Pienza: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 65 - 115 Il Giardino Segreto
 Il Giardino Segreto is situated in the historical centre of Pienza in a restored building of the 18th century with a wonderful inner garden.
All room… MoreEUR 80 - 165 Hotel Residence San Gregorio
 Once a theatre house in the 1930s, Hotel Residence San Gregorio offers spacious rooms, suites and apartments in the city centre and near the Val d&acu… MoreEUR 90 - 260 Locanda Vesuna
 In the heart of the Tuscan hills, Locanda Vesuna offers an outdoor swimming pool with jacuzzi and sun terrace, and panoramic countryside views. Free i… MoreEUR 80 - 130 Piccolo Hotel La Valle
 Just a few steps away from the historical centre of Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the hotel is set in a popular destination; a tranquil area w… MoreEUR 70 - 700 Relais Il Chiostro Di Pienza
 How many people can say they’ve stayed in a 15th-century convent? You can if you book Relais Chiostro di Pienza, a charming hotel set right in the h… MoreEUR 55 - 249 Hotel Corsignano
 The Corsignano is in Pienza and offers breathtaking views of the Orcia Valley. This family-run hotel offers a terrace with jacuzzi, and a typical Tusc… MoreEUR 80 - 95 Hotel Arca di Pienza
 Hotel Arca di Pienza offers free parking just 100 metres from the historic centre of Pienza, in the province of Siena. Rooms are individually and cla… MoreEUR 95 - 130 Agriturismo Il Colombaiolo
 You can truly experience the Tuscan countryside at this charming 15th-century farmhouse just outside Pienza, surrounded by 30 hectares of land includi… MoreEUR 100 - 220 Agriturismo Poggio Tobruk
 This old farmhouse is in the hills of the Val d´Orcia Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Tuscan countryside. It offers independent apartm… MoreEUR 75 - 120 Antica Locanda
 Antica Locanda offers unique and gracious accommodation on Corso Il Rossellino, in the very centre of magic Pienza, less than 100 metres from the cent… MoreEUR 69 - 105 B&B Camere Andrei
 Steps away from the famous Piazza Pio II square, in Pienza, Camere Andrei is a charming bed & breakfast, opened since 1998. It is located in a peacefu… MoreEUR 50 - 270 Agriturismo Bonello
 Agriturismo Bonello is a historic farmhouse set in the Tuscan countryside outside Pienza, with views of the Val D’Orcia nature reserve. It offers se… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pienza: Guide
Pienza is town and commune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany (central Italy), between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino.
In 1996 UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley was included on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes.
History and main sights
Pienza was built on a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, a Renaissance Humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once become Pope, he had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town - which has led some historians to dub Pienza as the first "utopian" town. It represents the first application of so-called humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.
The rebuilding work was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Alexander VI) also front the piazza. Noteworthy is the internal court of Palazzo Piccolomini, with a History_of_gardening#Italian_gardens | giardino all'Italiana preceded by a portico and sided by a loggiato on two floors.
The travertine well on the Piazza carries the Piccolomini family crest, and was widely copied in Tuscany during the following century.
Though most of the buildings are decidedly Renaissance, the bell tower of the Duomo (Cathedral) has a Germanic flavor as a result of Pope Pius' exposure to German architecture before he ascended to the Papacy. This can be seen also in the general Hallenkirche structure of the church; the façade, however, is purely Renaissance. The interior has Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles divided by high pilasters covered by semicolumns. Artworks include five woods by Sienese School painters. Under the apse of church is the Baptistry (or San Giovanni), including part of the original Romanesque edifice and resembling a crypt.
There is a brick bell tower on the Piazza Comunale, but it is shorter than its religious counterpart, to symbolize the superior power of the church. The tower is annexed to the Palazzo Pubblico, also probably designed by Rossellino.
The Palazzo Borgia is home to the Diocesan Museum, and the Duomo incorporates the Museo della Cattedrale. The Diocesan collection includes local textile work as well as religious artifacts. Paintings include a 7th century painting of Christ on the Cross (La Croce), 14th century works by Pietro Lorenzetti (Madonna with Child) and Bartolo di Fredi (Madonna della Misericordia). There are also important works from the 14th and 15th centuries, including a Madonna attributed to Luca Signorelli.
The church of San Francesco, with a gabled façade and gothic portal, is among the buildings that survived from the old Corsignano. It is built on a pre-existing church that dated from the 8th century. The interior contains frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis, those on the walls having been painted by Cristofano di Bindoccio and Meo di Pero, 14th century artists of the Senese school.
Other noteworthy buildings in Pienza include the Ammannati Palace, the Gonzaga Palace and the Palazzo del Cardinale Atrebatense, all built in the 15th century.
The Pieve of Corsignano, in the neighbourhood, is one of the most important Romanesque monuments of the area.
The frazione of Monticchiello is home to a characteristic Romitorio, a series of grottoes carved in the rock by heremite monks.
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Pienza". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
by Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, 24 August 2006)