Pienza and Montepulciano

Before the village was renamed to Pienza its name was Corsignano.
In 1405, it was the birthplace of the man who will become 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.
Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating a method for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.

 

 

 

On my way to Montpulciano, I stopped on the side of the road at Cugusi dairy farm, where you can buy the cheese produced locally and eat it in their pic-nic area, with an incredible view.

 

And here is Montepulciano: