Pienza in Italy is a tiny town in the heart of Tuscany and located 188 km from Rome and 120 km from Florence.
QUICK PLANING PIENZA TRAVEL GUIDE
- Find the best flights to Italy
- To rent a car get great deals on Rentalcars
- Pienza Accommodation: Most booked places to stay in Pienza
- If you’d like Activities:
What is Pienza famous for?
The first mentioned is from the 9th century and the town was called Corsignano. In the 15th century, Pope Pius II renamed it himself to Pienza which means “city of Pius”. Today it is Pienza.
There are not as many tourists as in some other Tuscan towns (still quite enough!). If you have time during the afternoon, you can read about the history of the helpful boards around the town.
Pienza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — it’s charming, full of history and culture and a wonderful place to spend a few hours in the afternoon. Highly recommended.
Top things to do in Pienza
- Piazza Pio II. The trapezoidal piazza in the center of town.
- Palazzo Piccolomini – A summer home for the pope was built in 1459. There is the first example of a “roof garden” in the Renaissance.
- The Duomo (Cathedral) – The main cathedral of Pienza.
- Palazzo Vescovile – The Palazzo Vescovile, located on the third side of the plaza and was built to house the bishops who went to Pienza to visit the Pope.
- Pecorino di Pienza – The Pecorino of Pienza is cheese made from sheep’s milk. Cheese is made with various flavors. There are too many types of Pecorino’s from fresh to aged pecorino. Tasty cheese in one of the charming small shops.
- Narrow old streets – It is stunning.
This is an ideal place for landscape photographers.
You can be very lazy here: within 200 meters from where you parked your car, you can shoot amazing landscapes, have ice cream, get lost in a maze of narrow streets, go on a tour of the palazzo and taste some amazing goats cheese.
After walk and shopping, you would like to get to one of the fantastic restaurants in Pienza is Osteria Baccus on the main street, Via del Casello.
Pecorino is the main ingredient for a lot of dishes. Tasty the Fondue of Mixed Sheep Cheeses and the Pici with Cacio and Pepe.
Pienza Italy map
Look at this Google map I created to help you plan your trip to Val d’Orcia. This is an interactive map with many layers that you can turn on or off as you want. The map is constantly updated with new information. Subscribe to my website or save this map to use while traveling.
Free Parking in Pienza
In Pienza, there are several areas of free parking dotted around the village but these can be busy during the day in mid-summer. You can drive in to drop your luggage but must park outside. In all other cases, the city center is closed to vehicles.
There are also paid parking lots (see city map).
Where to stay
Luxury: Villa Apparita has a terrace. Guests can swim in the outdoor pool, go hiking or relax in the garden and use the barbecue facilities.
Mid-Range: Castello di Spedaletto da Laura is located in a quiet area of Pienza. It offers a garden, free Wi-Fi throughout and air-conditioned rooms. The on-site mill produces olive oil, wine, pasta and beans.
Budget: La Chiocarella in the center of Pienza. The rooms are equipped with a TV. You will find a coffee maker in the room. Guests will find breakfast supplies including tea, coffee, juices and jams. Pets Friendly Accommodation.
antongorlin says
great article, well done! very useful.