In Cotignac, voted one of France’s most beautiful villages,
the southern part of a 17th century townhouse with terrace and garden
the southern part of a 17th century townhouse with terrace and garden
Cotignac,
VAR
provence-cote-dazur
83570
FR
Location
Cotignac is a charming haven, a typical Provençal gem that was recently voted one of France’s most beautiful villages. Its curiosities are wide-ranging: a spectacular tuff cliff that towers eighty metres above the village; a miracle that gave the country King Louis XIV, who came to the village on a pilgrimage in 1660 to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for his birth; an annual autumn festival that celebrates the quince fruit; songs by the singer Joe Dassin, who built a house in Cotignac; and an outdoor theatre that hosts an open-air film festival each year.
The village lies thirty kilometres west of Draguignan. It is a twenty-minute drive from Brignoles, a one-hour drive from Aix-en-Provence’s high-speed train station and one hour and fifteen minutes from Marseille Provence Airport. The breathtaking Sainte-Croix lake and Verdon Gorge are just a forty-five-minute drive away and the unspoilt beaches of the Var coast can be reached in only one hour and fifteen minutes. There are also ski resorts two hours away by car.
Description
This stone-wall house with monk-and-nun tile roofing is nestled in the heart of the village, on one of its quaint sloping alleys that snake around old squares and fountains. The edifice dates back to the seventeenth century, when it was a hotel made up of a main building and annexes for horses. Today, it is divided into apartments. One of these, which includes a studio and garden, is part of a commonhold property. The two other accommodation units belong to other commonhold properties.
A flight of stone steps leads to the entrance: a heavy door made of old wood. On the right, below street level, an arched double door leads to a spacious annexe – a former stable – that takes you through to a private garden and studio.
A flight of stone steps leads to the entrance: a heavy door made of old wood. On the right, below street level, an arched double door leads to a spacious annexe – a former stable – that takes you through to a private garden and studio.
The apartment
The building’s main entrance, a communal part of the commonhold property, is roomy and offers all the charm and dimensions of old houses. The floor and staircase are paved with hexagonal tomette tiles, a traditional feature of Provence. The stair nosing is wooden. The apartment could easily be divided into two independent entities, linked internally by a ladder staircase and externally by a communal staircase.
The ground floor
The main arched double door for entering the apartment is an original part of the seventeenth-century building. The interior is taken up by spacious everyday rooms that open out onto a south-east-facing terrace overlooking a little garden and offering a clear view of lush greenery. There is a living room with a pellet stove, a dining room with a fireplace and alcove, and a kitchen. Elegant woodwork cupboards line the alcove walls. All the rooms enjoy a ceiling height of over three metres. The floor is paved with old tomette tiles. Behind the main rooms, a wardrobe and a shower room with a lavatory complete this level.
The first floor
A little wooden staircase leads from the dining room up to the first floor, taking you directly into one of the bedrooms, which connects to a large alcove and a shower room with a lavatory. This bedroom leads to another part of the storey that is made up of large room with a fireplace, a shower room with a lavatory, a kitchen and a small bedroom. With its entrance leading out into the communal staircase, this storey could be used as an independent unit. This part of the house faces south-east. The old windows are arched and made up of small panes. Old tomette tiles pave the floors of most of the rooms. The ceiling height on this level is also around three metres. Some renovation work on this storey should be considered.
The studio
The garden-level studio can be reached in two ways: either down a flight of stairs from the terrace or through a large annexe – a vaulted former stable – that you enter directly from the street. The studio opens out onto the garden. It is made up of a shower room with a lavatory, a bedroom embellished with two stone arches that may well be remnants of the old stable, and a summer kitchen.
The loft
The loft is made up of different rooms that form the house’s top floor. It offers a large convertible space that covers around 50m². The roofing is intact. Major redevelopment work on this storey should be considered as its full potential remains untapped.
The garden
Below the level of the terrace, a long, narrow garden covers around 200m² in front of the studio. It enjoys considerable exposure to sunshine. A sizeable olive tree provides refreshing shade. The garden is suitable for a swimming pool and currently includes an above-ground pool. Its eastern side offers a view of the vast neighbouring garden dotted with olive trees and orange trees. This delightful vista endows the whole place with a wonderful bucolic atmosphere.
Our opinion
A house nestled in the enchanting old heart of Cotignac, lulled by the beat of its belfry bells. It has delightful volume, it features charming remnants of old constructions and it offers exciting potential with the possibility of making its living spaces independent: the studio is already independent, the apartment could either be separated into two accommodation units or enjoyed as a house, and the loft could be converted into yet another separate living space.
A school lies just down the road and there are shops and doctors in the village centre and towards the bottom of Cotignac, just a few minutes’ walk away. This makes the house’s central location ideal. It is the perfect spot for experiencing the true pleasure of village life in all seasons in this vibrant, welcoming corner of France’s Var department.
Reference 658721
| Land registry surface area | 212 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 200 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 4 |
| Number of lots | 11 |
Aucune procédure en cours menée sur le fondement des articles 29-1 A et 29-1 de la loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965 et de l’article L.615-6 du CCH
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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.
