Montfrin, Languedoc-Roussillon 30490

A 15th-century village house renovated in a modern style, with garden courts and a rooftop pool, 20 minutes from Avignon high-speed train station. The house stands on a slope, spread over three levels that follow the land. It lies on one of the narrow streets that lead up to the chateau. Part of it is hidden behind an enclosed plant-dotted plot that covers around 600m² and part of it leads straight out onto a small, secret road in the village, which the house looks down at. You can either enter the house from the narrow street, via its former cellars, now used as a garage, or from a hidden door that leads, surprisingly, into a vast patio where local plants grow. This courtyard takes you, via a stone staircase, to a swimming pool, which, unusually, looks down at the house from above it, while also looking down at the rest of the village and offering an unrivalled view of the region. The house is a former annexe of the old Knights Templar commandery that neighbours it. The year 1411 can be seen in its majestic vaulted cellars, bearing witness to its true age. Yet the place was regularly extended up to the 19th century. Its facade has kept the monastic austerity of elevations in France's Gard department. Indeed, this plain style contrasts with the exuberance of the Renaissance style that the remains of the commandery beside it display. Only the village's chateau and church bell tower look at the secret dwelling, which enjoys privacy yet offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. The edifice has been restored in a very modern style, but which respects the place's original architecture and old high-quality materials. The dwelling is in excellent condition and offers a 300m² floor area, spread out, via a system of internal hallways that is both playful and practical, across a vast lounge with a cathedral ceiling and a mezzanine reading room, a contemporary open-plan kitchen with a dining area, six spacious bedrooms with bathrooms, an office and a fitness room. The connecting cellars with high four-part vaulted ceilings were medieval annexes that were once inhabited, but which, today, are not included in the home's liveable floor area. Inside the house, the walls are lime-plastered white and the floors are adorned with glazed terracotta tiles and old wood strips. Even the tiniest fragment of the wealth of history contained in each piece of stone has been carefully preserved. This is the case outside too, where the stonework has been masterfully restored in a style identical to the original design, which is typical of France's Gard department. Indeed, this property is a wonderful tribute to its rich past.