Historic Centre of the City of Pienza World Heritage Site

Official name

Historic Centre of the City of Pienza | UNESCO

Country

Italy | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

Province of Siena, Tuscany
43.7690° Lat, 11.6786° Lon | Map

Code

789

Time Zone

Europe/Rome (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 1996. It was in this Tuscan town that Renaissance town-planning concepts were first put into practice after Pope Pius II decided, in 1459, to transform the look of his birthplace. He chose the architect Bernardo Rossellino, who applied the principles of his mentor, Leon Battista Alberti. This new vision of urban space was realized in the superb square known as Piazza Pio II and the buildings around it: the Piccolomini Palace, the Borgia Palace and the cathedral with its pure Renaissance exterior and an interior in the late Gothic style of south German churches.