NICE, France — Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi took a break from the rough and tumble of Italian politics Wednesday, shopping for nudes on the French riviera.

The premier, who is recovering from an attack last month that broke his nose and two teeth, visited the village Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the Cote d'Azur, where he bought four bronze statuettes.

Art gallery spokesman Loic Deltour described the works as "sensual nudes" worth "several tens of thousands of euros."

The billionaire media magnate, 73, has been mostly out of the public eye since December 13 when a man -- said to have a long history of psychiatric troubles -- hit him in the face with a miniature model of Milan Cathedral.

Witnesses said security was visibly tight around the premier during his shopping trip.

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