If you enjoy history, gardens & good food, then plan a visit to the historic gardens of La Foce https://www.lafoce.com/en/
Picture in your mind the famous postcards of southern Tuscany ... sweeping views of an idyllic Tuscan landscape, the famous cypress tree lined road zig-zagging up a hill, surrounded by thousands of acres wheat fields, red poppies and forests, with Mount Amiata looming in the distance ... that was all part of Antonio and Iris Origo's 3,500 acre country estate known as La Foce. The estate was comprised of their home - the central villa with walled formal gardens, thousands of acres of farmland and forests, many outlying farmhouses that housed the people who lived and worked on the estate (several of which are now agritourismos), a social hall (now a restaurant), a health clinic, and school that once housed over 30 children, sent from cities being bombed, that Iris and Antonio sheltered, fed and cared for during the war. The small pockets of crete senesi (clay hills) that still exist were once much more widespread (what remains is now protected; the entire Val d'Orcia is a UNESCO World Heritage site). What was once a barren, forgotten, poverty-stricken landscape blossomed into the pastoral and agricultural landscape you see today - thanks to them. If you enjoy history, consider reading "War in Val d'Orcia; An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944" by Iris Origo (1902-1988) as part of your visit - it provides wonderful context to the landscape and towns you'll be visiting.
The Origo family still owns La Foce (though now the estate is smaller than it was originally) and offer guided tours of the historic walled garden (Wednesdays and weekends, tickets sell out quickly). You can drive by the zig-zag cypress tree lined road and stop to admire the famous landscape on your way to and from Pienza or Montepulciano. Depending upon which road you take, you might drive by the Castelluccio, an ancient fortress (currently with the huge construction crane) located not far from the main villa & walled gardens; it's also part of the estate (not open to the public) and once sheltered escaped British POWs in WWII. There's a plaque on the exterior with the names of the people who lived on the estate and died in the war. As mentioned earlier, you can stay in a few of their farmhouses, and the former social hall for the estate workers is now a wonderful restaurant: "Dopolavoro La Foce" with lovely atmosphere (indoor & outdoor dining), fabulous food and an excellent value.
I've visited twice; October 2010 and May 2022. On our most recent visit we toured the gardens (in May, the wisteria, peonies, tulips and more were in full bloom), and enjoyed two superb meals at Dopolavoro (best of our entire three-week trip). And I've read her books (she's written several) hundreds of times. More people need to know about her and her husband, and all they did to make the world a better place.
