Pienza

Another small Italian city, Pienza, is located in the province of Sienna right next door to Grosseto. Overlooking the Val d'Orcia, between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, Pienza is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism." Famous for being home to Pope Pius II, the city was completely redesigned in the fifteenth century by the pope who intended for it to be a retreat from Rome. The design was done by Bernardo Rossellino, who was a student of Leon  Battista Alberti!!! (The excitement is because I wrote a final paper on Alberti and know just about everything about his work). I didn't know until I returned home and did some research, but it was also declared a World Heritage Sight bt UNESCO.

The historic centre of Pienza represents the first application of the Renaissance humanist concept of urban design, and as such occupies a seminal position in the development of the concept of the planned 'ideal town' that was to play a significant role in subsequent urban development in ltaly and beyond. The application of this principle in Pienza, and in particular in the group of buildings around the central square, resulted in a masterpiece of human creative genius.

If you get the chance to visit (which I highly reccommend you do), check out the Duomo and Piazza Pio II, Piazzo Piccilomini, Pieve di Corsignano and the cutest Art Studio di Adelina Quadri to check out some amazing work. Also, everyshop you see will sell cheese, another thing Pienza is famous for. My favorite was Pecorino di Pienza.