Pienza, a tiny Renaissance gem nestled in Tuscany

Pienza is a tiny Renaissance gem nestled in the scenic hilly landscape of the Val d’Orcia, in southern Tuscany. With its special architecture, it was designed as a utopian city of the Renaissance by the humanist Pope Pius II. The cathedral and old papal residence in the Palazzo Piccolomini stand on the town’s central square called Piazza Pio II. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.