There is a special charm in the villages of the Val d’Orcia, an air of harmony that embraces everything and spreads through the alleys, squares and surrounding landscape. One of these places, in particular, evokes an ideal of beauty based on proportion, space and perspective: it is Pienza, the village born on the impetus of a man who was a humanist and a pope.
Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, elected as Pius II, had in mind to realize a utopia: to give life to the ideal city. The characteristics it was to possess were dictated by a humanistic-Renaissance conception, as well as by the desire to make nature and history coexist through the harmony of perfect forms. The urban planning that followed fulfilled the Pope’s dream.
The central square, named after Pius II himself and to this day the soul of the village, is the fulcrum from which the small urban revolution that took place here, designed by Rossellino, began: trapezoidal in shape and based on proportions that make it “wider” than its actual size, the square is surrounded by Pienza’s most important buildings, such as the Palazzo Borgia and the Palazzo Piccolomini, which look out on each other and are now the headquarters of two museums that preserve treasures and pieces of art that are among the most important in the Val d’Orcia.
Born as an “ideal city” because of its harmonious proportions and perfect management of space, Pienza is a village of infinite charm, which is revealed in the glimpses that open onto the valley, the historic atmosphere and the romance of characteristic alleys with evocative names, such as Via della Fortuna, Via dell’Amore and Via del Bacio, making it truly ideal not only for spending time with one’s soul mate, but also as a weddinglocation.
The gastronomic tradition also makes the village a must-visit destination: here you can enjoy traditional recipes and the area’s flagship product, which cannot be missed as an aperitif or paired with honey and cured meats in the exquisite chopping boards.
