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| official_name = Comune di Pienza
| official_name = Comune di Pienza
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| image_skyline = Pienza italy.jpg
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| region = [[Tuscany]]
| region = [[Tuscany]]
| province = [[Province of Siena|Siena]] (SI)
| province = [[Province of Siena|Siena]] (SI)
| frazioni = Cosona, La Foce, Monticchiello, Palazzo Massaini, Spadaletto
| frazioni = Cosona, La Foce, [[Monticchiello]], Palazzo Massaini, Spadaletto
| mayor_party =
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| mayor = Manolo Garosi
| mayor = Manolo Garosi
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'''Pienza''' ({{IPA|it|piˈɛntsa}}) is a town and ''[[comune]]'' in the [[province of Siena]], [[Tuscany]], in the historical region of [[Val d'Orcia]]. Situated between the towns of [[Montepulciano]] and [[Montalcino]], it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism".<ref>{{harvnb|Adams|1985|pp=99–110}}. Adams details the piecemeal acquisition of parcels of land by Pius II.</ref>
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[[Image:Dom Fassade3- s.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Façade of the Cathedral of Pienza.]]
⚫
'''Pienza''', a town and ''[[comune]]'' in the [[province of Siena]], in the [[Val d'Orcia]] in [[Tuscany]] (central Italy), between the towns of [[Montepulciano]] and [[Montalcino]], is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."<ref>{{harvnb|Adams|1985|p=99–110}}. Adams details the piecemeal acquisition of parcels of land by Pius II.</ref>


In 1996, [[UNESCO]] declared the town a [[World Heritage Site]], and in 2004 the entire valley, the ''Val d'Orcia'', was included on the list of [[UNESCO]]'s World Cultural Landscapes.
In 1996, [[UNESCO]] declared the town a [[World Heritage Site]], and in 2004 the entire valley, the ''Val d'Orcia'', was included on the list of [[UNESCO]]'s World Cultural Landscapes.


==History==
==History==
[[File:Pienza Piazza Pio II.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Central ''piazza'']]
Before the village was renamed to ''Pienza'' its name was ''Corsignano''. It is first mentioned in documents from the 9th century. Around 1300 parts of the village became property of the [[Piccolomini]] family.<ref name="Tönnesmann 2013 p35">{{harvnb|Tönnesmann|2013|p=35}}</ref> after Enghelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini had received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] in 1220.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Piccolomini|volume=21|page=580}}</ref> In the 13th century [[Franciscans]] settled down in Corsignano.<ref name="Tönnesmann 2013 p35" />
Before the village was renamed ''Pienza'' its name was ''Corsignano''. It is first mentioned in documents from the 9th century. Around 1300 parts of the village became property of the [[Piccolomini]] family<ref name="Tönnesmann 2013 p35">{{harvnb|Tönnesmann|2013|p=35}}</ref> after Enghelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini had received the fief of Montertari in [[Val d'Orcia]] from the emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] in 1220.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Piccolomini|volume=21|page=580}}</ref> In the 13th century [[Franciscans]] settled down in Corsignano.<ref name="Tönnesmann 2013 p35" />


In 1405 Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini ({{lang-it|links=no|Enea Silvio Piccolomini}}) was born in Corsignano, a [[Renaissance humanist]] born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became [[Pope Pius II]]. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal [[Renaissance]] town and renamed it after himself to ''Pienza'' which mean "city of Pius".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Haegen|first1=Anne Mueller von der|last2=Strasser|first2=Ruth F.|title=Art & Architecture: Tuscany|date=2013|publisher=H.F.Ullmann Publishing|location=Potsdam|isbn=978-3-8480-0321-1|pages=394–395|chapter=Pienza}}</ref> Intended as a retreat from [[Rome]], it represents the first application of humanist [[urban planning]] concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.
In 1405 Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini ({{langx|it|links=no|Enea Silvio Piccolomini}}) was born in Corsignano, a [[Renaissance humanist]] born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became [[Pope Pius II]]. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal [[Renaissance]] town and renamed it ''Pienza'' ("city of Pius").<ref>{{cite book|last1=Haegen|first1=Anne Mueller von der|last2=Strasser|first2=Ruth F.|title=Art & Architecture: Tuscany|date=2013|publisher=H.F.Ullmann Publishing|location=Potsdam|isbn=978-3-8480-0321-1|pages=394–395|chapter=Pienza}}</ref> Intended as a retreat from [[Rome]], it represents the first application of humanist [[urban planning]] concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.


