© L Pascale, La Drome

© L Pascale, La Drome Tourisme A PALACE built from pebbles by a postman The Palais Ideale is one of the most extraordinary buildings in France says Janine Marsh Passing through a modern ticket office building on an unassuming street in a tiny town in a rather hidden part of southern France, I came face to face with a dream. Hauterives in the Drôme department, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, is hardly known outside of France. There are around 2000 inhabitants, served by a friendly bar and a couple of restaurants, a cosy bakery, a few shops, B&Bs and a camp site. It’s a typically French country town – tranquil, sleepy even for the most part. But Hauterives has an extraordinary secret. Drive through the town and you may miss it. Swerve to a side street near the boulangerie, a stone’s throw from the charming Le Relais hotel (which had you passed you would be wondering why a little town like this needed one) and you will discover something quite extraordinary. 48 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 49