Surrounded by mountains, Sospel nestles at the southern end of the Bevera valley on the edge of the Parc Mercantour and the celebrated Vallée des Merveilles. Only fifteen kilometers from Menton and the sea, its strategic position means that Sospel has changed hands many times over the centuries. In the Middle-Ages, the town belonged to the Count of Ventimiglia, then the Count of Provence, before falling under the control of the Count of Savoy; it became part of France in 1860. In the nineteenth century, the colossal Suchet fort was constructed to protect against invaders from the Col de Turin, the last bastion before the road to Nice. During the 1930s, the fort was supplemented by a massive artillery block dominating the Merlanson valley and the road to the Col de Castillon. The two structures were part of the Maginot Line, which terminated at the Casemate of Saint Louis on the Franco-Italian border at Menton.

This month’s property was also constructed by the French army in the 1930s to house the commanding officer in Sospel. Overlooking the town and facing south, the house is atypical in a region of Provençal and neo-Provençal villas. Constructed to a very high quality and retaining many of its original features including solid oak parquet floors and marble-surround fireplaces, this seven room 200m² house is built over two floors, with cellar space of another 100m². The feeling of space and light is accentuated by the exceptionally high ceilings (3.20m).

The ground floor is composed of a very large entrance hall, a study which could also be used as a fifth bedroom, a lovely sunny salon which is connected to a dining room by glass-paneled doors, and a spacious kitchen with its own dining area. Each room has an open-fire place with marble mantelpiece. The second floor is reached by a rather beautiful staircase which opens into a huge landing which is currently used as an office area. On this floor, there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The cellar space is divided into several separate areas with windows and could be converted into additional living space.

The house is set in its own small garden on a private road, where there is ample parking space. The property, which would make a lovely family house or which could be converted into a bed and breakfast, is on the market at €646,600.

For more information on this and other properties in the Menton area, call me on my mobile: 06.68.93.07.38, send me an e-mail at: hilary@kgimmo.com, or check out our website: http://www.kgimmo.com