House in PEPIEUX , Aude , Languedoc Roussillon

On the edge of a tree-lined square with a fountain, the house looks south. The entrance hall with draught lobby and original glazed doors leads to the light and bright fully-fitted kitchen on the left, with utility area. Off the hall is a WC with basin, and on the right is a dining room, looking south.

An arch brings one to the stair hall, and at the rear of the house is the spacious living room, with marble fireplace with arched niches on each side, cornices and panelled door. This has the original terracotta floor tiles and glazed double doors leading out to the 34m² terrace, a wonderful place to eat, drink and relax overlooking that superb view over trees, the vine-clad plain and up to the mountains.

The traditional stone staircase in the house has wrought-iron balusters and curves up to the first floor, where a stone landing leads to two lovely large bedrooms with fireplaces, terracotta floor tiles, their original cupboards, and decorative plasterwork. One has two windows facing south, the other a single large window overlooking the gorgeous view.

On this floor, the bathroom is the pièce de résistance, with a roll-top bath, 2 basins, an Italian-style shower and a marble fireplace with plasterwork overmantel. Again, terracotta tiles. The staircase continues up, and the landing leads to two more gorgeous bedrooms, one looking south with an en-suite shower room and airing cupboard, and one with a natural stone wall and timber beams, overlooking the view.

There are two more rooms on this floor, currently used for storage. There are lovely old panelled doors throughout the house. The roof is in good condition, and the rear slope has been re-roofed. The electrical and plumbing installations have recently been renewed, and there are good-quality electric convectors.

Pépieux is 4 km from Olonzac, 36 km from Carcassonne, 32 km from Narbonne, and 47 km from Béziers; 48 km from the sea, 2.5 hours from Font Romeu for skiing, and just under an hour and a half from Spain. It has a good selection of amenities: several shops, a café, a hairdresser's, a pizzeria, an asiatic restaurant, a small supermarket, a grocery and a bakery. Within 5 km there are more than 20 restaurants!