The Estate
Nature first. Then us.
Seventy-nine hectares, thirty of them untouched woodland, where nature follows its own cycle without interference. In 2021 the Maggiorotti family bought them and had them recognised as the first designated Wilderness Area in Tuscany: a protection the owners sought, requested and defend themselves.
A pact of authenticity
Welcoming few guests, in keeping with the place
San Lodovico is not made for many. Eight lodges spread across the whole estate, far apart, in spaces deliberately left intact that ask for respect, time and care.
We do not offer rigid programmes or entertainment. San Lodovico is not just a place to stay, but an experience to learn from: space, time and attention to discover, and rediscover, slow time, forest immersion, watching wildlife and reading its tracks.
Conservation and research
Knowing in order to protect
resident wild mammal species documented by camera traps, including wolf, roe deer, wild boar, fox, badger, porcupine and wildcat, the subject of a study about to be published.
nesting bird species recorded in research published in the Atti della Società Toscana di Scienze Naturali, more than a fifth of them long-distance migrants.
species of wild orchid identified so far by the ongoing botanical survey.
Habitat management does not show in photographs
Water points, open clearings, woodland edges, refuges, and crops of oats, barley and alfalfa left for wildlife. This is work measured in years. The stable presence of the wolf is the most sensitive sign of the balance reached.
The land
Olive grove, garden, research
- The organic olive grove of Frantoiano, Leccino and Moraiolo reaches harvest with a particularly high polyphenol content.
- The Chef’s vegetable garden supplies part of the kitchen from a few hundred metres away.
- On about five hundred square metres, a randomised-block trial on Valdichiana giant garlic continues, open to academic collaboration.
Coltura della Salute
The health of the place and of people are one system
The estate’s motto brings together the health of the environment, of the wildlife and of those who stay here. Maurizio Maggiorotti, physician, university lecturer and president of the Accademia Wilderness, coined the term epiforest medicine here: the forest as an active environment that can influence the physiology of those who live in it.
San Lodovico is its permanent reference laboratory. For those who wish, an individual assessment using the CellWellness® method can be booked among our experiences.
The style
Materials, furniture, fabrics and lighting were chosen by Arianna Santoro Maggiorotti, art historian and interior designer, one by one, so that nothing contradicts the landscape around them.