The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as [[Bernardo Rossellino]]) who may have worked with the humanist and architect [[Leon Battista Alberti]], though there are no documents to prove it for sure. Alberti was in the employ of the [[Papal Curia]] at the time and served as an advisor to Pius. Construction started about 1459. Pope Pius II consecrated the Duomo on August 29, 1462, during his long summer visit. He included a detailed description of the structures in his ''Commentaries'', written during the last two years of his life.
The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as [[Bernardo Rossellino]]) who may have worked with the humanist and architect [[Leon Battista Alberti]], although there are no documents to prove it for sure. Alberti was in the employ of the [[Papal Curia]] at the time and served as an advisor to Pius. Construction started about 1459. Pope Pius II consecrated the Duomo on 29 August 1462, during his long summer visit. He included a detailed description of the structures in his ''Commentaries'', written during the last two years of his life.


In 2023, Pienza faced a significant controversy when its centuries-old clock tower bells were silenced at night due to tourist complaints about noise from those staying in nearby hotels. The decision stirred debate among residents, with some expressing nostalgia for the nightly tolls that had been a part of their lives for generations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |last2=Kuta |first2=Sarah |title=This Italian Town Silenced a Historic Bell That Kept Tourists Awake. Now, Locals Can't Sleep |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/italian-town-pienza-silenced-bell-180982664/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref>
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[[Image:Piccolomini Gardens.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|The Piccolomini gardens and Val d'Orcia.]]


==Main sights==
==Main sights==

===Palazzo Piccolomini===
===Palazzo Piccolomini===
{{Main|Palazzo Piccolomini, Pienza }}
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The trapezoidal piazza is defined by four buildings. The principal residence, ''Palazzo Piccolomini'', is on the west side. It has three stories, articulated by pilasters and entablature courses, with a twin-lighted [[cross window]] set within each bay. This structure is similar to Alberti's [[Palazzo Rucellai]] in Florence and other later palaces. Noteworthy is the internal court of the palazzo. The back of the palace, to the south, is defined by [[loggia]] on all three floors that overlook an enclosed [[Italian Renaissance garden]] with ''[[Giardino all'italiana]]'' era modifications, and views into the distant landscape of the [[Val d'Orcia]] and Pope Pius's beloved Mount Amiata beyond. Below this garden is a vaulted stable that had stalls for 100 horses.

⚫
The trapezoidal piazza is defined by four buildings. The principal residence, ''[[Palazzo Piccolomini, Pienza|Palazzo Piccolomini]]'', is on the west side. It has three stories, articulated by pilasters and entablature courses, with a twin-lighted [[cross window]] set within each bay. This structure is similar to Alberti's [[Palazzo Rucellai]] in Florence and other later palaces. Noteworthy is the internal court of the palazzo. The back of the palace, to the south, is defined by [[loggia]] on all three floors that overlook an enclosed [[Italian Renaissance garden]] with ''[[Giardino all'italiana]]'' era modifications, and views into the distant landscape of the [[Val d'Orcia]] and Pope Pius's beloved [[Monte Amiata]] beyond. Below this garden is a vaulted stable that had stalls for 100 horses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itineraries/place/PalazzoPiccolomini.html|title=Palazzo Piccolomini|work=Scientific Ltineraries in Tuscany|place=Italy|access-date=2023-03-21}}</ref>


===The Duomo===
===The Duomo===
The ''Duomo'' (Cathedral), which dominates the center of the piazza, has a facade that is one of the earliest designed in the [[Renaissance]] manner. Though the tripartite division is conventional, the use of pilasters and of columns, standing on high [[Dado (architecture)|dado]]s and linked by [[arch]]es, was novel for the time. The [[Campanile|bell tower]], however, has a Germanic flavor<!--source and expansion are needed for the reader's comprehension--> as is the layout of the ''[[Hallenkirche]]'' plan, a "triple-nave" plan where the side aisles are almost as tall as the nave; Pius, before he became pope, served many years in [[Germany]] and praised the effects of light admitted into the German hall churches in his ''Commentari''.<ref>"As you enter the middle door, the entire church with its altars and chapels is visible and is remarkable for the clarity of the light and the brilliance of the whole edifice. There are three naves, as they are called. The middle one is wider. All are the same height. This was according to the directions of Pius, who had seen the plan among the Germans in Austria" Quoted in Henk W. van Os, "Painting in a House of Glass: The Altarpieces of Pienza" ''Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art'' '''17'''.1 (1987, pp. 23-38)</ref> Works of art in the duomo include five altar paintings from the [[Sienese School]], by [[Sano di Pietro]], [[Matteo di Giovanni]], [[Vecchietta]] and [[Giovanni di Paolo]]. The Baptistry, dedicated as usual to ''[[John the Baptist|San Giovanni]]'', is located next to the apse of the church.
The ''Duomo'' (Cathedral), which dominates the center of the piazza, has a facade that is one of the earliest designed in the [[Renaissance]] manner. Although the tripartite division is conventional, the use of pilasters and of columns, standing on high [[Dado (architecture)|dado]]s and linked by [[arch]]es, was novel for the time. The [[Campanile|bell tower]], however, has a Germanic flavor<!--source and expansion are needed for the reader's comprehension--> as is the layout of the ''[[Hallenkirche]]'' plan, a "triple-nave" plan where the side aisles are almost as tall as the nave; Pius, before he became pope, served many years in [[Germany]] and praised the effects of light admitted into the German hall churches in his ''Commentari''.<ref>"As you enter the middle door, the entire church with its altars and chapels is visible and is remarkable for the clarity of the light and the brilliance of the whole edifice. There are three naves, as they are called. The middle one is wider. All are the same height. This was according to the directions of Pius, who had seen the plan among the Germans in Austria" Quoted in Henk W. van Os, "Painting in a House of Glass: The Altarpieces of Pienza" ''Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art'' '''17'''.1 (1987, pp. 23-38)</ref> Works of art in the duomo include five altar paintings from the [[Sienese School]], by [[Sano di Pietro]], [[Matteo di Giovanni]], [[Vecchietta]] and [[Giovanni di Paolo]]. The Baptistry, dedicated as usual to ''[[John the Baptist|San Giovanni]]'', is located next to the apse of the church.


