Pienza

Pienza - a beautiful little town, where there weren't really many tourists. It was quiet there and when I looked at something for a longer time, no one pushed me. In my opinion, there is a Renaissance feel here more than in other Tuscan towns. Definitely don't miss sitting or at least standing for a while on the castle walls and looking at the countryside. There is a beautiful view of a piece of Tuscany and other towns on the hills. Then all you have to do is go somewhere for a good meal or at least a dessert. Suddenly you don't want to do anything, just stop and do nothing.

Having sworn off guided coach tours after a poor experience in Poland, I somehow had lapse in judgement and ended up booking myself on one from Rome up to Tuscany for the day. I thought, how bad could it be? In all honesty, not too bad at all although the day was clearly aimed at tourists looking to experience some Tuscan cuisine and culture rather than appreciate some Outstanding Universal Value and obsessively tick off another site on a somewhat arbitrary list. As such, we spent 1.5 hours in Montepulciano, which is a delightful village but tantalising just outside the core zone of Val d’Orcia, then 1.5 hours at lunch, which again was lovely although I would have liked larger portions, and finally just 30 minutes in Pienza itself. Admittedly, it is possible to see pretty much everything there is in Pienza in that time but I would like to have been a little less rushed.

Whilst the morning in Montepulciano had been too foggy to admire the view, from the terrace on the south side of Pienza by the afternoon the weather had cleared and there was a great view across the valley below with its iconic cypress trees and rolling hills. There is only one main road and you can walk across the whole town in no time at all but the all the little side alleys were a pleasure to explore, however briefly, with hidden tiny piazzas. On the main square, Palazzo Piccolomini is free to …

Pienza is pretty. Pienza is very little. Pienza is WHS with OUV that is rather philosophical, I would say. Pienza is located on a hill, so, there are beautiful views on the Orcia valley (another WHS) and towards Monte Amiata (photo), which is also worth-visiting: The Monte Amiata mountain is covered by thick beech and chestnut forest, and the open-air thermal baths can be visited in Bagni San Filippo at the foot of the mountain, and... freshly proposed TWHS Via Francigena crossed Monte Amiata in Abbadia San Salvatore! It is not necessary to say more about Pienza, all basic data is given already in other reviews. There is actually only one square (Piazza Pio II) and ca. 4 buildings (Cathedral, Palazzo Piccolomini, and several others palaces) that deserve attention. However, it is enough to make Pienza so special. Besides the architecture, food is also very delicate in Pienza.

The historic center of the Pienza is inscribed on UNESCO List because it occupies a seminal position in the development of the concept of the planned “ideal town”, but you have to be a student of architectural history to fully appreciate that. For a relative dilettante, Pienza is simply a gorgeous postcard-size hill town, with no vehicular traffic on its narrow streets and dozens of picture-spot opportunities around every corner. Not too overrun by tourists either, probably on the account of being less famous than the likes of Siena or San Gimignano as well as sitting somewhat away from the beaten path.

Its size means that an hour or so is enough to cover the entire historic part of Pienza on foot. Piazza Pio II and Corso Rosselino are where most of the major architectural landmarks are situated, and there are a number of quaint little walkways and a terrace with sweeping views over Val d'Orcia. The cathedral is certainly worth stepping in; a visit to Palazzo Piccolomini as well as exploration of artisan shops can stretch the time in town to about half a day.

Since Val d'Orcia is a World Heritage site on its own merit, you should combine your visit to Pienza with a leisurely drive along SP146 towards San Quirico - or some other similar route - which offers many good viewpoints to appreciate the scenery for which the valley is renowned.

I visited this WHS in August 2013. Without Pienza there wouldn't have been Florence as we know it! It is the first Renaissance town and was used as a model for other towns and cities in Tuscany and Italy. The views over Val d'Orcia are worth taking in at sunset with a glass of wine. Via delle Case Nuove is interesting too and there is a very good organic gelateria named Buon Gusto which is the best in town!

The monumental buildings surrounding the Piazza Pius II were certainly impressive, the white masonry of the duomo contrasting with the brown stone of the Piccolomini and Amouidi Palaces. But I found the newly restored houses on via della Casa Nuove equally interesting.

I reached Pienza by bus from Buonconvento station.

Pienza is a small but nevertheless pretty little town in the Tuscan hills. It has preserved its medieval center very well, it all comes across as very homogenous. The center is almost completely traffic-free, so it's a pleasure to walk in. An hour or 2 will be sufficient time to take in the main sights and roam around for a while.

I almost immediately found out that the place to be in Pienza is the walkway overlooking the Orcia Valley. Local old ladies and Japanese tourists alike enjoyed the combination of the warm sun on their faces and a great view over the Tuscan countryside. I quickly purchased a pannino con prosciutto at a nearby cafe and joined them - already that great feeling of being in a different world, just 4,5 hours after I left Amsterdam.

Dutifully I also had a look at the local sights. At the central square, quite small and strangely trapezoidal-shaped, I visited the interior of the Cathedral. And I joined a guided tour of the impressive Piccolomini Palace next door. It costs 7 EUR and is in Italian only, but worth going. Both Palace and Cathedral are virtual museums that hold major works of medieval art.

I have been once in the beautiful town of Pienza, constructed on the top of a hill surmounting the Orcia Valley, also listed as a WHS, between the Mount Amiata and the region of the Crete Senesi. It is an ideal Renaissance town, in which was transformed from 1459 under the Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini), that was born here when it was a medieval village called Corsignano; the Renaissance centre was projected following the theories of Leon Battista Alberti by his collaborator Bernardo Rossellino. On the beautiful trapezoidal Pius II’s Square, that is situated on a rock, the boundary of the town, and has a herringbone paving edged with travertine, overlook the most important buildings. The cathedral, projected by Rossellino with the influence of Alberti and made of travertine, has a Renaissance tripartite façade, divided by pillars and columns and decorated by the coat of arms of the family Piccolomini. The interior, divided in three aisles by clustered pillars from which spring the arches and the cross-vaults, was inspired by the Late Gothic German churches, that the Pope saw in his journeys around Europe. Inside there is a nice baptismal font and altars by Rossellino, Giovanni di Paolo, Vecchietta and Matteo di Giovanni. The Piccolomini Palace, constructed on the site of old houses owned by the family and constructed by Rossellino on the base of the Alberti’s Rucellai Palace in Florence, has three same three-storeyed façades, resting on a travertine plinth and divided by pilasters in three bands …

A lovely little town situated on the quinessentially Tuscan drive between Montalcino and Montepulciano. What the town lacks in notoriety in comparison to its famous neighbours, it makes up for in beauty and grace. Almost completely redesigned between 1459 and 1462 and renamed on the orders of hometown son Pope Pius II, the main square is the picture of Renaissance architecture, while the surrounding houses retain old village charm. A highly recommended lunch stop for those doing a tour of the vineyards of Southern Tuscany.