Fontalgozzo enjoys a privileged position on the La Foce estate, just in front of the famous cypress road that winds up the "crete" on the opposite hill. You might be interested to know that this is one of the most photographed views in Tuscany. The road was built by Antonio Origo while reclaiming the barren land in the 1920s, and resembles the medieval landscapes pictured by Lorenzetti in his well known senese frescos.
The house was built after a model by Cecil Pinsent in the 1920s, which adopts the traditional features of the Tuscan farmhouse with stables and storerooms on the ground floor and living quarters on the first floor.
For centuries, and up until the 1960s, estates in Tuscany were run on the sharecropping system, or mezzadria, by which tenant farmers and owners shared all of the farm produce. Fontalgozzo, in particular, produced excellent ricotta and pecorino, made from sheeps' milk, from which the Val d' Orcia now has become famous.
The house has been completely restored and is surrounded by olive groves, wheat fields, and cypresses. It is linked to the Villa by just over 1 km. of dirt road. The ground floor has a large living room with a fireplace designed by Pinsent and originally made for the Villa; a dining room and connecting kitchen with French doors leading out onto a pergola and a bath. The circular travertine staircase to the first floor is based on a 15th century model found in Montepulciano. The first floor has a living room / studio with a fireplace, as well as two double bedrooms, one twin bedroom and three baths. Another twin bedroom and bath are in the dependance by the pool.
In keeping with La Foce's tradition, great attention has been paid to the garden, which is developed on three levels, leading from the house down to the pool. A semicircular grove of cypresses surrounds a stone table and benches, perfect for a shady noonday meal
Facilities: Washing machine, dishwasher, telephone, TV, CD-stereo, 13 x 35 ft. pool.
Maid service of 2 hours per day. Extra service and a cook are available.
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