Barre-des-Cévennes, Languedoc-Roussillon 48400

A castle and its feudal keep set on the eastern flank of its 30-hectare estate in the Valle Franaise in the Cvennes mountains. Formerly the stronghold of the Arnal family, who at the end of the 17th century owned most of the valley and the hamlet of Beaumelle, hence the name Arnal de la Beaumelle, the castle was burnt down in 1702 during the War of the Camisards. When it was rebuilt between 1730 and 1740, it lost most of its fortified appearance. The keep still dominates the surrounding buildings constructed along a lane: a castle resembling a feudal residence flanked by two towers, as well as a number of outbuildings destined for farming, including cowsheds and a shed for drying chestnuts. This mainly west-facing hilltop hamlet commands the southern valley. Fed by several springs, the estate has developed over the last two centuries thanks to livestock activities and terraced crop cultivation on the many well-oriented 'restanques' (terraces). The river at the bottom of the valley used to power several mills.