Pienza, city of Art and Pecorino cheese

Along the way from Trequanda to Montalcino, we find the city of Pienza, a superb example of Renaissance architecture, built upon request by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who was Pope Pio II from 1458

Pienza is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Every second weekend in May the “Pienza and its flowers” show and market of plants and flowers is held. In occasion of this exhibition plant breeders and schools of the sector meet up to re-propose wonderful floral scenes inspired by Renaissance art, within the most beautiful areas of the city.


Pienza, Cathedral

The year following his papal nomination, Pope Pio II hired the architect Bernardo Rossellino to transform his obscure village into a city. Piazza Pio II opens up in the centre of the little town and is the hub of Pienza’s urban structure. The little Renaissance square was studied to welcome the urban constructions being built at the time, and in fact all of the main monuments of the town face onto it. You can see the squared flooring and the travertine well with the coat of arms of the Piccolomini family. The Cathedral is the most grandiose and imposing element among the constructions. It was in fact the Pope who wanted this building to be the most important as a symbol of his faith.

The first Sunday in September is the Festival of Cheese. Pienza is considered the “capital” of pecorino cheese; this is because the little town is situated in the middle of a clay area, the Val d’Orcia, in which the sheep pasture is characterised by a series of aromatic herbs that make the milk particularly tasty and fragrant.