What is Pienza known for?

Rebuilt from 1459 by Rossellino for Pope Pius II as a single architectural composition, the first applied example of Alberti's urban theory. Historic center inscribed in 1996, surrounding Val d'Orcia landscape inscribed in 2004, both still managed under the original Renaissance plan. Sheep's milk cheese aged in straw, hay or walnut leaves, the contemporary export of the Pienza ridge and its surrounding flocks.

Pienza is a comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany region of Italy, about 80 kilometers from Perugia.

Tuscany · Siena

Pienza

The first Renaissance ideal city, built from 1459 by Bernardo Rossellino for Pope Pius II on the Val d'Orcia ridge.

80 km / 50 mi

Nearest hub (Perugia)

1,976

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Pienza sitson a long ridge in the Val d'Orcia, an hour and a half south of Siena. The village was called Corsignano until 1462. Enea Silvio Piccolomini was born here in 1405, became Pope Pius II in 1458, and the following year ordered the Florentine architect Bernardo Rossellino to rebuild his birthplace as a Renaissance ideal city. The work took three years. Piazza Pio II at the center, the Duomo on the cliff side overlooking the Val d'Orcia, Palazzo Piccolomini for the pope's family, Palazzo Borgia for the cardinal, the town hall opposite the Duomo, all designed and built as a single architectural composition. Pius consecrated the Duomo on 29 August 1462; the pope died two years later. The whole composition has survived almost unchanged. UNESCO inscribed the historic center in 1996 and the surrounding Val d'Orcia in 2004. Pecorino di Pienza, the sheep's milk cheese aged in straw or walnut leaves, is the contemporary export.

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Gallery

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Known for

Piazza Pio II
Trapezoidal Renaissance square laid out by Bernardo Rossellino, with the Duomo, Palazzo Piccolomini, Palazzo Borgia and Palazzo Comunale facing each other.
Duomo di Pienza
Cathedral consecrated on 29 August 1462 by Pius II, Renaissance façade by Rossellino, Latin-cross plan with three apsidal chapels, built on the cliff edge.
Palazzo Piccolomini
Renaissance palace for the pope's family by Rossellino, begun 1459, with an internal courtyard and a hanging garden overlooking the Val d'Orcia.
Palazzo Borgia
Cardinal Borgia's palace opposite Palazzo Piccolomini, now the diocesan museum with works from Pienza and the surrounding villages.
Corso il Rossellino
The main street of the centro storico, pedestrian, running between Piazza Pio II and the medieval gate, lined with pecorino shops and wine bars.
Belvedere sulla Val d'Orcia
Cliff-edge terraces behind the Duomo and Palazzo Piccolomini, with views over the cypress-lined hills that form the UNESCO Val d'Orcia landscape.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months when the Val d'Orcia sits at its best, green or gold depending on the wheat cycle, and the Piazza Pio II is open for photographs without the day-tripper buses. July and August push past thirty-three degrees and the Corso Rossellino fills with tour groups between ten and four. The Fiera del Cacio, the cheese festival, takes the first Sunday in September, when the streets fill with stalls of pecorino producers from the Pienza ridge. November through March is quiet; some palazzo museums shorten hours, the Duomo stays open, and the Val d'Orcia behind it goes silver in winter light without the summer color.