Good Wednesday morning! A hilltop house with two independent “troglodyte”-style cottages, in the charming village of Chissay-en-Touraine, France!
This home built into the hill retains the old style of cave-house building, common in the Loire Valley. A brief history as per this article in the Smithsonian Magazine: “After widespread quarrying of the tuffeau [local limestone] began in the 11th century and created cavities in the hills and plains, people moved in… [in modern days] most are abandoned. Others have been revamped as troglo hotels, restaurants, museums, artist galleries, wineries” and more.
From the listing on Le Figaro:
5 minutes from Chenonceaux, in the charming village of Chissay-en-Touraine, a hilltop house that runs along the castle of Chissay immediately catches the eye. It is accessed from the street by a small staircase that leads to a pretty private driveway. Its small garden perched on trellis successively reveals two independent semi-troglodyte cottages of 70 and 35 m2, a cellar in the rock and a semi-troglo main house also of 150 m2. As an extension of a beautiful wooden terrace of 40 m2, a real summer living room, the living space of 35 m2 of this main house was designed directly in the rock. Its open kitchen and stove give it a warm and friendly atmosphere. Two bedrooms, one with a troglo with bathroom, adjoin this living room. Through a small access to the airs of secret passage one accedes to the other wing of this house with private entrance therefore can be separated in two independent houses. There is a large office or second living room, a small separate kitchen and a floor with a bedroom in the attic. A few steps away, taking the alley, the first cottage has a bedroom with bathroom and a nice living room. The second cottage, also independent, stands on two floors: a living room in the rock with open kitchen, then two charming bedrooms with bathroom. Both cottages have a small terrace perched for one, a small garden at the entrance of the alley for the other. This atypical property with immediate charm enjoys a south-west exposure and an unobstructed view that gives it, in the slightest ray of sunshine, an absolutely unique holiday air as well as immense potential, whether it is exploited in cottages or in a large family home.
Escapist To The Country 