Immanent silence, profound quiet…

It is hard to choose amongst the many ways the place is described on the world’s tourism websites: «a splendid isolation», «the ideal habitat», «a place untouched by time», «breathtaking natural architecture» to cite just a few, to the emblematic orange flag awarded to it by the Touring Club, which certifies reality better than any epithet. We are talking about the fabulous geological setting of the so-called Città del Tufo (Tuff Cities), those Vie Cave (Quarry Roads) so characteristic of that jewel of Tuscan archaeology composed of the hamlets of Sovana, Pitigliano, Sorano and Vitozza. Tuff is a volcanic rock created 400,000 years ago, when the eruptions of what is now Lake Bolsena covered the area with soft lava. Rivers and torrents eroded the soft rock, leaving behind them massive spurs of tuff, into which rooms and homes were once cut, now uninhabited but still used as storehouses, separated by deep gullies, which offer the visitor a unique and unforgettable experience. The uncontaminated natural environment, with its high walls of tuff surrounded by ancient trees, the tranquillity and beauty of the panoramas to which the sound of the Rivers Flora and Lente form a backdrop, the tradition of living with respect for and in harmony with nature — all these have made this corner of the Maremma, at the south eastern tip of the province of Grosseto, famous for its hospitality.
It is in this setting, in the municipality of Sorano, that the Podere del Lepre is to be found, the result of the prestigious recent renovation of a typical local farm house, surrounded by 80 hectares of land, mostly cultivated with wheat and barley and with a smaller portion of ancient turkey oak, oak, elm and chestnut woods. The renovation has made the best of local architectural traditions, such as the tuff walls and chestnut roof beams, and the Lepre holiday farm is divided into several sections called Badger, Woodpecker, Squirrel, Porcupine, Fox, Stoat, Owl, Hare and Hedgehog, after the typical animals of the area. The old storehouse has been converted into two apartments, while a suite of six rooms, four of which are in the old cowshed, has been created in the house itself. The farm store, on the other hand, has been converted into a restaurant, while the large terrace over the cowshed which once united the house to the old hay barn now houses a luxurious jacuzzi where guests can relax in the utmost tranquillity.
The elegance and authenticity of the renovation is the outcome of an intelligent project, with just the right combination of heritage and modernity, so that the use of modern materials actually highlights the traditional use of tuff and chestnut as building materials. A particularly important role is played by the floors in ceramic tiles of various sizes, selected from Monocibec’s Cotto Etrusco and Cotto della Rosa porcelain collections, materials which stand out for their cutting edge technology, with an overall effect which is both evocative and very attractive to the eye. Ceramics also plays an important role in the bathrooms, with wall tiles from the Stratos line by Naxos in a variety of formats and colours.