ABOUT THE BORGO

HISTORY AND REVIVAL

VIEWS, GROUNDS AND LANDSCAPES

ALL THE BORGO HAS TO OFFER

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BORGO

Borgo Finocchieto, unique among Tuscan properties, is a beautifully and elegantly restored eight-hundred year old village (or borgo), with stunning views of surrounding hills, valleys and towns. John Phillips, the owner of the Borgo, is an American of Italian ancestry and former U.S. Ambassador to Italy from 2013 to early 2017; he purchased the property in 2001 and spent the next eight years planning and overseeing the Borgo’s extensive renovation. The Borgo is four kilometers to the west of the small town of Buonconvento, and just a few more kilometers north of the much revered wine capital of Montalcino. Siena is just thirty minutes away, Florence an hour’s drive, and Rome reachable in two and a half hours.

Situated in the most tranquil of settings on a rural hillside in the province of Siena in central Tuscany, the Borgo is located directly on the historic Via Francigena, the medieval pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. It connected the monastic stopovers of Monte Oliveto and Sant Antimo and most likely hosted scores of pilgrims, merchants and adventurers through the centuries. (Just down the hill, Buonconvento - literally “good gathering place” - owes its own existence to travelers need for rest and exchange.) The Borgo’s piazza was both a crossroads of the world and a place where the day-to-day personal interactions fundamental to life took place over hundreds of years.

The Borgo encompasses twenty two bedrooms arranged around its central piazza, allowing it to function as its own community. Gathering spaces include a formal dining room and outdoor dining terrace, a living room with grand piano and study, media room, library, bar, conference facility and ballroom accommodating up to 70 people, cantina and wine tasting room, a professional teaching kitchen, an interior arcaded courtyard, a piazza, and extensive lawn and garden spaces with various shaded benches and a gazebo. Recreational facilities include a 60-foot oval swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, spa, tennis and basketball court, and bocce court. Individual suites are ample, luxurious, and private, while the public spaces are intended to encourage coming together in all the forms that might take.

Such gatherings most often include family reunions and special get-togethers, academic reunions, and retreats for groups united by special interests such as wine, cooking, art, architecture, music, history, biking or other athletic pursuits. It also serves as a place for corporate retreats and team-building. Finally, it is ideally suited as a place to share ideas: A literary gathering, perhaps timed to follow the Milan book fair, a political brainstorming session, or a conference on international human rights. All of these uses, adapted to modern times, are true to the Borgo s storied history.

HISTORY AND REVIVAL

Borgo Finocchieto was a farming village passed between wealthy Tuscan families for centuries, populated by sharecroppers who worked the surrounding farmland for their livelihood. The agricultural extension of La Torre, the castle that sits behind it, Borgo Finocchieto is first mentioned in a tax and land audit from 1318 which listed it as a possession of the Giulieschi family, at the time owners of the greater Bibbiano area.

This pattern of noble land ownership and resident sharecroppers continued for centuries until the 16th century to the middle of the 17th century, at which time the noble Manor House or casa padronale, which we now call Borgo Finocchieto, appears to have been used as a country retreat for a noble family.

Most likely, the Manor house was constructed by the Borghesi (later to become the famous Borghese family of Rome), when together with La Torre, the Borgo appears to have remained their last land possession in the area. Alternatively it may have happened when the Mignanelli family sold La Torre, creating the need for newer, more grandiose country quarters.

The architecture of the manor appears to be in line with the Sienese trend of rebuilding and refurbishing properties in the medieval style, incorporating crenellations and older stone windows for dramatic effect -- a forceful nod back to the 13th and 14th centuries when the power of the city and the region was at its height.

After the Borgo was abandoned as a noble country retreat, it returned to its previous incarnation as an agricultural center for as long as the sharecropping system in Tuscany survived, well into the twentieth century. During this time the property underwent numerous adaptations as residents made the most of the structures they had available to them.

As late as the 1960’s, dozens of people were still living in the Borgo’s houses in a tightly-knit community, struggling to eke out an existence in agriculture and animal husbandry. However, one by one the residents of Finocchieto left for new opportunities in local industry and the comforts of modern living. The last person to live there, an elderly man with his dogs, departed Finocchieto in the 1980’s, leaving it empty and untended.

By 2000, all that remained of Borgo Finocchieto and its centuries-long history was a ruin, the skeleton of a once-thriving rural community. Its houses and sheds were left abandoned around a central piazza of dirt and tire marks. Ivy and weeds covered rooftops and pulled apart masonry, while some structures collapsed entirely.

The Borgo’s owner, John Phillips, purchased the property in 2001. He approached the reconstruction of the Borgo with passion, teaming with a local architect and a crew of builders who had spent lifetimes working with traditional materials and old methods. Wherever possible, structures, walls, archways, windows and doorways were left untouched. The state of disrepair demanded that much be rebuilt, but meticulous care was taken to focus on preserving the surviving structures and employing traditional methods. In some cases, such as the manor house, decorative elements such as door and window treatments, stenciling and original paint colors were faithfully reproduced, while wooden beams, arches and ceilings were restored to their original splendor.

After ten years of planning and reconstruction, the Manor House finally returned to what was, perhaps, its original function, the country retreat of a noble Tuscan family. The other houses, including at one point a chapel and the housing for the peasants and livestock, have new purpose after decades of disuse. Details like the communal outdoor brick oven and the time-worn steps leading to the main floor of the Manor serve as reminders that despite modern comforts, the Borgo’s history is long and rich.

