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Published: December 7th 2007
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French Villa
The epitome of a French villa for me Simply the best
Atmosphere oozes from the ancient walls of some of France’s most beautiful villages
Do you dream of
holiday cottages with roses round the door? Or is your perfect picture-postcard village a craggy hilltop bastion, whose glowing stone forms the perfect backdrop to an evening aperitif?
Whatever your taste, France with its diverging geographical and historical influences, will have something to please.
If your heart is set on stepping back into a bygone era and enjoying a holiday immersed in the splendours of the past where do you start to look for that idyllic destination?
One solution is to turn to the guidebooks and read up on the regions which interest you most, noting down any historic villages you encounter.
These can be checked against the names of the 144 members of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, a non-profit making organisation set up in 1982 to preserve the identities of some of the country’s best gems by protecting them from the ravages of 20th-century development.
To gain membership - which entitles them to display the organisation’s coveted red and green logo - communities have to meet demanding standards. Quality of architecture, the immediate
Rainbow
what a view ! environment and that of the surrounding countryside are all taken into consideration.
Armed with a brochure, it is then simply a matter of matching your preferred destination with the accommodation available, be it a restored terraced house at the heart of the village or a villa set in its own grounds - further out perhaps, but with splendid views over the surrounding countryside.
Most
French holiday cottages feature at least one of these Plus Beaux villages and some of the more rural boast several. They are particularly plentiful in Provence and south-western France, where rugged terrain has protected them from urban sprawl.
One of the most striking is the hill village of Roussillon, which lies in the Luberon National Park at the centre of the Vaucluse departement in Provence. Here, sensitively restored houses of colourful sandstone line narrow lanes winding up to a Romanesque church. Looking down from this viewpoint, there is a fine panorama of the surrounding craggy countryside and neighbouring lofty villages.
The buildings owe their palette of colours - from honeys and pinks through the deepest of reds - to the rich ochre deposits in the local rock. This was quarried, giving rise to a
Hill Side town
This is what it is all about thriving local industry, and Roussillon - derived from the French for rust (roux) - became famous for its dyes.
Today, visitors can explore the old workings, as well as bask in the village’s architectural charms. Chez Nous offers the opportunity to experience life close to the heart of this historic community in a typical Provencal house. Sleeping eight, the property boasts stunning views from its pool-side patio and is conveniently located just three minutes walk from the village.
To the south and on the other side of the Luberon Mountains, lies lovely Lourmarin with its splashing fountains. Although not a typical perched Provencal village, there’s a definite Mediterranean feel to the architecture here with a lovely campanile, 15th-century castle and Romanesque church among its attractions.
Small shops, street cafes and restaurants offering local fare abound and make this conservation village an attractive base from which to explore the surrounding countryside. In a hamlet close by,
Chez Nous features a lovingly restored former silk farm complete with swimming pool, sleeping from two to ten people in accommodation which oozes character.
Travelling south-west, to the Languedoc-Roussillon region, the vine-clad hillsides of Corbieres country form a backdrop to historic Lagrasse where medieval houses cluster round a covered market. The village is famed for a ruined abbey, to which it is linked by an ancient, arching bridge, and is dominated by a magnificent 16th-century bell-tower.
This artists’ paradise on the banks of the river Orbieu is a peaceful backwater and can be enjoyed, through Chez Nous, at close quarters from two gite apartments in a large, medieval house set on the riverside. Sleeping 2/4 or 4/6, these properties overlook the Orbieu and offer opportunities for swimming in its waters.
Finally, in this brief tour of Les Plus Beaux villages, we travel north-west to the Tarn, less than an hour from Toulouse. This rolling, forested landscape is home to Gaillac wines - white and red - with their distinctive, peppery flavours. Savour the tiny bubbles, or ‘perles’, characteristic of the semi-sparkling whites on your tongue.
Chez Nous features a stone barn converted into two attractive gites with large swimming pool, set in 20 acres of peaceful meadow and woodland close to Castelnau. This is the ideal base from which to explore the delights of Castelnau, an ancient Cathar stronghold.
Substantial stone houses line the ramparts of this former bastide, their arching doorways looking inwards onto a charming jumble of small streets. The village, which dates from the 13th century, has survived English siege and the plague and today retains three of its original six gates in the outer defensive walls. The 15th century church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption, with its treasures, is worth a visit.
Just a short drive away is the beautiful rose-coloured city of Albi, birthplace of Toulouse Lautrec, and vast oak forest of Gresigne, protected by regional park status.
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