La Vaunage, a highly-prized address in Le Gard
By Laetitia Rossi - 22 January 2010
With harmonious scenery composed of hills and plains, this area of almost 25,000 acres between Nîmes and Sommières is a real source of attraction for people from Le Gard, L’Hérault, other French regions and North Europeans, drawn as much by its geographic location as its quality life-style.
The nine communes comprising La Vaunage-Boissières, Calvisson, Caveirac, Clarensac, Langlade, Nages-et-Solorgues, Congénies, Saint-Côme-et-Maruéjols and Saint-Dionizy - are home to more than 18,000 people. The region’s name comes from an expression translated from the Occitan dialect : “Valley of the Nages”. Initially devoted to the cultivation of olives and vines, the area has a strong cultural identity. Populated since Neolithic times, it boasts no less than seven “oppida”, medieval castles, “bastides” and vast “mas”. Near the Camargue, the site is now well-known for its bull-fighting tradition, though Protestantism was an important factor in its history, as it was for Les Cévennes. Moreover, each village still holds its own votive fête. The scrubland of the “garrigue” shares the region with oaks, pines and olive-trees, and local communities preserve their rural way of life. As witnessed by the “voie verte” or green pathway, “a success”, according to local residents.
“Densely wooded, La Vaunage has not been spoilt by any eye-sores or noise,” says Laurent Gaza of the agency of the same name. “Renowned for its tranquillity, it posts relatively high prices, equivalent to those in L’Uzège but lower than those in the region around Montpellier.” In his offices, 40 % of his clients are retirees or employees transferred from other parts of France, 30 % are locals from Le Gard, 30 % executives or self-employed people from Montpellier. With extremely easy access, La Vaunage is less than a 15-minute drive from the TGV station in Nîmes, 30 minutes from the capital of L’Hérault, the medieval town of Aigues-Mortes and the Mediterranean. The area is relatively homogeneous, though some villages inspire particular enthusiasm. With their varied, single-storey dwellings, Nages and Langlade, for example, have escaped massive urbanization. A house of 130-220 m2 in grounds of 1,500 m2 with swimming pool recently found a buyer between 500,00 and 550,000 €. “Vigneron” properties, extended by a garden and pool, a scarce commodity, start at 450,000 € and sell on average for around 600,000 €. Old “mas” offering living space of up to 500 m2 range from 800,000 to 1 million euros. The price-range is even wider in the case of villas designed by architects. A new example of 400 m2 with grounds of 7,000 m2 attains 1.2 million euros. Despite a decline in the number of transactions recorded in late 2008 and early 2009, and a downward adjustment to prices, the market is doing rather well.
“Generous and opulent Vaunage, with a triple bounty of the fruit of the olive-tree, sun-blessed wines and blond Chasselas grapes,” wrote Maurice Aliger. Referring to the beauty and serenity of the region, Lidia Darlow-Joaquim of the Pierres au Soleil agency agrees with the author. Known as the capital of Vaunage, Calvisson, probably the busiest shopping centre in the area, is 10 km from Sommières, 17 km from Nîmes and 38 km from Montpellier. Popular for its Sunday market, it draws 2,000-3,000 people each week, depending on the season. The inauguration of the “Mas des Vignes”, an estate of 408 homes with a park, swimming pool and festive programme, acquired mostly by Belgians and Anglo-Saxons, has added another worthy attraction to the town. The 1,500-2,000 holiday makers who arrive each week in summer have an impact on the local economy and even the property market. More urbanized, Calvisson offers solutions for first-time buyers. 2-bedroomed apartments, a new phenomenon here, in residences not exceeding two floors, cost about 170,000 €, while semi-detached homes of 80 m2 with gardens of 200 m2 fetch around 190,000 €. For the past 15 years, Benoît Gillet has been building bio-climatic timber houses, a sure value for the future in the Gard. After an excellent summer and an encouraging fall, the builder has high hopes for the “Bois de Mintaud”, “a future activity zone of some 400 acres dedicated to advanced technologies and expected to accommodate 3,000 people on site”.