and the Crêt de l’Arnica, each listed as a mountain.

More destination pages: Firminy, Bellegarde-en-Forez, Saint-Romain-le-Puy, Bessey, Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, Mars, Saint-Laurent-Rochefort, Montbrison.

For the broader travel overview: Loire.