Raoul's Mill

A few miles from the Ardèche Gorges and Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc, in the heart of the Regional Nature Park, lies the village of Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs.
Heading towards Mazel, the road winds through chestnut groves until a bend reveals a striking scene: on the left, the hamlet, Raoul's house, the barn and its courradou; in the center, the small bridge crossing the Mazel; and on the right, the faïsses, stone terraces that rise in steps towards the dovecote. A little further on is Raoul's mill, bordered at the rear by the béalière, a canal that winds through the meadow, captures water from the road, carries it to the pond, and then to the vertical bucket wheel.
Push open the door and let yourself be told the story of Raoul's mill: that of the flint millstones grinding chestnut flour and bread flour, of the moulatou used to produce walnut oil and groats, but also that of a region and its inhabitants, deeply attached to their identity, their know-how, and their environment.