La Foce lies close to the Tuscan towns of Montepulciano, Chiusi and Chianciano Terme in the Val d’Orcia.
The 15th century villa was restored by Anglo/American Iris Origo and her husband, Marchese Antonio Origo in the 1920s. She was the daughter of a very wealthy man who died when she was a child. Her mother rented, then bought Villa Medici in Fiesole, near Florence, where Iris was brought up.
Under the management of Iris and Antonio the property was turned from an arid, desolate, poverty-stricken group of farms into a beautiful estate in the ‘crete senesi’ (clay hills). They brought prosperity, cultural and social changes to the people who worked the land. At its height the estate had 57 farms over 7,000 acres.
Crete senesi…clay hills.
Today the estate is owned and managed by Iris and Antonio’s daughters. It is possible to stay in one of the apartments or the B&B on the property, or, as we did, visit the garden. It is open to the public for a small fee on Wednesday afternoons.
The garden was designed by family friend, Cecil Pinsent, who also designed the garden at Villa Medici.
It is a simple, elegant garden filled with perennials, green enclosures, box-edged beds and walks lined with soaring cypress trees.
Come for a walk through this delightful garden. We began at the wisteria tunnel…I want one!
On one side of the tunnel are gorgeous beds filled with peonies, roses, acanthus and more.
On the other, steps lead down to the more formal gardens.
The most outstanding part of the estate is the Strada di Valoresi, which has surely inspired many other scenes in Tuscany.
Iris Origo was also an author. I have just read her book “War in Val d’Orcia”, which tells of the awful time during WWII when the Origos were caught in the middle of fighting in the area.
They had taken in 60 children and helped escaped prisoners, partisans and refugees struggling to find food and shelter. I recommend it highly. When you experience the beauty and tranquility of this lovely place it is almost impossible to imagine the misery that was inflicted in those horrible times.
La Foce…www.lafoce.com
Strada della Vittoria 61,
Chianciano Terme.
(39) 0578 69101
email…info@lafoce.com
That is seriously beautiful!
By: Yvonne on June 26, 2015
at 5:57 am
It is one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. I went straight back to Casa Debbio and spoke to my wisteria. I want it to grow like that!
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 6:12 am
Deb, just love that garden especially the purple blooms like a jacaranda, only probably not. Also that photo of the tuscan pines on the winding tuscan road is a similar shot to what Lisa Clifford used on the cover of her book. – lovely post. x
By: Dianne CANT on June 26, 2015
at 5:58 am
It is wisteria. I have had a pergola built at Casa Debbio for my wisteria to grow on and there will be another built in September when I return. I am quite sure that the winding road with the trees is the inspiration for many similar roads in this area of Tuscany.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 6:14 am
This is beautiful MY Thanks —-
By: Jill Walker on June 26, 2015
at 9:13 am
It is a gorgeous garden.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 10:53 am
Wow!
By: Francis on June 26, 2015
at 6:07 am
Yes, Wow!
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 6:14 am
Incredibly beautiful! Worth a visit, thanks for the tip, Deb!
By: Mulino Dominillo on June 26, 2015
at 6:16 am
It is stunning, you would love it.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 7:46 am
Amazing pictures of a beautiful garden! I want to go and spend some time there!
By: Anonymous on June 26, 2015
at 6:49 am
You can stay there. I want to go too.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 7:47 am
Stunning
By: chris oconnor on June 26, 2015
at 7:33 am
Isn’t it gorgeous?
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 7:47 am
Aaaaaaaahhhh. Thanks for the photos!
By: sheilasunshine on June 26, 2015
at 8:48 am
It is a gorgeous place. I wanted to move in. I hope Casa Debbio has that effect one day.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 9:23 am
OMG. The formal gardens are stunning. There again is the wisteria. I love it. The Tuscan hills are breathtaking
By: Lyn on June 26, 2015
at 8:52 am
You would have loved the wisteria arbour, it was glorious.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 9:23 am
Yes I am sure I would
By: Lyn on June 26, 2015
at 9:45 am
Relaxing, beautiful, and in a wonderful setting.
