Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey, Rhône 01150

A house with a converted old tower and remnants of an 11th-century chateau, looking down over a valley in France's beautiful Bugey province between Lyon and Geneva. The property is perched upon a rocky hill that looks down over the village and the River Rhne valley. In the Middle Ages, this strategic position was used to keep watch over the surroundings and protect the site with several fortresses. The fortification that stood on this spot was called 'Le Grand Chteau'. It dated back to the 11th century. Later, the chateau belonged to the Dauphin and Savoie provinces. And in 1595, the troops of the King of France destroyed it. The chateau had a square court, two walls of which remain here today. A steep, shady lane leads up to the property. A wooden gate takes you onto a driveway that runs up to the house and tower at the property's south end. This guard tower is a remnant of the old fortification. It has been preserved and converted. This stone tower has two levels. An extension dating back to the 1960s now adjoins it. This extension only has a ground floor. Its elevations are rendered and the building is crowned with a single-slope roof of stone tiles. Large windows bathe the interior in natural light and offer beautiful views of the surroundings. The wooded grounds form a plateau of around 8, 500m that looks down over the valley. Here and there, you can still see remnants of the old chateau. These grounds stretch down to the village.