House Avignon (84)
A fully renovated house with a 60m² floor area, a terrace and a garage, tucked away down a calm alley in the heart of Avignon. Traces of Avignon’s medieval past remain in its centre, despite all the changes made to this old city since the 14th century. This is especially so in Avignon’s ancient streets, some of which have been miraculously spared by the different architects that have redesigned the city over the course of its long story. The narrow road on which this dwelling stands is one of these ancient streets. This modest alley ran alongside the gardens of grand houses, one of which is now a remarkable museum. Basil was cultivated on this street when the plant was imported from the Indies in the 15th century. This trend gave the street its name. There a very few facades along the alley. Indeed, there are barely half a dozen houses here. Only tall stone walls enclosing vast private gardens are tokens of the past along this street. The small house, with its pale blue shutters, is framed between two of these tall stone walls. It has a ground floor, a first floor and a converted roof space. Though it has two upper floors, only one can be seen from the street. The building was probably once a stable, then a storehouse for horse-drawn vehicles. It used to stand at the end of the grounds of an imposing grand house, the enclosing wall of which it was built against. It is likely that this little dwelling was built in the late 19th century. Indeed, the door surround of the entrance bears the inscription ‘1881’. Its facade stands on the quiet alley. Its exposed stonework with pointing is typical of small Provençal homes. This facade is simple: there is just a garage door, an entrance door and two windows.
$362,400
By Patrice Besse