In the midst of the COVID pandemic, Julia Leach and her partner Caroline Ibarra—along with Julia’s mother Maruca, father Robert, and sister Penelope—made a bold decision: to change everything.

Guided by long-held dreams, a deep longing for meaning, and the strange clarity that often arrives in uncertain times, they left behind careers in filmmaking, astronomy, data engineering, and fine art to begin a new chapter together—across the ocean, in a centuries-old château in southwest France.

From afar, they placed an offer. They put all their eggs in one very old, very beautiful basket. And with a mixture of courage and surrender, they said yes to the unknown.

Château de Puy Vidal was everything they had hoped for—and more. Lovingly cared for by its previous owners for over fifty years, the château began a new life as a place of gathering, imagination, and shared purpose.

The word château comes from the Latin castellum—not a mansion, but a fortified village. That original spirit now inspires the family’s vision: to reimagine the château as a creative sanctuary—not from armies, but from the noise and pace of modern life.

Together, they are doing the real and often un-charted work of building a multi-generational life—one that honors the wisdoms of the past, while also making space to imagine and live into the wisdoms of the future.

Within its ancient walls, artists, writers, thinkers, and seekers are welcomed not just as guests, but as part of a living, evolving story.

Our mission remains simple and heartfelt: to offer a place of creativity, beauty, renewal, and connection.

A haven where the imagination is nourished.
A home where the spirit is free to dream again.