Here is another piece of advice for your one-day trips from your villa or farmhouse in Siena to the charming medieval towns in the province.

The final destination of this trip is Pienza, a small town with little more than 2,000 inhabitants that is certainly the most renowned and most important city of art in Val d`Orcia.

The town owes its present structure to Pope Pius II, in the world Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who was born here in the early 15th century, when Pienza was still called Corsignano. Pius II commissioned Rossellino (one of Leon Battista Alberti`s pupils) to transform Pienza into Vitruvio`s ideal town.

Today, the results of Rossellino`s work are visible in the central square of the town, which UNESCO has declared World Heritage Site and onto which open the Cathedral, the Palazzo Comunale (the Town Hall), and, next to it, Palazzo Borgia and Palazzo Piccolomini.
Right in front of Palazzo Piccolomini is an elegant well by Rossellino.

And now some lines on the pecorino cheese produced in Pienza.
This cheese made with sheep`s milk is excellent served with honey or fruit jam. It can be fresh, semi-ripe or ripe (in this case, it can also be grated on pasta). Pecorino can be ripen in the leaves of different trees - walnut, vine...

Last but not least, if you like going to the theatre, you could visit Monticchiello, a hamlet renowned for its "poor theatre", in which the inhabitants play dramas written and directed by them.

Have a nice trip to Pienza!