When Antonio and Iris Origo bought the estate of La Foce, they called in the English architect Cecil Pinsent to restore the Villa and surrounding buildings and create a large garden.

The Garden of La Foce, considered one of Italy’s most beautiful private gardens, was conceived to enhance the Renaissance house and expand the spectacular view over the valley of the Orcia and Mount Amiata. The harmony between buildings, garden and nature makes La Foce an ideal example of Tuscany's architectural and cultural evolution in the 20th century.

The garden grew gradually, between 1925 and 1939. The house is surrounded by a formal Italian garden, which is divided into geometrical ‘rooms’ by box hedges with lemon trees in terracotta pots. Travertine stairs lead to the rose garden and a winding wisteria-covered pergola bordered by lavender hedge. Gentle informal terraces climb up the hill, where cherry trees, pines and cypresses grow among wild broom, thyme and rosemary, and a long cypress avenue leads to a 17th-century stone statue. Through the wood, a path joins the garden and the family cemetery, considered one of Pinsent's best creations where Iris and Antonio Origo are buried alongside their son Gianni who died very young.

1st prize "Il Parco più bello d'Italia"

The Villa and its gardens look out over the lovely Val d'Orcia, with Mount Amiata in the background.
Lemon trees, roses, Mediterranean herbs, wisteria, box borders, laurel and cypress hedges, travertine paths and benches mark and enhance the natural contours of the hill.