About us
A short history
Château de Riolas was built in the late 1800s by Michel Bergougnan, who, with his brother, Raymond-Célestin Bergougnan, were the industrialist founders of the Bergougnan tire factory. Bergougnan is credited as the most vital industrialist to support France before and after World War I. Among other claims to fame, they created the blueprint for what is now known as the Michelin Guide.
Bergougnan factory, with its strong ties to America, was sought for purchase by Goodyear but was acquired by Michelin in 1942. Members of the Bergougnan family are far-flung, from nearby residents of L’Isle en Dodon, to the French-speaking communities of the Ivory Coast.
Over the years, Château was bought and sold from Bergougnan’s heirs to a young tech-forward couple from the UK who acquired it during the Pandemic, to its current owners, who are from California. Highly stylized letters “M” and “B” remain on the wrought iron gates and balconies of the Château, in memory of Michel Bergougnan.
1904
Archival photo of Château de Riolas
Our story
We love adventure and travel, and we're a big blended family with five grown children, dogs, and horses. We lived in California, traveled to four continents, and fell in love with the south of France. Moving from a small home in California to a French château feels like a dream. Acquiring Château de Riolas feels like a continuation of our adventure together!
We are a good team; if one of us doesn’t know how to do something, the other usually does (and there is always YouTube!). We will try everything from animal management (horses, llamas, donkeys, sheep, anyone?), construction, gardening, and plumbing! We hope to do most of the work at the Château ourselves, with grateful acceptance of expert assistance, so we can invest in quality additions.
Our new life at Château de Riolas is so different from our life in California!
Micaela
Born in California, she lived her childhood in France and a few other countries.
Her career for the past 30 years as an art consultant and appraiser set the foundation for her love of beauty. She understands how to create comfort and ease, possessing an eye for luxurious design. She is passionate about animals and gardening and her community.
John
California-born and bred, he lived his entire childhood in Santa Barbara.
With a lifetime practice as an attorney, and most of it working within the art of construction and its consequences, he is not known for his skills with power tools. But he has an excellent understanding of the power of design that kept his marriage to Micaela intact through many DIY projects.
Follow us on Instagram for our daily adventures!
Our aims.
Whilst we are still a while away from opening our home to the public, we have dreams for what our beloved château will be and how it will contribute to the local economy. Our main aim is to transform our home into a timeless bed and breakfast (chambre d’hôtes), a luxurious refuge where guests can enjoy day trips within the region and beyond. However, with such a varied space, calm setting and an interest in the wellness and creative spaces, there are a few other side projects we would like to explore. Hosting a few creative and wellness retreats throughout the year would be a great way to vary our offering to the public, and transforming some of our spaces to allow for this are already underway. Plans have been made to open an equestrian arena next to our stables, most importantly for training our horses but also providing the scope for equine therapy. This unique offering along with other classes such as yoga, painting, life drawing, breathwork and meditation, provided by experts, will give our château an exciting and varied calendar throughout the year.
For now we are opening up our home to volunteers and sharing our story and theirs on social media, for those who are interested in renovations, DIY and French châteaux. We hope to inspire with the work we do here and remind others that it’s never too late to try new things!