Tuscany to Discover
PIENZA
The town of Pienza was built as a small hamlet called Corsignano and so it remained until 1462. In that year Pope Pio II crossed its walls, while he was passing through to go to Mantua. Struck by the poverty and by the decay in which the village was, he decided to intervene, rebuilding and expanding, till to get what he believed could be the ideal town of the time.
The pope entrusted the task to the architect Bernardo Rossellino: the restoration lasted about four years and gave rise to a harmonious and well liveable town, with its typically 16th-century style forms. Since then the town of Pienza - whose name comes from the pope who rebuilt it - has undergone only limited changes.
The great historic and artistic heritage of Pienza gathers in the square dedicated to the philanthropist pope. Although his projects were only partially completed by the excellent architect, they remain up to the present one of the most significant examples of the Renaissance rational town planning.
The Town Hall, Palazzo Borgia and Palazzo Piccolomini paint a picture of unique charm, along with the wonderful Cathedral. Near Pienza you find Romitorio. It is a complex of buildings excavated in sandstone by hermits monks.
Thanks to the beauty of its Renaissance historic centre, since 1996 Pienza has entered to belong to the UNESCO natural, artistic and cultural heritage.
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