neccitaly

Last Sunday, I had a field trip to Pienza with FUA to learn about how Pienza became the ideal city of Renaissance. Then, we went to Montepulciano to have lunch and wine tasting; however, since Montepulciano is the city on top of the hill, so I did have a hard time to ‘climb’ and take photos this city. Also, we were kind of rush while we were there, so it was not a good experience thou.

Back to Pienza!!! Surprisingly, Pienza is one of a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1996 for its refined and sophisticated Renaissance urban plan: its spaces and perspective onto its 15th-Century piazzas and palazzi are organized according to the era’s ideals of rationality and humanism. It does! That’s why I’m so in love with this city.

Pienza is a small town situated in the Val d’Orcia, in the southern part of Tuscany as well part of the province of Siena. Pienza was established in the medieval period as Corsignano. The town was renamed and redesigned in the late 15th century by Pope Pius II. Renaissance town-planning concepts were first put into practice when Pope Pius II enlisted the architect Bernardo Rossellino to transform his birthplace. Rossellino applied the principles of his mentor, Leon Battista Alberti, a humanist thinker and architect, author of the first architectural treatise of the Renaissance. Its information is easy to find in the Internet as Florence or Siena.

Since I just took a walk around the city and didn’t have a chance to get into any buildings there, so in this blog, I literally post my photos as showing why I love being there.

There is a fresco painting at the gate when you enter to the town

The Cathedral of Pienza was built on the remains of the Romanesque church of St. Mary (still visible in the crypt). The façade is typical of the Renaissance and is divided into three parts by arched columns.