Please click here to view the video “Revival of a Tuscan Village.” It shows the condition of the Borgo before construction began, the progress of the renovation, and interviews with historians, architects and former residents of the Borgo, all with interesting and unique perspectives on the history of the Borgo and the profound changes it has witnessed.

The Borgo derives its name from the Italian word Finocchieto which means an orchard -- or fields -- of fennel, the hardy, yellow-flowered perennial herb. Sweet fennel grows wild all over Tuscany in fields, hedgerows, at roadsides, along the railway, and in gardens. Borgo Finocchieto was no doubt known locally for the wild fennel plants growing on neighboring slopes. It has certainly had the name since 1318, and perhaps for much longer.

To this day, when the wild fennel seeds ripen every year at the end of August, gatherers of all types go to work collecting the seeds that will flavor the delicious local salami, finocchiona. It has been eaten for centuries, usually on thick slices of unsalted bread and accompanied with a glass of red wine. The farm at Finocchieto, like many Tuscan country properties no longer in agricultural use, has found a new lease on life. Its name, however, will link it to the old way of life and the tradition of eating slices of finocchiona with bread and wine, reminding those who enjoy its stone walls and quiet, beautiful setting of the thousands who have already appreciated the same delights in its long history.

VIEWS, GROUNDS, AND LANDSCAPES

Borgo Finocchieto perches on a ridge in the area of the confluence of two major Tuscan rivers, the Ombrone and the Arbia, which later join with the Merse and the Orcia to flow into the Tyrrhenian south of Grosseto. Nearby the stark clay cliffs of the Crete Senese give way to the rolling green of the river valley. The Borgo’s position at one of the highest elevations in the area (246 meters) afford it an unparalleled view of the surrounding countryside.

To the northeast is Buonconvento, where one can see the medieval walls and two towers of its historical center. Beyond Buonconvento, past undulating hills, it is possible to make out the tower of the monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, and perched on a hilltop nearby are the clay brick walls of the tiny hamlet of Chiusure. From Buonconvento, one can also follow the line of the Via Cassia as it snakes its way south, stopping at the earth colored roofs of Torrenieri and continuing on to San Quirico d’ Orcia. From the Borgo’s highest windows, it is even possible to see the town of Pienza with its white church tower on clear days.

When visibility is good, the blue outline of Monte Amiata dominates the southeastern landscape. A local saying goes, “if Amiata wears a hat, bring an umbrella,” so farmers look there first for their weather. Beginning at Torrenieri and heading west are the vineyards of Montalcino, including Altesino, Val di Suga, and Paradiso, which among others are visible from the Borgo. These vineyards work their way up the hill to the town of Montalcino with its Rocca fortress and various church spires. Montalcino’s northwestern side gives way to thick forest, with farmland below. The panorama ends with another farm and finally, the crenellated walls of Villa La Torre.

The fields surrounding Finocchieto are working fields in rotation, the most common crops of the area being grain, wheat, orzo, or oats, but often including sunflowers and corn. It is also typical to find meadows of lucerne, clover, and colza. Nearby rivers and a largely temperate climate make the rich clay fields useable for most of the year, while resting during the winter months.

The yellow, tiny-budding flowers in early spring are broom, or ginestra, while the bright green fields of spring are typically wheat. In May striking red fields of poppies, papaveri, color the landscape. These give way to sunflowers, corn and rapeseed that line the roads in summer. Year round, one can see the proliferation of vineyards that cover an overwhelming percentage of the land around Montalcino, mixed with olive groves and the classic cypresses that line roads and gather in clusters.

THE GROUNDS

Peter Curzon, the landscape architect who cares for the famous English gardens at Villa La Foce in Montepulciano, was chosen to oversee the design of the six acres of outdoor spaces at Borgo Finocchieto. Curzon created a visually pleasing and aromatically stunning arrangement of plants: cypresses, lavender, rosemary, varieties of sage, bay laurel, jasmine, roses, lime trees and many others. The wandering nature of the Borgo s gardens creates a peaceful setting, with ample rolling lawns of green grass, water features and cobblestone paths.

The hills surrounding the Borgo are rich with wildlife of various shapes and sizes. Most of the year the property is busy with small animals like birds and lizards. In spring and summer, the chatter of swallows grows into a symphony, and the many trees on the grounds are filled with other nesting birds including the occasional bee-eater and hoopoe. Yearlong residents include Eurasian jays, European robins, wagtails and finches. Flocks of thrushes fill the skies in the fall as they arrive to winter in Tuscany. Pheasants dot the territory, wandering in and out the Borgo’s thick shrubs and occasionally letting out a trumpet to attract the attention of a mate. It’s also not uncommon to see hawks riding the skies around the hill on which the Borgo sits.

ALL THE BORGO HAS TO OFFER

The Borgo specializes in creating unforgettable, custom-tailored experiences for gatherings of all kinds. Guests come together at our village to unwind, bond, and exchange ideas, to celebrate anniversaries, reunions and weddings or attend retreats. Here every detail has been thought of, with impeccable service that puts all at ease. Whether a family gathering or a corporate retreat, our staff of 19 professionals -- including general manager and concierge -- will ensure the success of your trip, providing support every step of the way to help you make the most of your time in Tuscany.

What follows is a list of the wealth of services, facilities, equipment, amenities and resources available to you during your stay at the Borgo.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please contact us with additional questions or clarifications at: inquiries@borgofinocchieto.com