"Watching the rebirth of Borgo Finocchieto over the last five years has been a bit like being able to view a time-lapse photography sequence spanning some 800 years – and somehow projecting beyond, into the future. The ruins we saw on our first visit have been transformed into what they once were, and more – not simply reborn, but re-created, wonderfully modernized, yet ancient."
peter & ta budetti, tulsa, ok

"Your vision in restoring this village to such exquisite form is art unto itself. We met the Borgo’s artist in residence Mitchell, but clearly all of you are permanent artists and sculptors of a life experience not replicable anywhere else."
steve clemons & andrew oros, washington d.c.

In 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 newest patron, an American of Italian ancestry, 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 were left untouched - walls, archways, windows and doorways were allowed only where there once had been. 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 has finally returned to what was, perhaps, its original function, the country retreat of a noble Tuscan family. The other houses, of more modest origin, 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.

Notes on Borgo Finocchieto's Style
by Karen Hartman

Borgo Finocchieto is decorated in a traditional country Italian theme. The main villa is slightly more formal than the independent houses but still reflects what might have been found in a city family’s country retreat, as suits the great house’s history. All of the furnishings and accessories were found in Italy, although most hail from Tuscany, in and around Siena and Florence. My first choice was to use antique or old pieces, which I often found at markets and fairs. This meant many trips to Arezzo’s world famous market held the first weekend of every month and to Lucca’s market on the third.

Over the years I have developed a network of dealers, typically family run businesses, specializing in the restoration of period pieces. These enterprises generally include large storage facilities, called magazzini. Here I was encouraged to pick and choose from pieces in their “found” condition and then have them restored. Many of these ateliers also have state-of-the-art fabricating equipment so that, when necessary, I was able commission new pieces. Very often these dealers have specialties such as woodworking, iron mongering, stone cutting, or upholstering, which were handed down through the generations, and the entire family will be involved in the business in some way or another.

This includes the Calattini family of nearby Poggibonsi, who restore and sell lovely examples of Italian country furniture, as well as operate a thriving business in reproductions. Among the many pieces they supplied for Borgo Finocchieto
 are the beautifully painted headboards found in most of the bedrooms.

Grounds

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 incuding 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 not uncommon to see hawks riding the skies around the hill on which the Borgo sits or to find lizards bathing in the sun. Frogs are plentiful, especially on the south side of the hill, and hares, wild boars, porcupines, deer and roebuck can be counted as intermittent visitors.

Peter Kurzon, the landscape architect who cares for the English gardens at Villa La Foce in Montepulciano, was chosen to oversee the design of outdoor spaces at Borgo Finocchieto. Kurzon created a visually pleasing and aromatically stunning arrangement of plants, featuring cypresses, lavender, rosemary, varieties of sage, bay laurel, jasmine, roses, lime trees and many others.

The wandering nature of the Borgo’s gardens makes for a peaceful setting, with ample rolling lawns of green grass, water features and cobblestone paths that sooth the eye and inspire the explorer.

Watch a film by Gabriel London of Found Object films about the revival.

Read Judy Canton' in-depth history of the property and the area.

See a slidehow of the Borgo’s dramatic transformation from 2001-2011.