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Only 15 miles from Montalcino, Pienza is an historic --- though tiny --- town. The absence of motorized traffic makes walking the lanes a pleasure. There are also fine panoramic views overlooking the Tuscan countryside.
However, we suspect most tourists come here because of the history. The future Pope Pius II (Aeneas Piccolomini) was born in this town in 1405. When he became pope, he developed a plan to remake his hometown into a papal palace, Renaissance style. However, as grandiose plans often do, his ended abruptly --- just five years into the remodeling both he and his architect died (1464). Nevertheless, in those five years, the town was changed forever.
In the Piccolomini Library in the Siena Duomo, we later learned much more about this renegade-turned-pope, but we’ll save that for later.
The photo below shows the front facade of the Duomo. Cramped shooting conditions made a good photo of this edifice difficult. Moreover, the church was closed during our visit. On the right is the home of Pius II and, until 1962, that of the Piccolomini family as well:
Looking across Piazza Pio II from the steps of the Duomo:
The town feature we remember most is the Panorama Walk and its views:
Here’s a shot taken back toward the cathedral:
We were not alone --- all the benches on the walk were taken by sun-lovers.
In the opposite direction, one of my favorite photos from this trip:
With time for one more excursion on this gorgeous afternoon, we left Pienza and headed for the Abbey at Monte Oliveto Maggiore.