From an artist’s house hidden behind a Renaissance garden in Provence to a 14th-century stronghold on 17 hectares in Burgundy, these nine homes make a convincing case for leaving the city behind.
Gardens are a recurring theme. One Loire Valley longhouse comes with almost 150 varieties of roses; another house near Toulouse sits among cypress avenues, an orchard and classical gardens. Elsewhere there are olive groves and truffle oaks in Provence, vineyards in Beaujolais and the Jura, and meadows stretching towards the fields outside Nevers.
The houses span centuries, from medieval fortified estates to a 19th-century home restored by artists. Inside are terracotta floors, old wallpaper, stone fireplaces, timber beams and, in Alsace, a sculptural fireplace by Jacques Couëlle.
An artist’s house and Renaissance garden, Barjols, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | €1.24 million
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In the Provençal village of Barjols, this seven-bedroom villa has been home to artists since 2001. They restored the 19th-century building using lime plaster, textured paint and ceramics, retaining older details including stained glass, marble fireplaces, cement tiles, mouldings and century-old wallpaper.
Outside, the 2,065sqm grounds follow the tradition of Barjols’ gardens, which date back to the Renaissance. Stone walls enclose old washhouses and basins, around 50 old rose bushes, iris, peonies, agapanthus and an orchard. Two small bastidons in the garden remain to be restored.
A house surrounded by meadowland, near Nevers, Burgundy | €295,000
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Long grass and mature trees surround this stone country house, set on the edge of a hamlet 15 minutes south of Nevers. The house appears on the Napoleonic land register of 1828 and is thought to be older.
Inside its 133 square metres are hexagonal terracotta floors, exposed beams and a stone fireplace. A kitchen opens directly to the garden, while a timber staircase in the adjoining tower leads upstairs. Almost a hectare of land stretches behind the house, planted with an old cedar, walnut, lime, maple and fruit trees. Stone outbuildings include former stables, workshops and storage spaces.
A longhouse with 150 varieties of roses, near Loches, Loire Valley | €498,000
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An orchard- and meadow-lined drive leads to this restored 19th-century longhouse south of Tours. Virginia creeper and wisteria climb its façade, while period terracotta floors, exposed beams and a large stone fireplace remain inside.
The garden is the real story. Almost 150 varieties of roses grow across 2.8 hectares that are threaded with pergolas, flower-covered arches and grassy paths. The orchard of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees leads toward a small pond and a 200-year-old lime tree. Across the courtyard, a former sheep shed has been converted into a separate guest house.
A musicologist’s ivy-covered retreat near Toulouse, Occitanie | €895,000
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Built as an 18th-century hunting lodge for the Chastenet de Puységur family, this house was bought and restored by an American musicologist in the 1980s. Ivy now covers much of its façade, while old wallpaper, parquet floors and marble fireplaces survive inside.
The house has more than 560sqm of space and sits in more than two hectares on the edge of Rabastens, between Toulouse and Albi. Cypress trees trace the remains of a formal garden, alongside mature oaks, plane trees and horse chestnuts. An orchard, pond and swimming pool are tucked among the grounds.
An 18th-century shepherd’s house among olive and truffle trees, Fayence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | €1.65 million
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This 18th-century stone bergerie sits at the end of a country lane near Fayence, surrounded by 1.4 hectares of Provençal planting. The 180sqm house contains four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a combined kitchen and dining room. Outside, olive trees grow alongside truffle oaks, fruit trees and a vegetable garden, with a 15-metre heated saltwater pool set into the grounds.
An Alsatian house built around a Jacques Couëlle fireplace, Andlau, Alsace | from €642,000
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A sculptural fireplace by French architect and artist Jacques Couëlle rises through the centre of this 500sqm house in Andlau, on the Alsace Wine Route. A helical staircase wraps around it, connecting rooms arranged over several levels.
Stone, timber and terracotta run throughout the interiors, while another Couëlle design — a monumental library — occupies the top floor. There is an indoor swimming pool concealed beneath a movable floor, plus a sauna, an independent apartment and a small walled garden.
A former wine estate overlooking vineyards, Beaujolais, Rhône | €585,000
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Set above a small valley in wine country, this former wine estate looks across vineyards and farmland towards the Alps. A tree-lined drive climbs through its three-hectare grounds to the château, which retains the agricultural buildings from its winemaking past.
The main house has around 300sqm of space, joined by extensive outbuildings. The former vat house still contains the spaces once used for wine production, along with a semi-underground cellar and a large upper storage room.
A 14th-century stronghold with four ponds, near Châtillon-en-Bazois, Burgundy | €790,000
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Seventeen hectares of meadows surround this medieval house on the western edge of the Morvan Regional Natural Park. Its origins reach back to the first half of the 14th century, while the square tower is recorded from 1443 and still carries traces of its defensive use.
Two wings meet beside the tower around an inner courtyard, with a second tower containing a stone spiral staircase. Beyond them are three barns and four ponds. The gardens were once awarded France’s Jardin Remarquable label and include perennials, shrubs, terraces and a walled kitchen garden.
A 15th-century wine country château, Domblans, Jura | €1.3 million
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Built in 1440, this former seigneurial house stands beside the River Seille in the wine country of the Jura. Its 800sqm interiors retain old stone, exposed beams, vaulted spaces, fireplaces, timber panelling and historic floors.
Seven hectares of grounds extend beyond the courtyard, with mature trees, an orchard, springs and a pond. A swimming pool sits lower in the landscape, while the collection of outbuildings includes a barn, orangery, former stables, workshops, cellars and an attic.
