Santa Maria, with its 7 hectares of land, used to belong to the nearby village parish, Castiglioncello sul Trinoro. Benedetta Origo was moved to buy the property in 1973, which lies close to the boundaries of the La Foce property (4 kms). The charm of the house and its unique location, tucked against the woods and hills, is quite unique.

During restoration, deep sensitivity for the barren valley as well as a profound knowledge of the local style and materials were needed to create a house responding to modern needs for space and comfort, while respecting its past. Now that the project has come to an end, with the help of an architect friend, as well as the landscape gardener Peter Curzon and expert local craftsmen, Benedetta considers Santa Maria un vero gioiello: a jewel.

On the hill behind the house, an old chestnut grove produces the best chestnuts of the region, and the woods offer plenty of mushrooms. Terraced orchards and fields slope down towards the old road. Cars are parked below the house, but easy car access to the house itself is provided for unloading the baggage.

The house has been decorated with the original colours of the Sienese farms: pale yellows, pinks and blues, with borders in a burnt terracotta colour, terra di Siena. The furniture is local, simple and attractive, with a few choice antiques.

Meals can be taken in the large country kitchen, but on warmer days you might prefer the loggia whith its barbecue and traditional wood-burning bread oven, or again you might wish to sit under the pergola along the front of the house, looking over the valley.