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    Shayne and Bernard Girardin will welcome you at the Villa des Courtissous, located in the heart of the Périgord noir, in a lovely house, where life is pleasant year-round.

   The Villa des Courtissous was first built in 1850 by the Froidefond and Beauregard families, and it is said that the house has always been a place of hospitality. Parisian families boarded here over the long summer months in the early 20th century, and two French Jewish families came here in 1940 for protection during the second world war. However the Brehmer Division arrived on March 30^th 1944, and burnt the house down in retribution.

   Later a small factory manufacturing enamel tiles and jewellery was housed in the Villa for 30 years until 2000 when the house was refurbished with taste and energy by Mr and Mrs Dalibard and became once again a place of hospitality... The upstairs rooms were turned into chambres d'hôte and the old barn into a charming holiday cottage.
   
    Bernard and Shayne came to live here in 2007, determined to keep up this more-than-a-century-old custom of hospitality and welcoming visitors into their home.

    You can stroll through the garden where you will discover, between the centenary trees, our permanent Zimbabwean art exhibition. Shayne, of Zimbabwean origin, will enjoy giving you a guided tour of the sculpture garden and artworks. Click here to know more about the exhibitions.

  

    To make the most of your holidays you have full access to the pool and the barbecue for your outdoor meals. If you have any energy left, you can play ping-pong, pétanque, badminton, volley-ball or  darts in the shade of the enormous shed.  Or you could take a walk, ride or drive around the neighbouring. Click here for further information.

In the village you will find a restaurant, and a multiservice with café and bar and a small grocery store, which also sells bread, cigarettes and newspapers.

    Shayne comes from Zimbabwe and has lived in France for many years. She can talk about her adopted country and the Perigord as easily and as passionately as she can talk about her own country.

    Born and bred in Provence, Bernard is delighted to now be living in another beautiful part of France. He will always enjoy welcoming you with a glass of great local wine….

….and William, our son, is a young man with a big interest in everything. He seconds his mother as an excellent exhibition guide, usually accompanied by his faithful and much loved dog, Shana, who is very much a part of the welcoming committee !