===Palazzo Vescovile===
===Palazzo Vescovile===
Pius encouraged cardinals to build ''palazzi'' to complete the city. ''Palazzo Vescovile'', on the third side of the piazza, was built to house the bishops who would travel to Pienza to attend the pope. Its construction was financed by Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (the future Pope Alexander VI but, at the time, Vatican Vice-Chancellor). It may represent a remodeling of the old town hall of Corsignano. It is now home to the Diocesan Museum,<ref>[http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/intoscana2/export/TurismoRTen/sito-TurismoRTen/Contenuti/Elementi-interesse/Musei/visualizza_asset.html_1548465566.html Diocesan Museum].</ref> and the Museo della Cattedrale. The collection includes local textile work as well as religious artifacts. Paintings include a 12th-century painted crucifix from the Abbey of San Pietro in Vollore, 14th century works by [[Pietro Lorenzetti]] (''Madonna with Child'') and [[Bartolo di Fredi]] (''Madonna della Misericordia''). There are also important works from the 14th and 15th centuries, including a Madonna attributed to [[Luca Signorelli]].
Pius encouraged cardinals to build ''palazzi'' to complete the city. ''Palazzo Vescovile'', on the third side of the piazza, was built by Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, at the time Church Vice Chancellor and the future Pope Alexander VI, to comply with the request by Pope Pius II for the Cardinals to have a residence in the town. It became the residence of the Bishop of Pienza when the town was elevated to a bishopric in 1462. It is now home to the Diocesan Museum,<ref>[http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/intoscana2/export/TurismoRTen/sito-TurismoRTen/Contenuti/Elementi-interesse/Musei/visualizza_asset.html_1548465566.html Diocesan Museum].</ref> and the Museo della Cattedrale. The collection includes local textile work as well as religious artifacts. Paintings include a 12th-century painted crucifix from the Abbey of San Pietro in Vollore, 14th century works by [[Pietro Lorenzetti]] (''Madonna with Child'') and [[Bartolo di Fredi]] (''Madonna della Misericordia''). There are also important works from the 14th and 15th centuries, including a Madonna attributed to [[Luca Signorelli]].


===Palazzo Comunale===
===Palazzo Comunale===
Across from the church is the town hall, or ''Palazzo Comunale''. When Corsigniano was given the status of an official city, a ''Palazzo'' was required that would be in keeping with the "city's" new urban position, though it was certainly more for show than anything else. It has a three-arched loggia on the ground floor facing the Cathedral and above it is the council chamber. It also has a brick bell tower that is shorter than its counterpart at the cathedral, to symbolize the superior power of the church. The set-back addition to the tower dates from 1599. It is likely that Bernardo Rossellino designed the ''Palazzo Comunale'' to be a free standing civic mediator between the religious space before the cathedral and secular market square to its rear.
Across from the church is the town hall, or ''Palazzo Comunale''. When Corsigniano was given the status of an official city, a ''Palazzo'' was required that would be in keeping with the "city's" new urban position, although it was certainly more for show than anything else. It has a three-arched loggia on the ground floor facing the Cathedral and above it is the council chamber. It also has a brick bell tower that is shorter than its counterpart at the cathedral, to symbolize the superior power of the church. The set-back addition to the tower dates from 1599. It is likely that Bernardo Rossellino designed the ''Palazzo Comunale'' to be a free standing civic mediator between the religious space before the cathedral and secular market square to its rear.


