8 Bedrooms (5 double, 1 with French bed, 2 single) - Pool
Il Forte Spagnolo, a fortified fortress, is not only a beautiful property, it is considered an art piece, absolutely unique, and renowned within the area for it’s very important roman ruins. The Castle, situated in south Tuscany, between the towns of Capalbio and Orbetello, lay in ruin until the Seventies when it has been restored by the famous Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi becoming National Monument. The area is one of the most exclusive in Italy, near the touristic harbour of Cala Galera, the golf corse of Argentario and the beautiful beaches of Feniglia and Tagliata. It is a rare example of a fortified castle, which was built by the Spaniards who occupied the area in the sixteen century.
It is the site of a late Republican Roman slave-run villa owned by the senatorial family of the Volusii, built in the 1st century BC and enlarged in the 1st century AD with a large cryptoportico. The villa was fortified at a later period and the fortress was rebuilt as a villa in the more modern sense in the 15th century. It was excavated during 1976-1981 under the direction of Andrea Carandini and very thoroughly published. The villa itself was rehabilitated in the 1970s as a luxury property, with the ruins, picturesquely incorporated in the garden plan.
The villa was in the Ager Cosanus the vicinity of Cosa, a Latin colonia founded in 273 B.C., reached from Rome along the Via Aurelia. Cosa suffered a crisis in the Roman Republican civil wars and became depopulated. In its stead, a group of great villas were assembled in the area, run by slave labor not unlike the latifundia holdings typical of southern Italy. Aside from the villa, there are remains of comparable contemporary villas at Colonne and Provincia. The exemplary archaeological excavations at the fortress have been taken as a starting point for the new phase of science-supported field archaeology in Italian work that is providing a more detailed study of the occupation history of the Roman countryside and moves beyond the antiquarian tradition of villa-studies.
Il Forte Spagnolo was built upon the ruins of a roman villa that dates back to the 1st century BC. It was this “Spanish Fortress” that was restored in the seventies and remains in perfect conditions with the marvellous paving of old hand made “cotto toscano”. The dining Room (more than 250 sqm) has a beautiful original brick vaulted roof from the 18th century. The castle is 11000sq ft (1000) sqm with 6 double bedrooms 2 single rooms, 7 bathrooms and huge living and dining rooms. In the garden there are the ruins of one of the most important roman villa of the 1st century BC. It is one of the most studied archeological site in center Italy. The house is surrounded by a big garden, a beautiful pool and land for about 11 HA (120,000 sqm) with 1500 centenary olive trees. Gardner and housekeeper lives in an annex with 2 bedrooms.
Il Forte Spagnolo is situated 1 hour from the international Rome airport of Fiumicino, half an hour from the airport of Grosseto.
| * Please note: the included amenities may vary according to final agreement, make sure to check your contract for complete list. |
