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 HISTORY OF THE ESTATE
At first covered by bramble and thorn, it was already inhabited in Etruscan times. Formal documentation began in the early 11th century. Benedectine monks constructed the Abbey wich was subsequently entrusted to those of Cistercian order. Once the terrain was cleared of undergrowth, work followed work as day followed day. Fields free of woodland were cultivated under the wise guidance of the monks: wheat, spelt (triticum spelta) and fodder for the animals; grape-vines, olive trees and in the "Hortus conclusus" or walled garden, aromatic herbs. Abundant springs provided pure drinking water and the streams which spilled into the Orcia river as well as into the lake were sufficient for agricultural needs. Stone by stone , dwellings were constructed to house both man and beast in order to provide shelter for those who worked the soil. Tracks were traced to facilitate the access of carts to all parts of the demesne. Mules were harnessed to revolving stones in order to crush the olives from which oil was produced. Grape clusters were pressed for wine. On muleback or horseback the monks traversed the fields, advising and supervising the work in progress. In either thickets or clearings they would halt to mediate, often erecting small shrines at which to stop and pray without leaving their place of work. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ESTATE
When you arrive you find all untouched by time, immersed in a silence enlivened only by the voices of untrammelled nature. The farmhouses, that were forlorn and neglected, some in ruins had been reconstructed or renovated according to the original style. 
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