The travertine well in the Piazza carries the Piccolomini family crest, and was widely copied in Tuscany during the following century. The well-head resembles a fluted, shallow Etruscan Bowl. The flanking Corinthian support a classical entablature columns whose decorations are clearly based upon actual source materials.
The travertine well in the Piazza carries the Piccolomini family crest, and was widely copied in Tuscany during the following century. The well-head resembles a fluted, shallow Etruscan Bowl. The flanking Corinthian support a classical entablature columns whose decorations are clearly based upon actual source materials.


===Other buildings===
===Other buildings===
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[[Image:Duomo di Pienza (1).jpg|thumb|Façade of the Cathedral of Pienza]]
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Other buildings in Pienza dating from the era of Pius II include the Ammannati Palace, named for Cardinal [[Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati]], a "curial row" of three palaces (the Palazzo Jouffroy or Atrebatense belonging to Cardinal [[Jean Jouffroy]], the Palazzo Buonconti, belonging to Vatican Treasurer Giliforte dei Buonconti, and the Palazzo Lolli constructed by apostolic secretary and papal relative [[Gregorio Lolli]]) arranged along the street behind the Bishops Palace. In the northeastern corner of Pienza is a series of
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[[Image:Piccolomini Gardens.JPG|thumb|The Piccolomini gardens and Val d'Orcia]]
twelve row houses constructed at the orders of the pope by the Sienese building contractor Pietro Paolo da Porrina.
⚫
Other buildings in Pienza dating from the era of [[Pope Pius II|Pius II]] include the Ammannati Palace, named for Cardinal [[Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati]], a "curial row" of three palaces (the Palazzo Jouffroy or Atrebatense belonging to Cardinal [[Jean Jouffroy]] of Arras, the Palazzo Buonconti, belonging to Vatican Treasurer Giliforte dei Buonconti, and the Palazzo Lolli constructed by apostolic secretary and papal relative [[Gregorio Lolli]]) arranged along the street behind the Bishops Palace. along the main road there are also the Palazzo Gonzaga, built in 1463 by Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, Palazzo Forteguerri built in 1460 by Ambrogio Fortguerri, Apostolic Treasurer, and the Palazzo of Ambrogio Spannocchi, now Cittadini, again of the XV century. In the northeastern corner of Pienza, in via Casanuova, is a series of Twelve row houses constructed at the orders of the pope by the Sienese building contractor Pietro Paolo da Porrina.


About fifty meters west of the Cathedral Piazza is the church of ''[[San Francesco, Pienza|San Francesco]]'', with a gabled facade and Gothic portal. Among the buildings that survived from the old Corsignano, it is built on a pre-existing church that dated from the 8th century. The interior contains frescoes depicting the life of [[Francis of Assisi|Saint Francis]], those on the walls having been painted by [[Cristofano di Bindoccio]] and [[Meo di Pero]], 14th-century artists of the [[Sienese School]].
About fifty meters west of the Cathedral Piazza is the church of ''[[San Francesco, Pienza|San Francesco]]'', with a gabled facade and Gothic portal. Among the buildings that survived from the old Corsignano, it is built on a pre-existing church that dated from the 8th century. The interior contains frescoes depicting the life of [[Francis of Assisi|Saint Francis]], those on the walls having been painted by [[Cristofano di Bindoccio]] and [[Meo di Pero]], 14th-century artists of the [[Sienese School]].


The Romanesque ''[[Pieve]]'' of Corsignano is located in the neighbourhood. The monastery of ''Sant'Anna in Camprena'' was founded in 1332-1334 by [[Bernardo Tolomei]] as a hermitage for the [[Benedictines]]; it was remade in the late 15th-early 16th century, and several times in the following centuries. The refectory houses frescoes by [[il Sodoma]] (1502–1503).
The Romanesque ''[[Pieve, Corsignano|Pieve of Corsignano]] is located in the neighbourhood. The monastery of ''Sant'Anna in Camprena'' was founded in 1332-1334 by [[Bernardo Tolomei]] as a hermitage for the [[Benedictines]]; it was remade in the late 15th-early 16th century, and several times in the following centuries. The refectory houses frescoes by [[il Sodoma]] (1502–1503).


===Monticchiello===
===Monticchiello===
The ''frazione'' of Monticchiello is home to a characteristic ''Romitorio'', a series of grottoes carved in the rock by hermit monks. In the same locality is the ''[[pieve]]'' of ''Santi Leonardo e Cristoforo'', rebuilt in the 13th century in [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style. The interior has frescoes from a 14th-century Sienese painter, a [[Ciborium (architecture)|cyborium]] in the shape of a small Gothic portal and an alte 15th-century Crucifix. At San Pietro in Campo are the remains of the eponymous abbey.
The ''frazione'' of [[Monticchiello]] is home to a characteristic ''Romitorio'', a series of grottoes carved in the rock by hermit monks. In the same locality is the ''[[pieve]]'' of ''Santi Leonardo e Cristoforo'', rebuilt in the 13th century in [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style. The interior has frescoes from a 14th-century Sienese painter, a [[Ciborium (architecture)|cyborium]] in the shape of a small Gothic portal and an alte 15th-century Crucifix. At San Pietro in Campo are the remains of the eponymous abbey.


