Opis:

In the gentle rolling landscape of the Lauragais region but only 30 minutes from Toulouse International Airport and 30 minutes from the buoyant historical centre of Toulouse, this stately farmhouse is the perfect example of a former affluent farm.
It has been restored to today's comfort and way of life with utmost care and taste while keeping the period features such as vast fireplaces, exposed beams, terracotta floor tiles and terra cotta walls and of course majestic volumes. The pigeonnier next to the 12x4m swimming pool has been fitted as a summer kitchen and the vast terrace allows for the contemplation of the quiet and soft countryside.

The living room is made of a vast 200 sqm room with fireplace and a cosy mezzanine, extended by a very vast kitchen with fireplace. With 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms all at the same level this house can be a perfect large family house or run as a B&B. A total of 14 rooms allows certainly for more bedrooms.

One of the two typical aisles of the farm is used to park several cars. The farmhouse is set in grounds of over 1 hectare, landscaped and with mature trees. 3 wells allow to water the park.

The property is located nearby a fairly scenic small sized town with all daily life amenities, including a very lively and colorful street market. Then Toulouse is only a 30 minutes drive.

Regional description:

First to come to mind when thinking of Toulouse, is the rather extraordinary mingle between dynamic economy and quality of life. It is usually the one or the other; a buoyant economic life with little quality of life as it is found in all major capital cities, or a relaxed pace of life but with too little economic dynamism. Such is not the case in Toulouse and it is rare enough, in France or elsewhere, to be emphasised. Toulouse really has this dual identity and combines high tech industries in aerospace, biotechnologies or medical research, among others, with a rich cultural heritage and a very sought-after quality of life due to its geographical position and mild climate. Just a few facts to summarize this blessed geography: the Mediterranean is a 1h30 drive, and so is a drive to the closest Pyrenees ski resorts while The Atlantic Ocean is a 2h30 drive from Toulouse.

It might sound pretentious to say that Toulouse is the French or even the European equivalent to Seattle, but what is true is that the "Pink city" shelters the headquarters of Airbus. The aeronautic industry employs in Toulouse and its area over 20, 000 direct employees and 30, 000 indirect employees. Toulouse is also the French centre of aerospace industry with Ariane Espace, Alcatel, Astrium and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales as the major actors of the sector. It has been chosen to shelter the European equivalent to the American GPS system. The sector accounts for 7,500 directs jobs and 15,000 indirect ones. Most of the satellite launched by Ariane Espace are designed and assembled in Toulouse. Due to the satellite industry Meteo France, the French weather forecast agency, is located in Toulouse too. Research then, accounts for 18,600 jobs and is divided between research on aerospace, pharmaceutical industry and agro-bio-sciences. Toulouse has been chosen, along 7 other big French cities to become a centre for research on cancer. The two Public University Hospitals of Toulouse are listed among the best in France. As a consequence or cause of Toulouse importance in research is its place as second students' city in France after Paris with around 70,000 students.

As a consequence of its economic appeal is Haute-Garonne the 3rd French "department" with the fastest growing population, which offers a sound basis for property investment.

It is rare enough that such economic dynamism still comes along with quality of life and a beautiful and close countryside. It is rather easy and quick to escape the crowd and to find oneself in a nice landscape of gently rolling hills, with distant views over the Pyrenees, or walking along the Garonne River or the Canal du Midi. Part of Haute-Garonne has remained rural, therefore whichever direction chosen to leave Toulouse will take you to a nice countryside. When leaving Toulouse by the North you will quite soon find yourself in the Frontonnais vineyard and the Gaillac vineyard when leaving on the North East side. The South East landscape is one of gentle hills called Lauragais, often compared to Tuscany. The South is a rural valley with the Pyrenees as background and Western escape leads to the gentle hills of the Gers, the famous Gascony. These beautiful landscapes are scattered with pretty villages, sometimes a red brick castle or manor springs out of a sunflower field. Midi-Pyrenees is the French region with the most so called "plus beaux villages de France" (prettiest French villages), probably because the region has always been a rather rich farming area.

Red brick made with local clay is the 'trade mark' of local architecture and gives it its uniqueness, charm and warmth. Toulouse is a master piece of red brick architecture and no other big French city looks alike. Far from being as majestic as Paris' or Bordeaux' architecture, it has a discreet charm. When wandering through the narrow streets of the city centre, one discovers many private mansions hidden behind heavy wooden doors. Hotel d'Asezat, now sheltering a museum is an extraordinary example of this Renaissance period when "pastel" (woad) a dyeing plant, was bringing wealth to the region. This plant was grown in the whole area around Toulouse and was an important pillar of the economy until the end of the XVIth century. Many small towns, villages and castles were built at this time thus providing the local architecture with a remarkable uniqueness.

Other interesting architectural features of the region are the many "bastides" towns (walled towns) built during the XIIth and XIIIth century. The concept was revolutionary as compared with the anarchic way of building towns at that time. Many small market towns (around 300 in Midi Pyrenees) were designed following this concept of strict geometry with right angle streets and a covered market ("halle") in the centre surrounded by timber framed houses. Revel and Grenade in Haute-Garonne are well-preserved examples.