The charm of the "cadoles"

The cadoles, small dry-stone buildings, were erected quickly by the vine growers of the last century in order to protect themselves from the rigours of the climate. They only exist in the Courteron, Gyé sur Seine and the les Riceys region.

The cadoles look as though they have been there for millennia, but in fact are only two hundred years old.

The technique used in their construction is simple: the vine growers used to collect flat stones from the surrounding slopes and pile them up in a conical shape; they met at the extreme edge of the roof, thus creating a hole for the smoke. Nevertheless, it took two tonnes of stones to build a single "loge" (the other name for a cadole).

At any season a "cadole" was a haven of peace, able to accommodate up to six people. They stayed cool in summer and were able to accommodate a fire in winter.

Despite apparently all looking the same, no two huts are exactly identical. This is due to the stones, but also and above all, to the men who built them. These buildings are an example of rural, popular and anonymous architecture.

Abandoned with the invasion of phylloxera, they had almost been forgotten, buried under the brambles for more than a century. And then, someone had the idea of restoring them to use. And to create circular walks based on them!

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	Walks in search of the cadoles Dry stone buildings, erected quickly by the vine growers, the cadoles served to protect them from the heat of the sun, and from the rigours of winter. Having resisted the passage of time, they have b... [+]