Monticchiello is the subject of the documentary [[Spettacolo]].
Monticchiello is the subject of the documentary ''[[Spettacolo]]'' (2017).

==Municipal government==
Montepulciano is headed by a [[mayor#Italy|mayor]] (''{{lang|it|sindaco}}'') assisted by a legislative body, the ''{{lang|it|consiglio comunale}}'', and an executive body, the ''{{lang|it|giunta comunale}}''. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the ''{{lang|it|consiglio comunale}}'' are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The ''{{lang|it|giunta comunale}}'' is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called ''{{lang|it|[[assessor (Italy)|assessori]]}}''. The offices of the ''{{lang|it|comune}}'' are housed in a building usually called the ''{{lang|it|municipio}}'' or ''{{lang|it|palazzo comunale}}''.

Since 1995 the mayor of Pienza is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Manolo Garosi (a [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] [[Independent (politician)|independent]]), elected on 26 May 2019 with the 59.6% of the votes and re-elected on 9 June 2024 with 59.3% of the votes.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Mayor
! Term start
! Term end
! class=unsortable|&nbsp;
! Party
|-
|Sauro Marchetti
|align=center|27 May 1990
|align=center|14 June 1999
|bgcolor={{party color|Democratic Party of the Left}}|
|[[Democratic Party of the Left|PDS]]
|-
|Marco Del Ciondolo
|align=center|14 June 1999
|align=center|8 June 2009
|bgcolor={{party color|Democrats of the Left}}|
|[[Democrats of the Left|DS]]
|-
|Fabrizio Fè
|align=center|8 June 2009
|align=center|27 May 2019
|bgcolor={{party color|Independent (politician)}}|
|[[Independent (politician)|Ind]]{{efn|Left-wing independent.}}
|-
|Manolo Garosi
|align=center|27 May 2019
|align=center|''incumbent''
|bgcolor={{party color|Independent (politician)}}|
|[[Independent (politician)|Ind]]{{efn|Left-wing independent.}}
|}
;Notes
{{notelist|close}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Borgo Storico, Pienza (Siena) - panoramio.jpg|Street in the old town
File:Palazzo Massaini - panoramio.jpg|Palazzo Massaini
File:Qk-Pienza-Duomo-05.jpg|Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Vescovile
File:Vista da Pienza.jpg|Countryside around Pienza
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
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==Sources==
==Sources==
* {{cite journal |last=Adams |first=Nicholas |date=May 1985 |title=The Acquisition of Pienza, 1459-1464 |journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=99–110 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite journal |last=Adams |first=Nicholas |date=May 1985 |title=The Acquisition of Pienza, 1459-1464 |journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=99–110 }}
* {{cite book |last=Adams |first=Nicholas |editor1-last=Zimmerman |editor1-first=Susan |editor2-last=Weissman |editor2-first=Ronald |title=Urban Life in the Renaissance |location=Newark |publisher=Univ. of Delaware Press |date=1989 |chapter=The Construction of Pienza (1459-1464) and the Consequences of Renovatio |pages=50–79}}
* {{cite book |last=Adams |first=Nicholas |editor1-last=Zimmerman |editor1-first=Susan |editor2-last=Weissman |editor2-first=Ronald |title=Urban Life in the Renaissance |location=Newark |publisher=Univ. of Delaware Press |date=1989 |chapter=The Construction of Pienza (1459-1464) and the Consequences of Renovatio |pages=50–79}}
* {{cite book |last=Carli |first=Enzo |date=1966 |title=Pienza: la Citta di Pio II |location=Rome |publisher=Editalia}}
* {{cite book |last=Carli |first=Enzo |date=1966 |title=Pienza: la Citta di Pio II |location=Rome |publisher=Editalia}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cataldi |first1=Giancarlo |last2=Formichi |first2=Fausto |date=2007 |title=Pienza Forma Urbis |location=Florence |publisher=Aion Edizioni}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cataldi |first1=Giancarlo |last2=Formichi |first2=Fausto |date=2007 |title=Pienza Forma Urbis |location=Florence |publisher=Aion Edizioni}}
* {{cite journal |last=Charles |first=Mack |date=2012 |title=Beyond the Monumental:The Semiotics of Papal Authority in Renaissance Pienza |journal=Southeastern College Art Conference Review |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=124–50}}
* {{cite journal|last=Mack|first=Charles|date=2012|title=Beyond the Monumental:The Semiotics of Papal Authority in Renaissance Pienza|journal=Southeastern College Art Conference Review|volume=16|issue=2|pages=124–50}}
* {{cite book |last= Mack|first=Charles |date=1987 |title=Pienza: the Creation of a Renaissance City |location=Ithaca |publisher=Cornell University Press}}
* {{cite book |last= Mack|first=Charles |date=1987 |title=Pienza: the Creation of a Renaissance City |url= https://archive.org/details/pienzacreationof00mack|url-access= registration|location=Ithaca |publisher=Cornell University Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Mayernik |first=David |date=2003 |title=Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy |location=Boulder, CO |publisher=Westview Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Mayernik |first=David |date=2003 |title=Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy |location=Boulder, CO |publisher=Westview Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Piccolomini |first=Aeneas Silvius |translator-last=Gragg |translator-first=Florence |editor-last=Gabel |editor-first=Leona |date=1959 |title=Memoirs of a Renaissance Pope |location=New York |publisher=Capricorn Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Piccolomini |first=Aeneas Silvius |translator-last=Gragg |translator-first=Florence |editor-last=Gabel |editor-first=Leona |date=1959 |title=Memoirs of a Renaissance Pope |location=New York |publisher=Capricorn Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Pieper |first=Jan |date=1997 |title=Pienza: der Entwurf einer humanistischen Weltansicht |location=Stuttgart |publisher=Axel Menges }}
* {{cite book |last=Pieper |first=Jan |date=1997 |title=Pienza: der Entwurf einer humanistischen Weltansicht |location=Stuttgart |publisher=Axel Menges }}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Christine |date=1992 |title=Architecture in the Culture of Early Humanism: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Eloquence, 1400-1470 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Christine |date=1992 |title=Architecture in the Culture of Early Humanism: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Eloquence, 1400-1470 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
* {{cite book |last=Tönnesmann |first=Andreas |date=2013 |orig-year=First published 1990 |title=Pienza: Städtebau und Humanismus |trans-title= |language=de |location=Munich |publisher=Hirmer |edition=3rd |isbn=978-3-8031-2717-4 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Tönnesmann |first=Andreas |date=2013 |orig-year=First published 1990 |title=Pienza: Städtebau und Humanismus |language=de |location=Munich |publisher=Hirmer |edition=3rd |isbn=978-3-8031-2717-4 }}