By: aFrankAngle on June 26, 2015
at 11:16 am
The garden is wonderful. I would love to spend time wandering there.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 12:06 pm
Thanks for this lovely account. The garden tour is such a treat. Besides her book “War in Val d’Orcia,” you would likely enjoy “The Merchant of Prato,” based on the accounts of a wealthy cloth manufacturer who provided fabric for the cardinals in Avignon and “The Last Attachment,” about Lord Byron and Teresa Guiccioli. Her nonfiction reads like fiction. Besides being able to visit the gardens of La Foce, you can also visit the estate in Fiesole where she grew up, by reservation or on the occasions when it’s open to the public for a garden tour.
By: suzykane on June 26, 2015
at 11:43 am
I will look for her other books and will definitely try to visit Villa Medici.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 12:08 pm
Delightful indeed!
By: maru clavier on June 26, 2015
at 11:47 am
We were lucky to be there when the wisteria was in flower.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 26, 2015
at 12:09 pm
I see what you mean Deb. This place looks like the classic Tuscan dream. Your photos are exquisite.
By: janinevasta on June 26, 2015
at 12:33 pm
It really is lovely. I love the wisteria. I guess mine might look like that in 50 years.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:09 am
A breathtakingly beautiful place and the rich colours of those flowers – absolutely stunning. Lovely photos.
By: italia4ever on June 26, 2015
at 2:21 pm
We were so lucky to be there when the wisteria was in bloom. It was a bit late this year.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:10 am
Wonderful garden, we have wisteria all over the front of our house, it’s very old, but we look after it and it always flowers well. In fact it can be quite a brute if you let it get out of control, but I love it. Thanks for the photos.
By: janetknight57 on June 26, 2015
at 6:09 pm
Wisteria can get out of hand, I know, but it is so beautiful in spring. I have had a pergola built for mine to grow on.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:11 am
Absolutely stunning, Deb!! x
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on June 26, 2015
at 8:40 pm
Isn’t it a gorgeous place…such an inspiration.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:11 am
Fantastic photos of such lovely gardens…it is now on my list of places to visit.
By: Karen on June 26, 2015
at 8:56 pm
I read Iris Origo’s biography, which inspired me to visit the garden. She had an amazing life.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:12 am
Magnificant! What more can you say. I looks like the weather was perfect on the day you visited.
By: Kerry & Jim on June 27, 2015
at 12:13 am
It was a beautiful day…perfect for a drive through the Tuscan countryside to La Foce.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:13 am
What incredible gardens! And I loved the back story behind it too and how they helped out so many people.
By: Lorraine @Not Quite Nigella on June 27, 2015
at 2:50 am
Their biggest achievement was transforming the desolate farm into something enduring and productive.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 11:15 am
What a STUNNING place! Seriously, the gardens are magnificent. Cool that Iris wrote a book and that the family helped so many people. I’d love to read it.
And just so you know. This summer I’m going on two-month RV trip with my nearing-ninety Godmother and her cat Pepe le Mew. I leave for the US in a week. The RV is huge, 37-feet. My Godmother will be driving and towing an SUV the entire way. She was a Flamenco dancer during her entire professional life. I’m going to try to blog about our trip and write a book about the 64 beautiful years she and my Godfather, a Venezuelan movie star (I kid you not!), were married, until Raul died last fall one month shy of his 97th birthday.
Hope you are well. Sorry to have been away so long! And thanks again for the LOVELY photos!
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on June 27, 2015
at 8:13 pm
Nice to hear from you. Your new venture sounds like fun, I look forward to reading about it.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 9:27 pm
These pictures are breathtaking! Thanks for posting!
By: Julia McIntyre on June 27, 2015
at 10:38 pm
La Foce is a beautiful place to visit. I will be back next spring.
By: Debra Kolkka on June 27, 2015
at 10:54 pm
Reblogged this on Spotlight On Travel and commented:
Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous
By: Julia McIntyre on June 27, 2015
at 10:38 pm
I read the book many years ago but never visited La Foce, it is stunning, thank you for the tour Debra.
By: tastetravel on July 2, 2015
at 12:53 am
I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in such a beautiful place.
By: Jan on July 28, 2015
at 10:44 am
[…] visited a magnificent garden in Tuscany. La Foce was begun in the 1920s by Iris Origo and it is now open to the public on certain days…I will […]
By: A year of travel | Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on December 26, 2015
at 1:18 pm
[…] here to see the post…and more of the gorgeous garden… I wrote last year. La Foce…a […]
By: La Foce revisited | Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on May 11, 2016
at 7:02 am