La Foce: Paradise in Tuscany : The Legacy of Iris & Antonio Origo

In 1924, English-born biographer and writer Iris Origo (1902-1988) and her husband,
Antonio, purchased La Foce, a sprawling estate centered around a half-ruined
fifteenth-century villa with a dream that was as ambitious as it was audacious. Guided by a
deep-seated desire to make a difference, the Origos dedicated their lives to transforming
an impoverished terrain into a thriving landscape of wheat fields, olive groves, and
vineyards. With English architect Cecil Pinsent, they refurbished the house and designed
an elegant terraced garden with box hedges, a rose garden, fountains, and a
wisteria-covered pergola.
The dramatic story of La Foce-from the taming of the wild valley and personal loss to
wartime strife-is told by the Origos' granddaughter Katia Lysy, with reminiscences by
Benedetta Origo, the couple's elder daughter. The letters and diaries of Iris Origo weave
beautifully into a personal narrative of the creation of the property and the people behind
it. Newly commissioned photographs by Simon Upton and Matteo Carassale, a foldout
annotated view of the property, and a recently discovered cache of unpublished images of
the creation of the garden in the 1920s bring to life the rich history of the magnificent property.