Property profile : the architecture of the Aude
As you fly into Carcassonne or Toulouse airport, look out the window and you will immediately be struck by the distinctive red clay Roman tiles that have covered the roofs of this area for a thousand years. Amongst them will be the familiar blue flash of glittering rectangular or oval pools confirming that you are definitely descending into a Mediterranean climate.
Although distinctly Mediterranean (just like the climate, landscape and people) the style and range of property in this area is both rich and varied. As a result, price per square metre in the Aude is simply not a metric we use to draw any real meaning.
In the towns of the Aude, such as Carcassonne, Narbonne and Limoux the central townhouses are either classical Hausmann-style with high ceilings, ornate carvings and tall original windows, with some exceptional Art Deco buildings in amongst them.
Further inland, the central squares of Chalabre, Limoux and Mirepoix and a number of villages in the area date back to Mediaeval times and are known for their charming ‘colombage’ (plaster and timber) facades. The Cathar and Mediaeval influence on village houses is prevalent with stone properties built directly into the rock, ornate curly wrought iron shutters and arrow-slit windows.. Just as in other areas of France, the colours of the shutters are distinct and here it is mostly Provence blue and green against terracotta and sandy facades.
Towards the coast, the prevailing architecture is modern, villa-style; low rise and spacious. However, there are plenty of larger ‘mas’ across the Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales. A mas is a large Roman farmhouse, typically South-facing to make the most of the sun and importantly, the North-East sides are normally lacking in windows to protect them from the prevailing winds of Southern France. These would have been the original Roman farmhouses; solid and built out of the stone of the local area, they seem to rise up from the earth itself.
Being a wine-growing area, the largest and most impressive properties are typically the wine domaines themselves. Taking their inspiration from the original Roman mas, these are usually solid, stone properties with thick walls and Roman tiled roofs, often at the end of a long Olive tree-lined driveway. There are, however, some exceptions built in the 18th century by the gentry based on Italian palazzos and neoclassical chateaux which would look equally at home around the Loire valley. One feature that characterises these larger estates is the importance of discretion and privacy, with very few of these properties being visible to the public. The Languedoc has always been a region attracting people seeking privacy and freedom.
If you are looking for either an elegant town property, land, privacy and a property built for sunny climates but you are tired of the characterless, modernist properties on the coastline, the Aude has plenty of authentic grand properties steeped in history that would interest you.
