Pienza, Tuscany, Italy

travel videos & photos at: with text, maps & links. 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 I