Serene Country Retreat on Beautiful French Hilltop

Description from the owner

Deep in the heart of old France, this is a charming and comfortably remodeled stone farmhouse in the spectacular natural regional park Livradois-Forez. The hilltop property is at an altitude of 780 meters, on the outskirts of the hamlet of Dassaud, in St.Victor-Montvianeix, a large but sparsely populated, wooded commune in the mountains north of medieval Thiers, southeast of the spa-city of Vichy, both 30 minutes away by car, in the Department of Puy-de-Dôme, region of Auvergne, two hours west of Lyon.

Outdoors there are many beautifully landscaped flower beds, rose bushes, apple and cherry trees. There is a large garden and a privat...e outdoor shower and bath.

The property is on the summit of a ridge with beautiful views across forested and rolling hills. From the garden, one can see the sun rise behind the hills to the east and set behind the mountain Puy-de-Dôme and its chain of volcanoes to the west.

This is an ideal place for people who love nature, quiet relaxation, beautiful surroundings and have a desire to experience French

country life.

A cozy, three-story house, it has both a wood-burning stove and electric heaters. The ground floor and veranda are 35 square meters and each upper floor measures approximately 25 square meters. It has a completely equipped kitchen, gas stove and a clothes washer and dryer. The two bedrooms have excellent queen-sized beds with memory foam and down quilts. There is a beautifully tiled bathroom on the first floor with bathtub and shower, while the second story bathroom has a large, newly tiled stall shower. There are toilets on every floor. There is a queen-sized sofa bed in the upper bedroom, along with a satellite television connection and WiFi access. The ground floor living room has a cozy sitting area around the wood-burning stove and an upright piano, as well as an audio system for listening to CD's and cassette tapes. The entry room is a well-insulated glass veranda, perfect for enjoying meals and gazing at surrounding nature, such as the multitude of wild birds which come to enjoy the vast garden.

Hiking on trails through the woods and hunting for mushrooms

are great pleasures without poison oak or poison ivy to ruin the fun. Bicycling is the main local sport spring to fall. Snow-shoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing are nearby in the winter, and there are ski stations about an hour away.

Throughout the year there are open markets 20 minutes away in three nearby towns, specializing in local and regional food products world famous for such specialties as Bleu d'Auvergne, Forme d'Ambert,

salt-cured ham and organic (biologique) fruits and vegetables.

The Regional Park Livradois-Forez offers many sites and activities year-round. Just across the valley,

the magnificent Chaîne des Puys of Auvergne Volcanoes National Park offers great hiking and skiing and is home to Vulcania, the European Park of Volcanism.Read more

Additional Location Information

It is located in the hills 30 minutes southeast of Vichy, 5 hours due south of Paris by car and 3 hours south of Paris by train to Vichy, where car rentals are readily available. The regional capital city of Clermont-Ferrand is 60 km or one hour across the valley below and to the west. There are three nearby airports with car rentals readily available: Clermont-Ferrand Aulnat, 45 minutes; St. Etienne, 90 minutes; Lyon Saint-Exupéry, 2 hours.

Location Type Away from it all, Mountain, Rural

Rental fees

Additional notes from owner

80 euros one-time cleaning fee
refundable 200 euros security deposit

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