Pienza, Tuscany, Italy
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pienza is a medieval hill top town located in southern Tuscany in the middle of the Val d'Orcia, with beautiful panoramic views across the Tuscan landscape as well as architectural beauty, thanks to the vision of Pope Pius II who was born here and who completely redesigned the centre of
Pienza into a model Renaissance town. According to sources (Wikipedia!) the architect, Bernardo Rossellino, was commissioned to build a Duomo, papal palace and town hall, and construction was completed in three years. A rare example of Renaissance town design. often described as the "ideal city" or the "utopian city", it is said to represent one of the best planned Renaissance towns. Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of 'urban planning' concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers. ..and you can find some fun shopping and gelato too! We didnt spend too much time here as we had spent longer than anticipated wine tasting in
Montepulciano ..go figure with Carol and Wendy :) but it was a nice place to wander around. One down side for me.. I had recalled from a previous visit having one of the best cappuccinos ever at a cafe along the ancient wall that rimmed the town, and was very pleased with myself for having found the place. Unfortunately the coffee was no where close to what I had remembered. Peccato.