==External links==
==External links==
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 04:48, 26 October 2024

Pienza
Comune
Comune di Pienza
Coat of arms of Pienza
Coat of arms
Location of Pienza
Map
Pienza is located in Italy
Pienza
Pienza
Location of Pienza in Italy
Pienza is located in Tuscany
Pienza
Pienza
Pienza (Tuscany)
Coordinates: 43°04′43″N 11°40′44″E / 43.07861°N 11.67889°E / 43.07861; 11.67889
CountryItaly
RegionTuscany
ProvinceSiena (SI)
FrazioniCosona, La Foce, Monticchiello, Palazzo Massaini, Spadaletto
Government
 • MayorManolo Garosi
Area
[1]
 • Total
122.96 km2 (47.48 sq mi)
Elevation
491 m (1,611 ft)
Population
 (28 February 2017)[2]
 • Total
2,091
 • Density17/km2 (44/sq mi)
DemonymPientini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
53026
Dialing code0578
Patron saintSt. Andrew the Apostle
Saint dayNovember 30
WebsiteOfficial website
Official nameHistoric Centre of the City of Pienza
CriteriaCultural: (i)(ii)(iv)
Reference789
Inscription1996 (20th Session)
Area4.41 ha (10.9 acres)

Pienza (Italian pronunciation: [piˈɛntsa]) is a town and comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia. Situated between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism".[3]

In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site, and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d'Orcia, was included on the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Landscapes.

History

[edit]
Central piazza

Before the village was renamed Pienza its name was Corsignano. It is first mentioned in documents from the 9th century. Around 1300 parts of the village became property of the Piccolomini family[4] after Enghelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini had received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor Frederick II in 1220.[5] In the 13th century Franciscans settled down in Corsignano.[4]

In 1405 Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (Italian: Enea Silvio Piccolomini) was born in Corsignano, a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town and renamed it Pienza ("city of Pius").[6] Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.

The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Bernardo Rossellino) who may have worked with the humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti, although there are no documents to prove it for sure. Alberti was in the employ of the Papal Curia at the time and served as an advisor to Pius. Construction started about 1459. Pope Pius II consecrated the Duomo on 29 August 1462, during his long summer visit. He included a detailed description of the structures in his Commentaries, written during the last two years of his life.

