Pienza, Tuscany, Italy

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There is something exquisitely special about the small Renaissance towns of Italy, particularly here in Pienza, which is the birthplace of Renaissance town planning.
It was created here because an important local aristocrat became Pope Pius II, and decided to build up his hometown into this artistic treasure, which has had some influence on urban planning all around the world.
From above, we see the harmonious compact form with the two principal buildings, the palace of the Pope and the Cathedral next to it, built around the central piazza.
Pope Pius II was a member of the Piccolomini family, a noble lineage that included yet another pope and many other bishops, dukes, and generals, seen here and a series of paintings he commissioned from pink to Ricci oh.
It was his idea to build this town the way we see it today in a Renaissance style. They say it's the first, Renaissance, planned town.
Piazza Pius II or "Pio Due," is the central focal point of the town, and the largest building of course is his personal palace, designed in the Florentine style by his principal architect Bernardo Rossellino.
The palace is much bigger than the adjacent Cathedral.
Another prominent building on the piazza is the town hall, the Palazzo Comunale, with its graceful loggia on the ground level, and crenellated clock tower rising high above, with the popular Café La Posta right next door.
They're open from 7 o'clock in the morning, so drop in for a cappuccino or espresso to start your day.
And then later it becomes a bar and pub, right up until 10 PM.
The main street of town is Corso Rossellino, and it goes right through the piazza, extending from one end of town to the other, with gates at both ends, with the protective wall going around it and that main street running throughout and the Piazza Pio in the middle.
Pienza is located in Tuscany, about two hours away from Florence.
Corso Rossellino, the main street of town, exhibits, some basic Renaissance-style features, including the human scale, the mix of residential and commercial, and the smooth, wide paving with a gentle curve to the lane. And notice the façades of the buildings do not jut out at odd angles. They present a more even and harmonious alignment, embracing the daily activities of life in a beautiful setting.
The main creative activities that were building the Renaissance were happening in Florence at this time, with the famous painters and sculptors hard at work, and construction of the Florence Cathedral.
While Pienza is given the special credit as being the first town created with an overall Renaissance style, as a model of humane city design.
Some of the side streets lead off to small open green spaces, functioning like neighborhood parks, with benches, potted plants, and nicely paved lanes with homes all around it.
At the edge of town you'll come across some vistas of the Val d’Orcia that looks something like a painting, with its green rolling hills and vineyards off in the distance.
As evening settles in, the scene turns golden and the town remains open for business, so this is a great time to be out walking.
You'll always be tempted to have a look at the little side lanes as you go by. We'll see more of them later.
Curiously, the main local product for sale here, that you definitely want to explore, is pecorino cheese. It's from the sheep grazing in the wonderful, green pastures all around the town producing a sheep milk with a special aroma. Pienza is considered the capital of pecorino cheese.
And you'll also find a nice variety of local wines to go with it, such as here at Marusco e Maria.
They create many variations including Marzolino, Magnifico, black di Grotta. You can get it mild, dry, or spicy.
You also find some traditional crafts being made, such as by this weaver who's creating some very colorful fabrics that would make a unique gift to bring home.
Continuing along the Corso, we're approaching one of the fortified gates that enter the town.
Pienza had a medieval history before it became transformed into the Renaissance gem that we see today.

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