'La Cachette' has been formed from two former cottages providing the generous rooms of the present dwelling. The original cottage on the corner of rue St Pierre and rue du Moulin can be clearly seen on a sketch of the town dated 1570 with a vacant block between it and the next building where the second cottage was built.

The entrance door on rue St Pierre opens into a hallway, on the left of which is the kitchen and on the right the living-dining room. From the kitchen a passage leads to a shared access lane at the back of the house which has been paved, and fenced from the street, to provide an attractive private courtyard for al fresco wining and dining.

The modernised kitchen is fully equipped and is provided with a microwave in addition to the electric stove and oven. The front-loading washing machine is also installed there. The passage from the kitchen to the courtyard leads to the shower-room and WC on the left and the large main bedroom, with a queen-size bed, on the right. This ground-floor bedroom also opens into the living room.

Stairs from the kitchen lead up to the extensive and light-filled attic where there are two double bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with twin beds, and a large sitting room with comfortable seating, and a mini CD-cassette music system — a retreat from the ground floor activities if needed. There is a separate WC and basin and a spacious new shower-room opposite the bedrooms.

Varzy is in western Burgundy mid-way between Auxerre and Nevers and 40km south-west of Vézelay. The Nivernais canal, and its steady traffic of tourist barges, runs through Clamecy 16km away. There has been a village on this site since the fifth century, and the remains of medieval fortifications are still in evidence, including the Porte de Vézelay. The beautiful and imposing 13th century church of St Pierre, with its twin bell-towers, houses a number of treasures including a famous triptych of Ste Eugénie painted by a member of the Flemish school. Relics of St Regnobert, Bishop of Bayeux, and of Ste Eugénie were acquired from the collegiate church of Varzy when it was a staging post on the pilgrims' route to Santiago de Compostela.

The local lords, in the 15th century, became Bishops of Auxerre and built a château in the village that was modified in the 17th century, and later in the 18th. The classical lodgings and polygonal tower survive. Other grand buildings include the 17th century Franciscan convent (now the Hôtel de l'Écu) and the Hôtel de Guitton while there is a charming wealth of architectural detail in the gates and doors of many of the old mansions. A roofed lavoir or washhouse is still in good repair as you can see in the photograph of the Fontaine de Ste Eugénie above. The local Museum is well known as housing one of the most important and delightful regional collections in France.

Today the village has a population of about 1500 and has four cafés, four restaurants, a medical centre staffed with doctors and nurses, a dentist, a pharmacy, two bakeries, two supermarkets and a delicatessen-butcher. Encircling Varzy, following the line of the ancient wall, is a promenade where students from the local lycée have fashioned a striking memorial to the Holocaust.

Bath, Kitchen, Laundry facilities, Linen supplied, Stereo, Tea/Coffee Making Facilities, Telephone, Television