In 2023, Pienza faced a significant controversy when its centuries-old clock tower bells were silenced at night due to tourist complaints about noise from those staying in nearby hotels. The decision stirred debate among residents, with some expressing nostalgia for the nightly tolls that had been a part of their lives for generations.[7]

Main sights

[edit]

Palazzo Piccolomini

[edit]
Main article: Palazzo Piccolomini, Pienza

The trapezoidal piazza is defined by four buildings. The principal residence, Palazzo Piccolomini, is on the west side. It has three stories, articulated by pilasters and entablature courses, with a twin-lighted cross window set within each bay. This structure is similar to Alberti's Palazzo Rucellai in Florence and other later palaces. Noteworthy is the internal court of the palazzo. The back of the palace, to the south, is defined by loggia on all three floors that overlook an enclosed Italian Renaissance garden with Giardino all'italiana era modifications, and views into the distant landscape of the Val d'Orcia and Pope Pius's beloved Monte Amiata beyond. Below this garden is a vaulted stable that had stalls for 100 horses.[8]

The Duomo

[edit]

The Duomo (Cathedral), which dominates the center of the piazza, has a facade that is one of the earliest designed in the Renaissance manner. Although the tripartite division is conventional, the use of pilasters and of columns, standing on high dados and linked by arches, was novel for the time. The bell tower, however, has a Germanic flavor as is the layout of the Hallenkirche plan, a "triple-nave" plan where the side aisles are almost as tall as the nave; Pius, before he became pope, served many years in Germany and praised the effects of light admitted into the German hall churches in his Commentari.[9] Works of art in the duomo include five altar paintings from the Sienese School, by Sano di Pietro, Matteo di Giovanni, Vecchietta and Giovanni di Paolo. The Baptistry, dedicated as usual to San Giovanni, is located next to the apse of the church.

Palazzo Vescovile

[edit]

Pius encouraged cardinals to build palazzi to complete the city. Palazzo Vescovile, on the third side of the piazza, was built by Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, at the time Church Vice Chancellor and the future Pope Alexander VI, to comply with the request by Pope Pius II for the Cardinals to have a residence in the town. It became the residence of the Bishop of Pienza when the town was elevated to a bishopric in 1462. It is now home to the Diocesan Museum,[10] and the Museo della Cattedrale. The collection includes local textile work as well as religious artifacts. Paintings include a 12th-century painted crucifix from the Abbey of San Pietro in Vollore, 14th century works by Pietro Lorenzetti (Madonna with Child) and Bartolo di Fredi (Madonna della Misericordia). There are also important works from the 14th and 15th centuries, including a Madonna attributed to Luca Signorelli.

Palazzo Comunale

[edit]

Across from the church is the town hall, or Palazzo Comunale. When Corsigniano was given the status of an official city, a Palazzo was required that would be in keeping with the "city's" new urban position, although it was certainly more for show than anything else. It has a three-arched loggia on the ground floor facing the Cathedral and above it is the council chamber. It also has a brick bell tower that is shorter than its counterpart at the cathedral, to symbolize the superior power of the church. The set-back addition to the tower dates from 1599. It is likely that Bernardo Rossellino designed the Palazzo Comunale to be a free standing civic mediator between the religious space before the cathedral and secular market square to its rear.

The travertine well in the Piazza carries the Piccolomini family crest, and was widely copied in Tuscany during the following century. The well-head resembles a fluted, shallow Etruscan Bowl. The flanking Corinthian support a classical entablature columns whose decorations are clearly based upon actual source materials.

Other buildings

[edit]
Façade of the Cathedral of Pienza
The Piccolomini gardens and Val d'Orcia

Other buildings in Pienza dating from the era of Pius II include the Ammannati Palace, named for Cardinal Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati, a "curial row" of three palaces (the Palazzo Jouffroy or Atrebatense belonging to Cardinal Jean Jouffroy of Arras, the Palazzo Buonconti, belonging to Vatican Treasurer Giliforte dei Buonconti, and the Palazzo Lolli constructed by apostolic secretary and papal relative Gregorio Lolli) arranged along the street behind the Bishops Palace. along the main road there are also the Palazzo Gonzaga, built in 1463 by Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, Palazzo Forteguerri built in 1460 by Ambrogio Fortguerri, Apostolic Treasurer, and the Palazzo of Ambrogio Spannocchi, now Cittadini, again of the XV century. In the northeastern corner of Pienza, in via Casanuova, is a series of Twelve row houses constructed at the orders of the pope by the Sienese building contractor Pietro Paolo da Porrina.

About fifty meters west of the Cathedral Piazza is the church of San Francesco, with a gabled facade and Gothic portal. Among the buildings that survived from the old Corsignano, it is built on a pre-existing church that dated from the 8th century. The interior contains frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis, those on the walls having been painted by Cristofano di Bindoccio and Meo di Pero, 14th-century artists of the Sienese School.

