ABOVE: The inscription on the French window	TOP: Rusticated pietra serena stonework on the ground floor
ABOVE: Terracotta tiles found in many of the rooms and corridors. With the exception of the TV room this is the original terracotta dating back to 1806.	ABOVE: All of the ceilings, in the rooms and corridors, feature the original chestnut wood. We have cleaned the wood, removed any old distemper paint, and treated it with preservative.

La Dogana was originally the customs house on the Tuscany/Umbria border along the Nestore valley road. An inscription on the stone lintel reads 'VRG 1806' which we assume were the initials of the builder and dates the house back to the early 19th century, although locals inform us that there was probably another building on the site previously. 1806 is an important date in Italian history as Napoleon was engaged in his second invasion of the country at that time. Quite possibly his administration arranged for the customs house to be built to collect taxes from travellers passing from the Papal State of Umbria to the Grand Duchy of Toscana. One of the oddities of the house is its ancient prison which runs the width of the house and can be accessed from the games room. A miserable dark place with a tiny window and an earth lined water closet, this is a stark reminder of what happened to those poor unfortunates who were caught trying to evade paying their taxes. Today the room is used as a wine cellar and for storage. With the unification of Italy in 1870 it was no longer necessary to collect taxes and, subsequently, the house was inhabited by two families of contadini farmers. Many of the locals have relatives who were born here. In the 1960s the house fell into disuse and was abandoned until 1986. Following a progressive restoration programme, La Dogana was refitted and refurbished in 2004.