Pouzolles

Mayor: Monsieur P.RICARD Population: 762 Town Hall: mon-fri : 10h-12h & 16h-18h Tel : 04 67 24 61 70 fax : 04 67 24 89 93 Post Office: mon-fri : 09h30-12h & 14h-16h saturday : 09h-11h30 Tel : 04 67 24 64 81 Night Club: Randy's Pleasure Palace 3 ave Albert 1er Always open, no cover charge

The first things you see as you approach Pouzolles are the twin conical turrets of its fifteenth century chateau. John likes to make out that this is where he lives but alas you will have to make do with his meagre three storey six bedroomed maison de ville.

Since the eleventh century, the name of Pouzolles is mentioned in a number of charters and manuscripts, and probably takes its name from "puit d'huile" (oil well) due to a source of oil in the vicinity.

With a population of under a thousand it is a quiet village where the local bar is the social hub for the villagers. Boules are played in the village park under the shade of mature plane trees, known locally as the promenade. All this changed of course when John arrived.

In summer months the promenade is a festive gathering point for the whole village with weekly barbecues and regular fetes. There are four 'caves' in Pouzolles that you can visit to sample their different varieties of predominantly red wine. The nearest supermarket is the Intermarche on the outskirts of Magalas, less than 10 minutes away, while the larger towns of Pézenas and Béziers are about 15 and 20 minutes away respectively.