The Romanesque Pieve of Corsignano is located in the neighbourhood. The monastery of Sant'Anna in Camprena was founded in 1332-1334 by Bernardo Tolomei as a hermitage for the Benedictines; it was remade in the late 15th-early 16th century, and several times in the following centuries. The refectory houses frescoes by il Sodoma (1502–1503).

Monticchiello

[edit]

The frazione of Monticchiello is home to a characteristic Romitorio, a series of grottoes carved in the rock by hermit monks. In the same locality is the pieve of Santi Leonardo e Cristoforo, rebuilt in the 13th century in Gothic style. The interior has frescoes from a 14th-century Sienese painter, a cyborium in the shape of a small Gothic portal and an alte 15th-century Crucifix. At San Pietro in Campo are the remains of the eponymous abbey.

Monticchiello is the subject of the documentary Spettacolo (2017).

Municipal government

[edit]

Montepulciano is headed by a mayor (sindaco) assisted by a legislative body, the consiglio comunale, and an executive body, the giunta comunale. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the consiglio comunale are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The giunta comunale is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called assessori. The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the municipio or palazzo comunale.

Since 1995 the mayor of Pienza is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Manolo Garosi (a left-wing independent), elected on 26 May 2019 with the 59.6% of the votes and re-elected on 9 June 2024 with 59.3% of the votes.

Mayor Term start Term end   Party
Sauro Marchetti 27 May 1990 14 June 1999 PDS
Marco Del Ciondolo 14 June 1999 8 June 2009 DS
Fabrizio Fè 8 June 2009 27 May 2019 Ind[a]
Manolo Garosi 27 May 2019 incumbent Ind[b]
Notes
  1. ^ Left-wing independent.
  2. ^ Left-wing independent.
[edit]
  • Street in the old town
    Street in the old town
  • Palazzo Massaini
    Palazzo Massaini
  • Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Vescovile
    Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Vescovile
  • Countryside around Pienza
    Countryside around Pienza

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Adams 1985, pp. 99–110. Adams details the piecemeal acquisition of parcels of land by Pius II.
  4. ^ a b Tönnesmann 2013, p. 35
  5. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Piccolomini" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 580.
  6. ^ Haegen, Anne Mueller von der; Strasser, Ruth F. (2013). "Pienza". Art & Architecture: Tuscany. Potsdam: H.F.Ullmann Publishing. pp. 394–395. ISBN 978-3-8480-0321-1.
  7. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Kuta, Sarah. "This Italian Town Silenced a Historic Bell That Kept Tourists Awake. Now, Locals Can't Sleep". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  8. ^ "Palazzo Piccolomini". Scientific Ltineraries in Tuscany. Italy. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  9. ^ "As you enter the middle door, the entire church with its altars and chapels is visible and is remarkable for the clarity of the light and the brilliance of the whole edifice. There are three naves, as they are called. The middle one is wider. All are the same height. This was according to the directions of Pius, who had seen the plan among the Germans in Austria" Quoted in Henk W. van Os, "Painting in a House of Glass: The Altarpieces of Pienza" Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art 17.1 (1987, pp. 23-38)
  10. ^ Diocesan Museum.

Sources

[edit]
  • Adams, Nicholas (May 1985). "The Acquisition of Pienza, 1459-1464". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 44 (2): 99–110.
  • Adams, Nicholas (1989). "The Construction of Pienza (1459-1464) and the Consequences of Renovatio". In Zimmerman, Susan; Weissman, Ronald (eds.). Urban Life in the Renaissance. Newark: Univ. of Delaware Press. pp. 50–79.
  • Carli, Enzo (1966). Pienza: la Citta di Pio II. Rome: Editalia.
  • Cataldi, Giancarlo; Formichi, Fausto (2007). Pienza Forma Urbis. Florence: Aion Edizioni.
  • Mack, Charles (2012). "Beyond the Monumental:The Semiotics of Papal Authority in Renaissance Pienza". Southeastern College Art Conference Review. 16 (2): 124–50.
  • Mack, Charles (1987). Pienza: the Creation of a Renaissance City. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
  • Mayernik, David (2003). Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
  • Piccolomini, Aeneas Silvius (1959). Gabel, Leona (ed.). Memoirs of a Renaissance Pope. Translated by Gragg, Florence. New York: Capricorn Books.
  • Pieper, Jan (1997). Pienza: der Entwurf einer humanistischen Weltansicht. Stuttgart: Axel Menges.
  • Smith, Christine (1992). Architecture in the Culture of Early Humanism: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Eloquence, 1400-1470. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Tönnesmann, Andreas (2013) [First published 1990]. Pienza: Städtebau und Humanismus (in German) (3rd ed.). Munich: Hirmer. ISBN 978-3-8031-2717-4.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pienza.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pienza.
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