La maison du Théron, the history or spirit of the place

The golden Quercy stone house, whose origins date back to the mid-19ᵉ century, grew out of a small rural farmhouse and was gradually extended to include a dwelling above a cellar, a barn and a shed: these gradual additions created an ensemble conducive to a modest but complete farm. At the beginning of the 20th century, the house was plastered with the half-mourning rendering that was fashionable throughout the region, then the porch was transformed into a terrace lined with balusters, topped by open spaces for rabbit hutches. A henhouse in the 'back' meadow, pigsties, a well-stocked vegetable garden, rows of strawberry trees, peach trees punctuating the rows of vines running out in front of the house: all the ingredients for self-sufficiency in food were present to accommodate a typical mixed farming economy and the consumer habits of the time, from one war to the next and then right up to the glorious years.

To these necessities of life were grafted discreet but enduring aesthetic visions: above the barn door, an arcade of finely cut and fitted stone conferred a solemn entrance dimension, the balusters on the terrace recalled the openwork balconies of nobler residences, and the rows of genoises under the eaves of the house added elegant refinement. The garden took on an air of pleasure with the planting of trees that spanned several generations: a parasol pine with a majestic head like the Roman pines set the tone, while an Arizona cypress from a Vosges forest, firs with snow-laden branches and blue pines added their colours to the immediate landscape lulled by roses and birds, like an invitation to extend the view over the vast, graphic landscape that unfolds beyond before our eyes, astonished by this beauty.

Over the decades, the transformation of the house and its surroundings has combined respect for the original authenticity with a desire to open up to a more contemporary and diverse imagination: The walls have been painted yellow to catch the sun better, the garden has been landscaped with low dry stone walls and lines of boxwood, and other trees have flourished: the Athena olive, the Zeus oak, the shade lime, the golden-leafed ginkgo biloba - a cosmopolitan world with the Tuscan-style house at its centre. Familiarity and originality combine to create a welcoming atmosphere, where you can immerse yourself in history and dream of horizons both near and far.

The oak is also the tree of the Quercy region, providing truffles in symbiosis with its roots, jewels of rare gastronomy. These precious mushrooms had been the subject of an active trade for several generations, with a family workshop set up right next to the barn: scenes that are impossible to imagine today, since on some winter evenings, the farmers turned traders would bring two tonnes of black truffles back to the tables from their markets; they sorted, brushed, caned and graded the truffles, which were then transported by rail to other tables in the most prestigious Parisian restaurants. With calloused but delicate hands, these "black diamonds" left Le Théron to shine on their way to unparalleled pleasures. Memory travels with dreams: to rediscover somewhere, in a corner of the house, barn or garden, the unique fragrance of the truffle, the spirit of the place, the charm of the incomparable.

Geneviève Besse-Houdent, who was born and raised in this house. April 2025.