The present farmhouse is an ancient building which rises upon a previous structure belonging to the medieval estate of the fortified castle of Spedaletto. The castle was also called "of the bridge" owing to the existence of a medieval bridge crossing the river Orcia in the nearby.

Information about the farmhouse Le Sorbelle can be traced back to the ancient Book of Records of the Siennese Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala of the XIII century where Le Sorbelle is already listed among its other possessions in the Val d'Orcia: the fortified castles of Spedaletto and San Quirico.

Le Sorbelle is first mentioned in the Book of Records of the Ospedale della Scala starting from the XIII century where it is first mentioned for the production of cereals and the sheep-farming. Even at that ancient time the farmers who lived there enjoyed a privileged position among the others for the wealth of their land.

In 1289 The King Charles II of Anjou and his knights who were coming back to Neaples along Via Francigena were hosted in Spedaletto and in the nearby farms, thus including Le Sorbelle is often remembered also in the Book of Records of the communal Archives of Pienza between the end of the XV and the beginning of the XVI century for the tributes in bushels of wheat they paid to the Siennese commune.

The farm was still under the possession of Ospedale della Scala in 1460 when Pope Pious II promulgated a papal Bull in favour of it, From its present structure we may presume the existence in the past of a hostel for pilgrims even if it is recorded among the medieval hostels and inns which paid tributes to the Siennese commune.

Le Sorbelle was still part of the estate of the Ospedale della Scala in 1676, as it is remembered in a document written by the inspector of the archduke of Toscany during a visit to Ospedaletto It still exists in the historical archives of Ospedale della Scala a drawing showing

Le Sorbelle in a form which is quite similar to the present one. Later on Le Sorbelle passed together with the whole estate of Spedaletto to the Piccolomini family as a consequence of a law issued by the archduke which allowed the nearby landowners to buy the lands of the Ospedale della Scala he had dissolved.

Strada di Spedaletto n.139

53026 Pienza - Siena- Italia

Tel.0578/755058 

Cell.339/2275373

monteloro@cretedisiena.com