Issoire, Auvergne 63500

A Renaissance house with a tower and court, nestled in Usson - listed as one of France's most beautiful villages - in the breathtaking Auvergne region. The house forms an L shape. It comes into view at the end of a village street, beyond its walled courtyard. The old dwelling has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor. It is crowned with a hipped roof. The edifice is a token of Usson's traditional architecture, which is characterised by homes built with prismatic blocks derived from the basalt columns that tower over the village. The window and door surrounds are made of dressed arkose - pale stone like sandstone, extracted from local quarries - or of brick. The harmony of the materials is brought out by the vermilion red of the cornices upon corbels. And at the back of the house, there is a garden terrace.