La Foce

La Foce stands in the hills above the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, with a postal address in Chianciano Terme in the province of Siena. The villa dates from the late fifteenth century, when it was a hostel for pilgrims and merchants on the Via Francigena, the old road to Rome.

Antonio and Iris Origo arrived about a century ago and turned the land into a farm that still works today. They asked the English architect Cecil Pinsent to design the gardens, which blend Italian and English ideas. This is a family estate rather than a hotel, so a wedding here feels like borrowing a very beautiful home for the weekend.

The estate calls itself ideal for weddings and family gatherings, and Villa La Foce itself can be rented for weddings, with a three-night minimum. Trained event staff are on hand, and food comes from the farm, cooked in a refined Tuscan style.

The garden is the obvious backdrop. Terraces planted with lavender, rosemary and lemon trees step down the hill, a rose garden sits inside geometric box hedges, and a travertine staircase leads to the lemon garden, with a wisteria pergola nearby. Guided public tours visit parts of the garden on set days, but the villa's own garden and pool stay private. Ask the team about ceremony spots, guest numbers, legal or symbolic options and the music curfew.

Guests stay on the estate in six places: Villa Origo, B&B Palazzolo, Belvedere Piccolo, Belvedere Grande, Fontalgozzo and Montauto. They range from small apartments to farmhouses that stand alone, each with a pool and garden, though the two Belvedere houses share one pool. Palazzolo has seven en-suite rooms for 14 guests and a two-night minimum, and most houses ask for three or seven nights.

Ask the team how many the six sleep in total, and look at hotels in Chianciano Terme for a larger group. Ristorante Dopolavoro, the estate's old farm workers' club, now serves Tuscan dishes with La Foce olive oil, an easy welcome dinner. Ask the team for the best airport and drive time.