ONE GOOD DEED DESERVES...

When I first came to Provence and knew nary a soul, I posted a “looking for English-speakers in Provence” note on an expat bulletin board. I got lots of replies but only one person, Patricia Bachrach, really made an effort. We went on to become great friends, which would never have happened had she not reached out. And now that she’s trying to sell her house, posting it here is the least I can do to re-pay her for her warm and generous spirit. That, and she’ll give me a humongous finders’ fee if it sells...

Patricia spent 15 years renovating her home in Maussane and filling it with her vast collection of antiques. Now she and her husband Alan have decided to downscale and have put their one-of-a-kind house on the market. The house was originally an 18th-century olive mill, many vestiges of which are still intact, and would make an ideal B&B, chambre d’hôte or cooking school. The 800-square-meter house has eight fully vaulted ceilings (12 to 14 feet), four bedrooms, three full baths, a stunning kitchen with a vast Brazilian-granite island, custom cabinetry, SMEG appliances, gas and electric cooktops, two ovens, two rotisserie spits and a wood-burning fireplace for making stews and other winter dishes. There’s a formal dining room with climate-controlled wine cave, family room, sitting room/library, office/den, indoor-outdoor pool and a separate one-bedroom guest house. A large two-story barn could be renovated. Many antiques, collectibles and a number of very high-end wines are for sale with the home. 

The house is on the village outskirts in the foothills of the Alpilles, surrounded by sheep farms, olive mills and apricot orchards. It’s just minutes from Les Baux and St. Remy, 20 minutes from Arles and 45 minutes from Marseille. Asking price: €2.2 million. For info: pbprovence@aol.com, 04-90-54-50-94.