18th century Olive Mill in Maussanne

Returned from my painting trip - and right back into some real estate culture! Coming month the Marina Artists' team will have some interesting new aquarelles of houses to show, but for now we're featuring a real-stone beautifully restored olive mill in Maussanne, near St Remy de Provence. My colleague Lindsay Paterson has it in her portfolio and she mentioned that Mausanne is very lovely and not yet well known by tourists. However, there are a lot of famous people living in the area... Terence Conran to name one, and "Brad and Angelina" apparently looking in the Alpilles too. The mill produces Appellation controlée olive oil, wine, there are great restaurants on walking distance, and there is peace and quiet, what more could you possibly want!
This very romantic original olive mill is built in the 18th century and still has its original features, like high vaulted ceilings and arched doorways. The living spaces are exceptionally spacious and the modern dining kitchen has been recently restored (it includes a working fireplace which can be used for grilling, as well as double electric ovens, hob and extensive storage). There is a covered 10 x 5m swimming pool and the 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a guest house of 85m² make sure your friends can comfortably stay over! And if you need more space, there is a two storey barn attached to the house which could be converted to provide additional living accommodation if required.
In short, when you are seeking authenticity, character and charm in the heart of the Alpilles, this rare find is just what you are looking for! Asking price 2,8Million Euros. More information and more pictures on the RHF website!

Collioure

For a painting "holiday" I'm in Collioure- and I must say it is one of the loveliest places I've ever been to! People are mega friendly, the views are spectacular, the (sea-)food is great - I'm going back home to Valbonne tomorrow, but I'll be very happy to return here from time to time...

And as it happens, our RHF shop in the Pyrénées Orientales has a stunning 13th century watchtower for sale - with sea views

It was originally built around 1250 AD and formed part of a chain of defensive communication towers. The house and tower were fully restored in the 1970’s by an architect with specialist knowledge of dealing with historic buildings.The property consists of a Mas, the Tower of course and a separate apartment. Mas and Tower are joined together and offer two living rooms, an entertaining space (currently occupied by a grand piano), a romantic tower room, four bedrooms and a number of terraces. Aside from the obvious appeal and history of this amazing property it is also endowed with a wonderful garden and outside space of almost 3 hectares (7.5 acres) of land. This rare and unique property offers comfortable accommodation and has fabulous views. It is the ultimate South of France living.... The price is now reduced to € 1,799,000.... For more information visit our website or contact my colleague James Edgecombe

Villa in Jouques

In the Bouches du Rhône, 27 kilometers from Aix-en-Provence and 54 km from Marseille, lies the old village of Jouques
Nowadays it has a population of 3500, but even 60.000 years BC people already lived in Jouques, shown by remains in la grotte de l'Adaouste: Very old tools were found there deep in the ground. Serious population in Jouques began with the Romans, who setup a military station and later factories for pottery. In the first century the Romans built an aquaduct to steer water from Jouques' sources to Aix and in 1800 Jouques really began to grow into what it is nowadays, with more pottery, a paper factory and several windmills that amongst others produced flour and oil. From the ancient wall around it, Jouques has conserved its west entrance gate and some remnants of the south and northwest ringwall.

Overlooking this lovely Medieval village, with a panoramic view on the mountains as well, RHF has a 190M² villa with pool on a terrain of 3200 m² for sale. A lovely, well-cared for house, with automatic stores and solar panels. Large windows shower the interior in light and the fireplace in the huge living area is done in the local 'pierre de Rognes'. From this house, you can enjoy a panoramic view over the Medieval Village and the mountains. It has 4 large bedrooms with bathrooms, the master bedroom opens into the garden and olive trees. The pool has a BBQ area and a studio of 20m².
This house will offer quality village life as well as privacy, being a 3 minutes walk from the village center and as international schools are being created in Manosque, apart from a terrific 2nd residence, it could also be a perfect place to live all year round! Asking price 940,000 €. If you want to know more about this house, contact my colleague Maya or visit the RHF website

Valbonne

At the Riviera Home Finders (RHF International) offices it is top busy season already. We are booked up every day of the week, showing our clients the fantastic lifestyle in the South of France. Ok, I admit, this involves lots of champagne-drinking on terraces under plane trees... But it leaves so little time for blogging... I promise that I'll pick it up again soon! And these are two examples of the beautiful houses we have in our portfolio... The top one in Mougins - Asking price around 3 million Euros. The other in Cap Ferrat, asking price around 8 million Euros. If you are interested, contact RHF International ... Until soon!