Old Town Centre

The heart of the built-up area is Piazza Pio II, with a trapezoid form, surrounded by the Cathedral, Palazzo Piccolomini, Palazzo Borgia and Palazzo Priori. Other houses and palaces were built around the main buildings and spread through the streets of Pienza, they were constructed with a similar taste and material as the Rossellino construction, under the surveillance of the architect Pietro Paolo del Porrina. The constructions have a sort of albertiana stile, intermixed at the ancient tune.

The Cathedral, dedicated at the Madonna dell’ Assunta, was risen on the ruins of the ancient church of the Holy Mary

(Santa Maria),constructed at the end of the XII century. In order to have a spacious nave and, at the same time, a spacious square, the apse was anchored at the ridge of the hill but it wasn’t firm enough to make it safe on the humid and movable ground, and the proof of it is that the consolidation work of the spur was long and very difficult. The outside rouses Albert’s memories, filtered through Rossellino’s laborious activity and confirms tunes of the fifteenth century in the classical arches. The columns are founded on tall plinths, an eye and two tympanum shrines are written in the arch, and the triangular pediment, divided by adorned pilasters, has in the middle the Piccolomini coat of arms. The inside, a nave and two aisles, is connected to Gothic tunes in the extend and slim pillars, surmounted by tall piers, on which there were inserted into a cross vault. The apse with rays is illuminated by lancet windows, decorated with arabesques tunes. The church tower has an octagonal plan founded on an old crypt in relief on the left of the church and it rises towards the sky with its beautiful spire ending.

On the left of the square you can find the "Casa dei Canonici" with sober lines of the fifteenth century, residence of the Municipal Museum. Inside there are many archaeological finds that come from excavations made in the district and, most of all, pictorical operas, all the ancient equipment and objects that are part of the property of the Cathedral.

Near the "Casa dei Canonici" there is Palazzo Borgia , today’s property of the episcopacy, wanted by Pope Pio II for one of the prelate of his retinue, Cardinal bishop Rodrigo Borgia, that became Pope with the name of Alexander VI. The orders, divided from the fillet of the frame, turns down while it goes up leaving not much breathe at the windows that have a form as a Guelph Cross at the last floor. Inside the palace you can admire an elegant courtyard marked by a colonnade surmounted by arches. The capitals are very interesting.

Even "Palazzo dei Priori" or "Palazzo Pubblico", oscillates between traditional forms of medieval tastes and the new sensibility of the fifteenth century. On the open arcade with three arches it is founded an order that opens in long and light a mullion window with two lights made from travertine ; on the right side, rises the Bell Tower with brackets and swallow-tailed. On the square, towards Palazzo Piccolomini, you can find the "Pozzo", a small jewellery of the Rossellino’s art realised in 1462. On the top of the two circular steps it opens a crub with the highest part fluted and surmounted in an elegant way by two columns with Corinthian capitals and ended by another worked architrave.

On the right side of Palazzo Piccolomini, executed as well by Rossellino near to what regards the front, at the Florentine Palace Ruccellai of the architect Leon Battiata Alberti. The front has three orders laid upon, covered in regular ashlar. At the ground floor there are rectangular windows, while the superior ones open in a mullion window with two lights by clear capitals beating the surface on the side towards the bell, the palace opens in a triple and harmonious order of open arcades that give on the garden ; it’s over here another polygonal bell with racemes and festoons in the marble slabs. The elegant courtyard, on which pure Guelph cross windows open on, is measured by wide arches that bloom in lovely adorned capitals. Inside the spacious and wide halls, the squaring of the doors, the beautiful ceilings and the trabeations of the fireplaces repeat with decor ornamental tunes of sober elegance. Particularly full of charm is the dining room, the drawing room and the bed room of Pio II. Very important is the library where there are kept rare operas, incunabulum’s and medals.

The Palace of the Cardinal bishop Ammannati, today Newton, was constructed by Cardinal bishop Gerolamo Ammannati of Pavia, the favourite one of Pope Pio II. You can have a view of it from the square : the surfaces are smooth and signed from thin and jet out frames. ; the windows are as Guelph cross. As you take the Road where you can find on the corner Palazzo Piccolomini, after a few steps you arrive at S. Francisco’s Church. The building dates the end of the thirteenth century and, it’s an aisles church with Franciscan orders traditions and it is covered by trestles. On the walls of the choir it is told a Franciscan legend, these frescos have been assigned by some experts to the senese Cristoforo di Bindoccio, called Malabarba, of whom we have notes between 1361 and 1401. The bell crucify painted is attributed to a master similar to Segna di Buonaventura, Duccio’s student.

(The passage is part of the Chianciano Terme guide and outskirts authoresses Prof.. S. Orienti - G. Vagaggini Poppi)