Pienza

Comune di Pienza
Country	Italy
Region	Toscana
Province	Siena (SI)
Mayor	Marco Del Ciondolo (since June 13, 2004)
Elevation	491 m (1,611 ft)
Area	122 km2 (47 sq mi)
Population (as of December 31, 2005)
- Total	2,231
- Density	18/km² (47/sq mi)
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°04′43″N 11°40′44″E
Gentilic	Pientini
Dialing code	0578
Postal code	56026
Frazioni	Cosona, La Foce, Monticchiello, Palazzo Massaini, Spadaletto
Patron	St. Andrew the Apostle
- Day	November 30
Location of Pienza in Italy
Website: www.comunedipienza.it

Historic Centre of the City of Pienza*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	789
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Inscription	1996  (20th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Pienza, a town (it: commune) in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany (central Italy), between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."

In 1996, UNESCO put the town his list as a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the all valley, the Val d'Orcia, was put on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes.

History

Pienza was rebuilt from a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (Italian: Enea Silvio Piccolomini), a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town. Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts.The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Bernardo Rossellino).

Important Places and Monuments in Pienza

Palazzo Piccolomini

The piazza is made by four buildings. The principal residence, Palazzo Piccolomini, is on the west side.

The Duomo

The Duomo (Cathedral), which dominates the center of the piazza, has a façade that is one of the earliest designed in the Renaissance manner. Artworks in the Duomo include five altar paintings from the Sienese School. The Baptistry, dedicated as usual to San Giovanni.

Palazzo Borgia

The Palazzo Borgia, on the third side of the piazza, was built as the palace to house the bishops who would travel to Pienza to attend the Pope. Inside the palace there is the Diocesan Museum, and the Museo della Cattedrale. The collection includes a lot of 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.

Palazzo Comunale

Across from the church is the town hall. Since Corsigniano was originally a village without a town governance, before the transformations there was no town hall. But when Corsigniano was given the status of an official city, a Palazzo Comunale was required. A third floor was added in 1599. The Palazzo Comunale was probably also designed by Rossellino.

Other buildings

• Ammannati Palace
• The Gonzaga Palace
• The Palazzo del Cardinale Atrebatense
• The Pieve of Corsignano, in the neighbourhood, is one of the most important Romanesque monuments of the area.

A view of Pienza

See Also

• Province of Siena

References

• Mack, Charles (1987). Pienza: the Creation of a Renaissance City. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 
• Tönnesmann, Andreas (1990). Pienza: Städtebau und Humanismus. Munich: Hirmer. 
• Pieper, Jan (1997). Pienza: der Entwurf einer humanistischen Weltsich. Stuttgart: Axel Menges. 

Others Websites

• Piazza Pio II
• Pienza - art and architecture
• Hometown Pope Makes Good (Pope Pius II and Pienza) by Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, 24 August 2006)

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Pienza