An old farmhouse in the Farma Nature Reserve, with a panoramic swimming pool and 74 hectares of unspoiled land, in the Tuscan Maremma REF. GRO350 There are places that exist before they are discovered, places where time flows at its own pace, dictated by nature rather than by man. Nestled on a hill at an altitude of 365 metres, within the Val di Farma Nature Reserve, between Siena and Grosseto, Casale Le Antiche Terme is one such place: a property with authentic Tuscan character, where the medieval silhouette of the village of Pari unfolds from the farmyard like a still painting, and seventy-four hectares of unspoiled land envelop every side of the estate in a silence of rare quality.
The estate’s 74 hectares compose a complete rural landscape, where woodland, fields and olive trees alternate as they did on the old Maremma farms. More than 53 hectares of woodland, coppice and Mediterranean scrub, guard the silence and the wildlife of the reserve; around 13 hectares of arable land open into bright fields that change colour with the seasons, suited to crops and fodder; and 6.6 hectares of olive grove frame the farmhouse with the silver of their foliage, completed by a few patches of shrubby pasture. The history of this place predates the building itself. Along the Le stream, from which the property takes its name, natural thermal springs flow freely from the farmland: warm waters that have attracted travellers and pilgrims over the centuries, including Pope Pius II in the fifteenth century, and which even today constitute an intangible privilege that cannot be built or replicated. Winding through the woodland is the Strada della Pia, an ancient medieval route dotted with historic buildings that have been the subject of archaeological studies; in the immediate vicinity, adjacent excavations have led to the rediscovery of medieval thermal baths, bearing witness to this area’s long-standing thermal heritage. The residential complex, created through the restoration of an ancient farmstead, comprises a main farmhouse and two independent outbuildings, offering a total of seven bedrooms, five bathrooms and sixteen beds. The main farmhouse is divided into three self-contained flats: on the ground floor, the first flat offers a spacious open-plan kitchen-dining-living area overlooking the farmyard, a twin bedroom and a double bedroom, served by a bathroom with a shower; the second flat comprises a double bedroom with an en-suite bathroom featuring a bath, a kitchenette and a sofa bed for children. On the first floor, accessible via an external staircase with a panoramic loggia, the third flat, the most picturesque in the complex, comprises a large living room with a fireplace, three bedrooms and two bathrooms with showers. The first outbuilding, a guest house, is spread over two levels connected by internal and external staircases; the ground floor comprises an entrance hall, a double bedroom and a bathroom with shower, whilst the upper floor features a living room, dining room, kitchen and an additional room that can be customised. A second outbuilding, the barn, is in excellent condition but still requires personalisation, ready to be adapted for new uses according to the owners’ requirements. The large portico in front of the farmhouse defines the communal living space around which the various households naturally converge, fostering that generous sense of conviviality that only Tuscan farmhouses can effortlessly create. The 4×10 m bean-shaped swimming pool, edged with stone bricks and featuring a sun terrace equipped with sun loungers, deckchairs and parasols, is situated at a vantage point overlooking the village of Pari: one of the most breathtaking views in the entire inland Maremma, both during the day and at sunset. The property also features an artesian well approximately 40 metres deep and solar panels installed on both buildings, with a combined capacity of 10 and 6 kW. Just five minutes away are the famous Petriolo Thermal Baths, renowned since ancient times. Less than an hour away are Siena, Montalcino, the Val d’Orcia, the Abbey of San Galgano and the Argentario coast. In this location, the distance from Tuscany’s major cultural and natural landmarks is not a limitation: it is the very measure of the seclusion one seeks.
