A Family, a Château, a New Chapter
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.
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Drawn by a mix of long-held dreams, a longing for change, and the strange clarity that can emerge in uncertain times, they left behind careers in filmmaking, astronomy, data engineering, and fine art to move across the ocean and begin a new chapter at a centuries-old château in the southwest of France. They placed an offer from afar, put all their eggs in one very old, very beautiful basket, and sent up a prayer to the gods of adventure that they had found the right place to call home.
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They had. Château de Puy Vidal was everything they had imagined—and more. Lovingly cared for by its previous owners for over fifty years, the château now begins a new life as a place of gathering and meaning. The word château comes from the Latin castellum—not a mansion, but a fortified village. That original spirit now inspires the family’s vision.
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Together, they are reimagining the château as a creative sanctuary—not from armies, but from the noise and demands of modern life. Within its ancient walls, artists, writers, thinkers, and seekers are welcomed not just as guests, but as part of a living story.
Their mission is 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.