Rural France among the Puys. We have created a separate apartment in my very old family home in Mezel. Bordered by the Allier river, the village is set on the side of Puy de Mur ( a volcanic hill), one can view miles of farmland, distance mountains and old volcanoes. 15 min from Clermont-Ferrand and 35 minutes from Vichy, this rural setting offers lots of hiking, biking, kayaking, history and geology, excellent cheeses and, of course, legendary waters. This is an old, treasured family home in a very small village in rural France. Our neighbors were most welcoming as they all knew my family and had celebrated many Feast days, funerals, j'en sais quoi in the basement bar. My grandfather was a restaurateur in nearby Clermont-Ferrand so he kept this family home for weekends and holidays. My brother spent summers here as a child. My husband fell in love with it's history and setting 35 years ago. Actually, we raised our son here-the apartment (old bar and party room) was his bedroom. We've had a joyful, varied history here and hope it shows in our renovation -respect for our heritage and for our village.