Located to the south of the Massif Central, in Aveyron, the picturesque village of Aubrac is located on the high plateau of the same name, at an altitude of 1,300 meters. Since the Middle Ages, it has been a popular stopover village for pilgrims taking the Via Podiensis, one of the four paths leading to Santiago de Compostela. It is here that Virginie Salazard chose to open her guest house, L’Annex d’Aubrac, around ten years ago.
Originally, there was love at first sight for a unique, almost bewitching region, made of wide open spaces and granite rocks, during a stay in 2007 with a photographer friend who was tracking the beast of Gévaudan. And, simultaneously, she falls in love with a large, somewhat austere building that sits on the square of the tiny town. “I was sitting on the terrace, right in front of the building, when I learned that it was for sale. From there, it became an obsession. I knew that one day I would manage to buy it…”
For several years, Virginie Salazard rented the house on weekends and for holidays, noting in passing that Aubrac, visited as much by pilgrims flanked by a donkey as by tourists driving an Aston Martin, presents real tourist potential. She bought the place in 2013 and then left Marseille, where she worked in fashion., notably as a model, to settle permanently in the village and launch her business.
Vlad, the wolfdog
At the time, the building was already configured as a guest house, but the new owner took over the premises, drawing inspiration from her travels, her passions and the surrounding mineral landscape. The trinkets and furniture that she has found over the years finally find their place while she continues to tirelessly scour garage sales and professional unpackings to finish fitting out the 1,000 square meters of living space.
Renamed L’Annex d’Aubrac – because this is where the staff of the village’s grand hotel once lived – the house has five rooms which all bear the decorative touch of Virginie Salazard, a specialist in clever mixtures. The ground floor sets the tone: huge fireplace, wood stove, fluffy rugs, animal skins, candelabra… Nothing disturbs the cozy atmosphere, not even the other master of the house, the wolf dog Vlad, gentleness incarnate, which discreetly watches over the grain.
After the two adjoining lounges, then the flight of stairs, the charm continues to operate on the upper floors. Sand gray walls tone on tone with the surrounding landscape, a duo of bathtubs placed on basalt blocks, a garland of slates overlooking the sinks, cozy throws… The Aubrac room, which extends over 40 square meters, evokes the minerality of the region and the harshness of its climate.
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