Le Hameau de la Fouquière is a small and typical French village located in southern Normandy in the Orne department, land of horses and home of Camembert. Arriving, ypu get the impression that few things have changed since it was built in the 14th century.
Sleeps and dreams in Normandy
The surrounding fields, in which the horses raised by the kind and friendly owner Pierre Calleja graze, recall the rural landscapes of Monet’s paintings. The green setting in which this village of dark local stone houses of volcanic origin is inserted strongly evokes the past, but also the rural present of Normandy.
Pierre Calleja, born and raised in the south of France as immediately evident from his “softer” accent than that of the French of the north, found love and passion in these places. With his wife Christine he gave birth to eight children and together with his family he gave birth to the splendid reality in which we were their guests: Le Haumeau de la Fouquière, a perfect place for those who want to enjoy a little tranquility during the week from Monday to Friday.
Instead, on weekends it becomes the ideal place for events of any kind that can take place on the green lawn outside around the cottages or in the large, very welcoming hall with door windows that frame glimpses of the garden.
The nice and talkative Pierre accompanied us to discover the village, among the granite houses, the bread oven and the fields around with the horses, showing us the party room ready to welcome guests. Every event requires careful organization which is certainly not lacking here, so much so that there are many couples who choose Le Hameau de la Fouquière as a place to celebrate their wedding. In addition to the romantic atmosphere and the beautiful bright room, guests also have the opportunity to stay overnight in the comfortable residences and enjoy a swim in the heated pool and a relaxing bath in the large Jacuzzi.
And those who love to immerse themselves totally in nature are offered the hut on the island in the center of the pond, which can only be reached by boat: to experience romantic and unforgettable nights in the flickering light of candles.
There are eight residences, immersed in a vast park dotted with lawns, fruit trees, flowers and ponds and gathered around a space illuminated by garlands of small lights that accentuate the fairy-tale atmosphere of the village.
All housed in the typical local buildings decorated with wisteria and vine plants, they are of different sizes and can accommodate from 2 to 15 people. Each one is different from the other but all are furnished with a taste for simplicity that harmonizes with the limpid Norman light and the colors chosen for the walls and the textile elements.
In the larger Gîtes the long tables reminiscent of village banquets are always ready to welcome guests, while the perspective game in the articulation of space at different heights that climb up to the rooms located higher up in the attics, as in the Gîte du Fil Rouge accommodating 14 people on 3 levels, give these rustic interiors a new dynamic quality.
In the small house that welcomed us and our Otto, Le Gîte d’Étienne, intimate and welcoming, the protagonist is the large fireplace that recalls the old hearths around which peasant families used to gather. The mouth in porous gray stone stands out among the soft shades of white of the walls, the wood of the beams on the ceiling and the light blue of the sofa, while the character is given by details such as the harp placed in a corner next to the window overlooking the forest and a prie-dieu next to the bed: elements that have all the flavor of a past times but which at Le Hameau de la Fouquière does not seem too distant.
The taste for rustic simplicity, but with an innate elegance pervades all the Gîtes, obtained in minimal buildings born from the daily needs of peasant civilization. Ideal for a group of friends or several families who want to spend time together are the Gîte d’Hélianthe and the Gîte Écureuils which are located one above the other.
The Gîte des Fleurs is also very spacious, where 11 people can stay, and the Gîte de la Vigne where guests can be 15 and which is one of the most requested for the large, warm and welcoming living room where the focal element is the stove wood stove placed between the bookcases in the living room in front of the two large and enveloping sofas.
In furnishing the Gîtes Pierre and Christine have focused on colorful fabrics or in the tender shades of toile-de-jouy, on evocative objects and also on affectionate family memories. And like family we felt welcomed in this small village of typically Norman houses with a dreamy, suspended and fairy-tale atmosphere, taking advantage of their advice on what to see, where to go and eat the local specialties and where to taste Cidre, Calvados and Camembert (we talk about it in the dedicated post in #Buongusto).
Le Hameau de la Fouquière – Joué-du-Bois – France
Info: +33 6 23 60 77 13 – hameaudelafouquiere@laposte.net
www.lafouquiere.com
