La Foce

La Foce is a large estate that lies close to the towns of Montepulciano, Chiusi, and Chianciano Terme in the Southern Tuscan region of Val d'Orcia, midway between Florence and Rome.[1]

History
La Foce in 2016
Antonio and Iris Origo with daughter Donata at La Foce, 1943

La Foce lies on the Via Francigena, the ancient road and pilgrim route running from France to Rome). It has been inhabited continuously for many centuries. The Villa was built in the late 15th century as a hospice for pilgrims and merchants traveling on the Via Francigena.[1] It is located near an Etruscan settlement, and a burial-place from the 7th century BC to the 2nd century AD has been excavated there.[1]

Restoration

In 1924, Iris Origo, a writer who was a granddaughter of William Bayard Cutting and Hamilton Cuffe, 5th Earl of Desart, joined Antonio Origo, son of Marchese Clemente Origo in buying the dilapidated estate. They moved there after their marriage.[2] The late 15th-century villa was restored by the Origos in the 1920s with government financial assistance.[3][4] The fine gardens were designed by the English architect Cecil Pinsent[5] - "the last great Italian garden by Pinsent" in the words of horticulturist television presenter Monty Don.[6][7] Pinsent had created several other gardens in Tuscany, including those at Villa Le Balze and Villa I Tatti, where Iris' mother were a frequent guest of Bernard Berenson, who had commissioned Pinsent's first Italian garden about twenty years earlier.

The Origos employed 25 families and started a school to teach and ensure the well-being of some 50 local children.[3] They also built 35 dwellings in the 1920s to 1930s for tenant farmers.[8]

After the death of Iris and Antonio, their daughters Benedetta and Donata sold off about two-thirds of the estate and divided the rest between them.[8] Descendants of the family still own the property today and operate it as a resort.[9]

The book War in Val d'Orcia by Iris Origo is set in this estate, which at the time contained 57 farms on 7,000 acres (2833 ha).[8][10]

The gardens of La Foce as well as a short interview with Benedetta Origo are featured in an episode of Monty Don's Italian Gardens.[11]

Legacy

Incontri in Terra di Siena, an international music festival, is held at Castelluccio, a medieval castle on the property.[12] It is held in memory of the Origos each July.[13][5]

References
  1. "History – La Foce". www.lafoce.com. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "La Foce | Benedetta Origo, Morna Livingston, Laurie Olin, John Dixon Hunt". www.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. Weber, Nicholas Fox (21 July 2002). "Under the Tuscan Sun". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. Thomson, Ian (11 November 2017). "Mussolini's fall from grace The Spectator". The Spectator. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. Dabbagh, Selma (6 July 2012). "Iris Origo: The Author Honoured By a Music Festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. Monty Don's Italian Gardens, part 2
  7. Don, Monty. "Monty Don's Italian Gardens". YouTube. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. Laskin, David (9 May 2014). "Echoes of History at a Tuscan Estate". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. Burke, Francesca Gilberti (August 3, 2016). "5 Places to Host the Perfect Tuscan Wedding". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. Iris Origo: War in Val d'Orcia Jonathan Cape, London, 1947, p. 8.
  11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2078263/
  12. "Music and beauty in Tuscany, a winning duo". Euronews. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  13. Incontri in Terra di Siena at itslafoce.org

Further reading

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