The Abbazia di Spineto was founded by Willa, Countess of Sarteano in 1085. Some might say it was a shrewd move to ensure the noble Manenti family the best of powerful church connections, as well as bringing many useful temporal privileges to Sarteano. The Lady Willa, however, declared that her very generous gift to the church was purely for the benefit of her immortal soul. The abbey thrived for 300 years with rich revenues from her ample woodlands and rich pastures and Spineto gradually came to dominate a large corner of Tuscany. The Republic of Siena eventually took exception to the ever more powerful abbey and absorbed it into the state in 1347. Thus the great wealth and power of Spineto sowed the seeds of its own slow decline into obscurity.

In 1991, the current owners came upon the abbey and it was “love at first sight”. In the space of half an hour they decided to buy and changed the course of their lives forever. They have poured love, time and expertise into a glorious restoration. Having completed the abbey, they turned their attention to the ancient farmhouses on their vast estate - and thus were created some quite exceptional holiday homes, Il Sasseto and La Busterna included!

The joy of this elegant property is not merely the ample space of large rooms in a large house. It is, in effect, four buildings on the same site, so maximising everyone’s privacy. Two barns opposite the main house are now delightful bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. A grassy patio, with brolly, table and chairs, sits between the barns and is ideal for quiet retreat if the main house seems too noisy. The impressive dining room, with a comfortable sitting room area and huge picture window, is the third annex. The dining room is connected to the immensely stylish kitchen in the main house by a covered walkway lined with aromatic lemon plants. Il Sasseto is a house with enough space to offer togetherness as well as privacy, for even the largest group, yet a smaller party would feel entirely at home. The views are stunning and so is the interior decor.