Joigny, Burgundy 89300

1 hour 30 minutes from Paris, in a village in the Yonne valley, a former 19th-century post relay. The former relay, built in 1847, is backed against a fortified door and is among the last testimonies of the medieval past of the town. The ensemble, enclosed by old walls, has several access points: one directly to the courtyard at the foot of the buildings, the other below, via the garden. The main entrance is through a wooden drive gate, framed by sturdy brick pilasters, with a separate pedestrian exit. The house is laid out on one level around a gravelled courtyard, which also serves the former stable, still graced by its dovecote. Downstairs, a footbridge crosses the Vrin and provides access to the garden. The stream runs through the property before joining the Yonne downstream. There is also an old private washhouse downstream. The dwelling is built on an L-shaped plan. The main wing, oriented southwest, rises two stories and features plastered façades in gray-stone tones, while the secondary wing shows visible brick masonry. The top floor receives natural light from roof windows and a series of small rectangular openings. The buildings are topped with traditional Bourgogne flat clay tile roofs. The façades, rhythmically pierced by arched openings framed by bricks, are clad with shutters in soft greenish almond tones. A metal trellis runs along the façades, allowing a wisteria to develop, providing shade and spring blooms, while jasmine climbs along the structure. The immediate surroundings of the house feature plant beds and flowering borders.