Domaine de Fontcouverte

The developer has given an 18th-century farmhouse near Castelnaudary (Aude department) a new lease of life. The farmhouse is being renovated and 11 very varied houses with terraces and gardens will be built on the grounds in a park-like setting. Construction is well under way and the project is scheduled for completion by autumn 2008.

The grounds of Domaine de Fontcouverte comprise around 7,000 m2 and will include a communal swimming pool and tennis court. Countless picturesque villages can be found in the historic surroundings. The famous medieval town of Carcassonne is just a 20-minute drive away, and Castelnaudary itself is also extremely beautiful. You can enjoy all kinds of activities in the surrounding areas. The beaches of the Mediterranean and the ski areas of the Pyrenees are just 1.5-hour drive away. You can also of course sample delicious food and drink, as the region offers traditional regional dishes, such as cassoulet, and the exquisite wines of Languedoc-Roussillon

•    Renovation project near Castelnaudary (Aude)
•    18th-century farmhouse is the basis for an estate with 11 houses
•    Communal swimming pool and tennis court
•    Beautiful historic surroundings

Domaine de Fontcouverte can be reached by car quite easily because of the good French infrastructure. We assume that mostly the channel tunnel from Dover to Calais will be used, so we will explain the route from Calais. Of course it is possible to take the ferry from the United Kingdom to France. Then other starting points are possible.        The journey time from Calais is approximately 11 hours by car. There are several routes to Castelnaudary, from where Domaine de Fontcouverte is only 10 minutes drive. The quickest route is the following:
        Calais (a26) • (a1) • Paris (a10) • Orléans (a71) • Vierzon (a20)        • Limoges • Montauban (a62) • Toulouse (a61) • Castelnaudary        • Laurabuc
     

Carcassonne as well as Toulouse and Perpignan have excellent international airports. Several inexpensive airline companies fly from London Stansted, East Midlands and Liverpool in the UK and from Shannon and Dublin airport in Ireland. The rates are very attractive, especially when you book ample time in advance. Obviously, other flights with other airline companies, to for example the international airport Blagnac in Toulouse, are also possible, but these will be a little more expensive. For more information on these flights we recommend you to contact your local travelling agency or consult the internet.

By train it is nowadays very easy to get to Southern France as well. This is namely due to the very good connection of the TGV/Thalys    and the Euro star. You can take the train from London into the direction of the channel tunnel (200-220 km/h) and then continue on the high speed network and traditional network to Castelnaudary.

The development is situated in this beautiful, hilly landscape of vineyards, sunflower fields and little villages, 4 miles south of Castelnaudary, which is located at the auto-route a61 (Toulouse-Carcassonne). Domaine de Fontcouverte is situated approx. 1 mile from the edge of the village Laurabuc on the communal road d116. The south of the site faces a hilly region towards the Pyrenees and the north overlooks the plains to the Montagne Noire. Castelnaudary is a beautiful and picturesque village on the banks of the Canal du Midi and can be reached within 10 minutes by car and is famous for its cassoulet, a traditional meal. Carcassonne is just a twenty minute journey by car and has an international airport with many cheap flights to the u.k. and Ireland. You can be on the Mediterranean beaches or the ski resorts of the Pyrenees within 1.5 hours. This region has a stunning and very rich history and of course it is famous for its fine wines and cuisine of the Aude

You do have to take in consideration, the taxes you have to pay for the total of square metres of your plot of land (taxe foncière)and also for the total square metres of the habitable surface of your house (taxe d’habitation). This varies per department and even per community. On Domaine de Fontcouverte the total of these property taxes will be on average € 1,000 per year.

The Languedoc-Roussillon is situated in Southern France. In the South it backs up against the Pyrenees and the Spanish border, to the East you can find the Mediterranean coast. The most Southern department is the “Pyrénées-Orientales” and is largely situated in the mountains in the Pyrenees. This department is also known as French Catalonia. The department situated a little more to the North is called “Aude”. The capital of the Pyrénées-Orientales is Perpignan and of the Aude is Carcassonne. Carcassonne is situated between two chains of mountains. In the south you will find the Pyrenees. Parallel to the Pyrenees, but 125 km north there is another chain of mountains, the Montagne Noire as part of the Central Massif.

Big parts of the Montagne Noire form one huge nature reserve, which is being labelled by the government as a protected nature reserve of 260,500 acres. Between the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees there is an area called “Petite France” because it is characterized by big differences in a relatively small area. Every aspect of France can be found here. At the coast there are wide endless beaches with numerous marinas. In the south of this coastal area there are huge cliffs, with bays and small beaches. Behind the coast there is a big area characterized by a range of hills covered by vineyards, farmlands, forests and typical French villages with a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. A little further inland are the Catalan Pyrenees which offer all kinds of ski and winter leisure possibilities with Andorra as the main ski resort.

Les Pays Cathares

The two departments Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales form the country of the Cathars that used to live in this area around 900 until 1300 a.c. who distinguished themselves by believing the devil exists as well as God; the devil represented the bad things in humans and God the good. This was not accepted by the Roman Pope and the French king, even though the religion was, apart from this one thing, exactly the same. The French King started organising crusades in order to ban this heresy. Nevertheless the religion of the people that lived in theseregions was so strong that they preferred to step onto the stake than change their religion. In order to protect themselves against the king they built a network of fortifications, of which the most famous, of course, is the Cité of Carcassonne. Spread around these areas many more ruins of these fortifications can be found and are certainly worthwhile a visit. The religion of these Cathars still lives on in many things, for example in the story of a hot dish with beans and meat is originated; when the city of Castelnaudary was besieged for a very long time to starve the inhabitants, the besiegers also are suffering hard times through all kinds of weather. When the rations of the inhabitants of Castelnaudary where not enough for more than a couple of days anymore, the count decided to gather all the last pieces of meat, beans, wine, etc. and they made one big party. This disheartened the besiegers so badly that they gave up and retreated. The dish is nowadays known as cassoulet.

Nowadays Carcassonne is the biggest preserved medieval fortification in the world and on the list of world heritages of unesco. Other examples of unesco world heritage sites in this area of France are the Canal du Midi, the medieval village of Mirepoix and there are numerous more to mention…

The former farmhouse, which dates back to the eighteenth century, is situated on a generous plot of app. 14.000 m2 with an ideal east-west location. Pierce & Elliott has designed 11 different houses with terraces and gardens in a landscaped and tranquil environment. The complex has a communal swimming pool, pool house and a communal tennis court. Sufficient parking space is provided for all residents.

The various houses differ in size and content, they all have their own garden. Most houses are provided with one or more (covered) terraces which are designed to give privacy. The houses will be turn-key built and have 2 to 4 bedrooms. The finish will be to a high standard and they will be completely ready to live in. The prices include a fully fitted kitchen supplied with all kind of luxuries, such as a ceramic cooker, microwave-oven combination, fridge freezer and a dishwasher. Also the houses will have luxurious bathrooms with a bath or shower. There will be no other or extra costs on top of the advertised prices!

The original materials and existing separations will be used as much as possible. The other materials to be used will be of a high quality. Doors and windows at the exterior will be made of wood and will be double glazed if possible the old “en pierre” walls (old stones) will be repaired and the other walls will be plastered in an authentic colour. The roofs will be insulated. The electricity system, water supply and sewerage system will be completely renewed and a new purification station will be built. All the houses will be provided with sufficient electrical, telephone and tv plugs. Furthermore there will be sufficient heating elements and even climate control is included. There will also be a satellite TV on the domain.