Here’s the thing about castles: They’re not only the province of kings. With enough cash, anyone can have one.
For example, here’s one in the South of France, near Aix-en-Provence: Château de la Barben.
chateau (10 images)
It’s a whopping 53,000-square-foot, 1,000-year-old castle, set on 700 acres of land. As far as bug-out destinations go, it’s no New Zealand: France’s taxes are famously high (a Communist candidate for president, who endorsed a 100 percent tax above annual income of around $400,000, captured nearly 20 percent of the vote in Paris), and the country is still in an official state of emergency following a series of terror attacks. Still, for an enterprising jetsetter with a fondness for hunting, fishing and long afternoons of rosé and French company … you could do worse.
Recently in use as a bed-and-breakfast-style lodging, the castle’s now up for grabs. Our favorite part of the listing from Sotheby’s: Under amenities, it reads, simply, “lake.”
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