An 18th Century Provencal Dwelling And A Small Cottage Surrounded By One Hectare Of Flat

An 18th-century Provencal dwelling and a small cottage surrounded by one hectare of flat grounds, alongside a river, twenty minutes from the beach. From the B road that connects Solliès-Pont to Solliès-Toucas, a small lane, which winds its way through a residential neighbourhood, provides access to the property’s entrance, located on the edge of a hillside. Past the gate, the drive provides glimpses of the last vestiges of the valley’s lime kiln activity – operational between 1815 and 1903 – where two 150-metre horizontal gypsum extraction galleries are still visible.

At the end of the drive, several parking spots were created on the different terraced levels to the north of the main dwelling, making it possible to easily park five or six vehicles, while the sound of water is audible from the nearby irrigation canal that supplies water for the entire property via the use of stone sluice gates, which routes and distributes water throughout the grounds. Featuring a path that makes it possible to circumnavigate the entire dwelling, to the left of the cottage, used as a guesthouse, is a large piece of land, sheltered from view, which gradually descends towards the Gapeau River and provides breath-taking views of the hills in the backgrounds.

As for the two dwellings, placed near one another at a right angle, they communicate with one another via adjacent patios, which are located along the dwelling’s eastern exterior and the cottage’s southern counterpart. With plaster-coated exteriors, largely devoid of any decoration, and rectilinear wide windows, in various shapes and placed in a somewhat symmetrical manner, the dwellings are topped with barrel tile single-slope roofs – one for the cottage and two offset ones for the main dwelling – in addition to the porch roof that shades its patio to the east.

Moreover, these buildings boast several original touches that make them stand out from traditional Provencal constructions, such as the juxtaposition of the dwelling’s two volumes, vestiges of the transformations that it underwent over the course of its history, as well as the wrap-around layout of its windows on the top floor, which provide panoramic and enchanting views of the surrounding countryside.
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: https://www.georisques.gouv.fr/