luxury bastides for sale Notre Dame des Routes, France

A hillside villa in Toulon, south-east France, built on a 17th-century priory with vast wooded grounds and a sweeping view of the city’s natural harbour. An electric gate marks the main entrance. You reach it via a steep lane with two bends that is around 100 metres long. Beyond the gate, on the left, there is a large, flat parking space for four vehicles. A shelter there offers space for three vehicles. At a lower level, there is a half-open second space where two other vehicles can be parked. A few steps take you up to a wrought-iron double-leaf gate that leads into a covered entrance area from where you enter the house. The villa, crowned with a roof of barrel tiles, has two floors, extended with terraces on three sides. It was entirely renovated in the early 1990s, then in 1998. Its one-metre-thick walls rendered with roughcast bear witness to the building’s long history: the place was probably a priory that dated back to the 17th century – this is suggested by a millstone bearing the year ‘1630’ that was found on the site. The south-facing house is rectangular, built upon the rocky hillside with a flat ground floor. It offers a floor area of around 280m². Its many sliding picture windows across its facade herald a bright interior bathed in natural light. These windows are fitted with electric roller shutters. The west gable wall is made of exposed pointed stonework. A niche in this wall houses two small statues of cherubs. A vast terrace in front of the south-facing facade of white rendering offers a spectacular vista of the city below and, beyond it, Toulon’s natural harbour. On this terrace, you can relax in an infinity pool where you can admire an unrivalled view of the sea. On the left, two shelters offer shade and coolness in the summer heat. On the north side, two walkways lead to the first-floor terrace and the garden. The villa is surrounded by its vast wooded grounds on a slope.

A late 18th century bastide to be renovated set in 4 000 m² of land planted with trees in a very quiet location close to the sea, in the Cap Brun district of Toulon. The almost 4 000 m² plot is fully enclosed, virtually completely flat, rectangular-shaped and faces north-south. The country house, with around 250 m² of living space, also known as the 'campagne' in the region, is in a central position and is bordered on both sides by old terracotta terraces. Linked to the entrance gate by a stone path laid out in “calade” style, it is enhanced by the various species of majestic trees that border it and occupy the northern part of the grounds. The southern part, which does not have any trees in the centre and is structured by wide, low terraces, would be particularly suitable for a large swimming pool. The central part of the bastide is two storeys high above a garden level, with three rows of windows on the first and second floors, and two lower one-storey wings. The three roofs are gabled with canal tiles and the ridge lines are roughly on the same line. Two rows of white painted spandrels adorn the roofs. A single-storey extension has been built in the north-west corner to house a painting studio topped by a beautiful paved terrace, which is accessible from the first floor. The rectangular windows are protected by green-painted shutters. Several balconies, gazebos, overhangs and an external staircase brighten up the south facade. Finally, the outbuildings are grouped together along the western boundary of the property, and include a shed, two garages, a cellar and various storage areas.