Villa Mirasol

From here, you have a picture-postcard view of the confluence of the three rivers of Mont-de-Marsan, the capital of the Landes region. Your eye is immediately drawn to the majestic, period villa, which adds a touch of elegance and historic charm to the beautiful, natural landscape. Its name is carved into the stone façade. Now, to truly understand its origins, we must journey back a century, to a time when Mont-de-Marsan wasn’t so urbanized. In 1907, Joseph Lapelle-Lateulère, a local miller, bought the land from Julien Bernos, owner of a wood factory in the city. The purchase was a two-for-one deal for the industrialist. He secured a spacious property to build his home and a prime vantage point to keep a watchful eye on his factory, then located on the opposite bank of the Douze River – where the Mont-de-Marsan Tourist Office now stands. Inaugurated in 1912, Villa Mirasol was designed by local architect Léonce Léglise and modeled on the bourgeois homes of Hossegor and Capbreton. It is a fine example of the Belle Époque style with some regional architectural elements, like the use of brick and the distinctive hip roof, where all four sides slope and meet at the center. Inside, there are 16 rooms with richly sculpted ceilings and naturalistic décor, spread across 470 square meters. After years of neglect, Villa Mirasol has been restored and now houses two restaurants and a 4-star hotel, showcasing the best of the region’s cuisine and craftsmanship. It also hosts a number of exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events. Just goes to show that Villa Mirasol, from the Spanish “mirar el sol,” meaning “sun-gazing,” is a shared heritage.