PIENZA — Hive

Originally published at https://maratstepanoff.com/pienza/ DECEMBER 2, 2019

Pienza in Italy is a tiny town in the heart of Tuscany and located 188 km from Rome and 120 km from Florence.

The first mentioned is from the 9th century and the town was called Corsignano. In the 15th century, Pope Pius II renamed it himself to Pienza which means “city of Pius”. Today it is Pienza.

There are not as many tourists as in some other Tuscan towns (still quite enough!). If you have time during the afternoon, you can read about the history of the helpful boards around the town.

Pienza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — it’s charming, full of history and culture and a wonderful place to spend a few hours in the afternoon. Highly recommended.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN PIENZA

The trapezoidal piazza in the center of town.
A summer home for the pope was built in 1459. There is the first example of a “roof garden” in the Renaissance.
The Duomo (Cathedral) – The main cathedral of Pienza.
Palazzo Vescovile – The Palazzo Vescovile, located on the third side of the plaza and was built to house the bishops who went to Pienza to visit the Pope.
Pecorino di Pienza – The Pecorino of Pienza is cheese made from sheep’s milk. Cheese is made with various flavors. There are too many types of Pecorino’s from fresh to aged pecorino. Tasty cheese in one of the charming small shops.
Narrow old streets – It is amazing… people walked on these stones hundreds of years ago.