A restored Provençal house with a swimming pool and outbuildings, tucked away in the
countryside in the west of France’s Var department, 20 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea
countryside in the west of France’s Var department, 20 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea
Castellet,
VAR
provence-cote-dazur
83330
FR
Location
The property lies to the north-west of the city of Toulon, on the edge of the Saint-Baume regional nature park where you find the most authentic unspoilt countryside of Provence and one of France’s most beautiful villages. This enchanting environment inspired the literary works of the Provençal writer Marcel Pagnol. The house is set back in the middle of the countryside. It enjoys absolute privacy and calm in a backdrop of age-old olive trees and vineyards with the Bandol protected designation of origin accreditation. Yet the delightful beaches of Sanary and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer are only around 20 minutes away. You can easily reach a nearby motorway in less than 10 minutes. Major rail links can also be reached from the high-speed train stations in Toulon and Marseille in 30 and 50 minutes respectively. Toulon and Marseille airports also offer flights to Paris and abroad.
Description
You reach the Provençal house via a small country lane and then a 100-metre-long earthen track that also leads to two other properties. There is a parking area, sheltered with vegetation, and then a stone annexe. This space marks the start of a gravelled drive into the property. The house dates back to the 19th century. The south-facing edifice is edged with a travertine terrace. It leads out onto a vast, flat space just above a swimming pool. Its stone elevations without pointing rise up to a gabled roof of barrel tiles, underlined with a double-row génoise cornice. The main building has a ground floor and a first floor. It has an elevation with four rectangular windows upstairs and three glazed doors downstairs. The stone surrounds of these openings are typical of the south of France. A first studio apartment adjoins the edifice’s east side and leads out to a terrace via a glazed double door. Its flat roof serves as a terrace and as an entrance, via backstairs, to a second studio apartment, which is bigger. In front of the terrace, which is demarcated by a low dry-stone wall and two mulberry trees framing a few steps, there is a gravelled and grassy surface where you can admire a sweeping view of vineyards in the undulating landscape that surrounds the property. At one end of the plot, among age-old olive trees, there are two looseboxes that have been converted into unique summer dwellings. On the west side, slightly lower down from the swimming pool, there is a kitchen garden and an orchard, which are provided with water from a well down here.
The Provençal house
The Provençal house was entirely renovated in 2022. It offers a 120m² floor area. It has been transformed somewhat.
The garden-level floor
You enter the ground floor via a terrace and a glazed door beneath a timber lintel in the middle of the house. On one side, there is a lounge with a fireplace and an open-plan kitchen. On the other side, there is a dining room. Both spaces lead outside, on the south side, via French windows that offer views of vineyards and hills in the background. There is also a window on the north side where the kitchen lies. At the back, the kitchen connects to a utility room and then to a lavatory, which you can also reach from the dining room. The floors are terracotta-tiled and the walls plastered in a grey-beige tone, like the colour of the exposed beams that run across the ceiling.
The upstairs
Opposite the entrance door, there is a staircase, which also has terracotta tiles. It leads up to the first-floor landing. There used to be four bedrooms up here, but now there are only two. The main bedroom offers a 20m² floor area. Two south-facing windows fill it with natural light. An in-built wardrobe takes up the west wall. The sloping attic ceiling is covered with panelling painted white. The second bedroom is smaller. It looks outside northwards. These two bedrooms share a tiled shower room with a lavatory and a window. All the floors are terracotta-tiled.
The self-contained studio apartments
There are two self-contained studio apartments. Together, they offer a total floor area of 38m². The first one lies on the east side of the ground floor. It leads out through French windows onto the terrace on the south side. It has a kitchenette and a shower room with a lavatory. It is separated from the main house by a perpendicular wooden fence. Its private outdoor space covers 17m² and enjoys absolute privacy. The second studio apartment lies up on the first floor. You reach it via backstairs that lead up to a private terrace. It is integrated into the edifice on the east side. It used to include two bedrooms. Today, this studio apartment offers a 21m² floor area. Filled with natural light from two windows, it has a kitchenette and a shower room with a lavatory. The floors of the studio apartments are terracotta-tiled and the stone walls are plastered.
The separate dwellings
Two looseboxes stand at one end of the plot. They each offer a 9m² floor area and are filled with natural light from a window. They are separated by a wooden fence. Each one forms a private space with a view of the natural surroundings. Outside, there is a shower room with a lavatory.
The garden and swimming pool
The garden mainly extends on the south side and at the front of the house. The plot is divided into three flat terraces with dry-stone retaining walls. The whole space covers 2,355m². From the mulberry trees on the terrace to the age-old olive trees, the palm trees and the tulip tree beside the swimming pool, as well as local varieties of trees, the vegetation here creates shady spots where you can find welcome coolness in the heat of summer. An infinity pool, which is 8 metres long and 4.5 metres wide, is set in a travertine terrace on the garden’s intermediate level. This swimming pool, treated with salt, enjoys absolute privacy. The last level is taken up by an orchard, a kitchen garden and a well. Two stone annexes – one beside the parking area and one adjoining the back of the house – serve as storehouses. A well on a 38m² plot on the north side, behind the house, provides the garden and surrounding vineyards with water.
Our opinion
This delightful, cosy Provençal house, tucked away in calm natural backdrop, is set back from seaside bustle yet is not isolated. The enchanting landscape with its colours that change in accordance with the seasons forms a vista that draws your gaze. The house’s recent renovation has combined respectful preservation of its charming historical character with touches of modern comfort in the different rooms. This property could be your main home or an ideal holiday home. Moreover, you could use part of it as tourist accommodation for extra income.
1 290 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 291858
| Land registry surface area | 2393 m² |
| Main building floor area | 160 m² |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
| Outbuildings floor area | 56 m² |
French Energy Performance Diagnosis
Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the website: www.georisques.gouv.fr
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
