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Pienza is a special little place, nestled in the hills of Tuscany.  It is the first planned community and  a world heritage site.  Pope Pius II planned it to be an ideal Renaissance city.

This pope was a charmed son of that prominent Siena banking family, the Piccolomini. There was a time when being a Piccolomini was just as important as being a Medici. I met someone recently who had been taught at an Eastern school by a Piccolomini and it was made clear to the students that they were priviledged to be in such aristocratic company. Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pious, is the best known of all the family. As Popes go, he was one of the best.

Pius was quite a scholar and was influenced by Leon Battista Alberti’s theories on town planning.  In 1459 Pious authorized Albeti’s student, Bernado Rossellino, to build a town square, a cathedral and a palazzo. Bishops were also encouraged to build their own summer palaces  in Pienza.

The town square is called Piazzo Pio II and the town hall is modeled on Palazzo Vecchio, the Medici home/city hall in Florence.

There is a guided tour of the Pope’s  Palazzo, included in the reasonable price of admission. The house is full of  the kinds of ghastly objects rich people of that time liked to collect.  Our guide got snickers when she pointed out the chair the Pope sat on when receiving visitors.  It doubled as his toilet.

The total uselessness today of all the costly brick a brack is a silent comment on man’s obsession with getting and spending. Popes aren’t exempt form this foolish human failing. 

The garden and inner courtyard, on the other hand, are just as impressive today as they  were during the Renaissance. The view from the Palazzo into the garden and  the beautiful Val d’Orcia beyond is worth a side trip to the town.

The cathedral, the town square and the little side streets are a nice day’s exploring. Some of the views are extroidinary. Excellent local cheeses include a goat cheese with truffles, carried in most of the little shops .  

If you can walk about ten minutes, see the village’s original parish church, Pieve di Corsignano. It dates from the tenth century and is a wonderful Romanesque building. It is also where the Pope was baptised, he was born here. The church has a tower that was used as shelter by towns people when they were being attacked. Look for  carvings above the front and side doors. If the church is not open, you can get  a key from the farmhouse behind the church.  It is a good idea to tip the family.

Pienza is well worth the time if you have any interest in Renaissance architecture or if you just want a cool mountain town to walk around in and have lunch.

What a response we got to our information on Cortona. Everyone ,it seems, has been there and everyone has some questions.  So here goes. Yes, it is one of the oldest settlements in Tuscany. Virgil mentions it. It was taken over by the Etruscans about the 8th or 7th centuries B.C. 

The Etruscans are the people who populated the area before the Romans. Nobody knows exactly where they came from, but their art is clearly influenced by the Greeks. They settled primarily in hill areas like Cortona and  Fiesole because of the natural protection offered by being so high up. Fiesole is the hill settlement above Florence that has evidence of an extensive Etruscan settlement older than Florence.

The valley below Cortona has been rich farmland and the whole area is part now of the province of Arezzo. Several Etruscan tombs have been found in the valley.

After Rome fell, the city was ruled by a few prominent families, the most powerful being the Casali. They sold Cortona to the King of Naples in the middle ages and he sold it to Florence in 1411. From that period onward the Medici had a strong presence in Cortona.

If you can take the climb, go all the way to the top of the mountain to see the old Medici fortress. One of the original bastions is still standing; the lookouts could see for miles, watching everything that went on down below. That view is worth the hike.

Immediately below the Medici fortress is the reconstructed sanctuary of Santa Margherita, patron saint of Cortona. Her story is quite touching. She was a young commoner who became pregnant by a local nobleman, who never married her.  After several years of living together, he was killed in a hunting accident, so poor Margherita was left alone, penniless; with her reputation gone.

She came to Cortona, entering through a gate now named for her, the Porta Margherita.  In Cortona, Margherita became a devout Christian and devoted herself to helping others. She must have had quite an impact on the area.

Much of the original protective walls are still standing. The roads up from the valley below lead through  the original entrances in those walls. The walls and the Medieval and Renaissance architecture are worth the visit for anyone intrested in how these old towns were built. They are beautiful. The detail, the quality of the materials and the harmony of design are impressive.

The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie sits on the side of the hill as you drive up the main road from the town of Carmacia below. It is in the shape of a Greek cross and is absolutely breathtaking. It is one of the few Cortona sites used in the movie version of Under the Tuscan Sun.

Don’t miss Cortona if you are in the central region of Italy and have a day or two to explore. You won’t be disappointed.

The Cicerone

We spent the summer in Cortona, looking for other places for writing tours. I hadn’t spent much time there before, but it is a great town for tourists.

 Of course, Francis Mayes house is there, a short walk through the park and beyond takes you right by her beautiful Bramesole. She has bought another house farther up the hill that she has redone for her children and grandchildren. The locals say it is a perfect restoration.

Thanks to the success of ” Under the Tuscan Sun” she has time and money to enjoy the good life in Cortona.

The University of Georgia has a campus there for their art department. Young art students are everywhere. If you spend some time in Cortona, ask about activities at the campus. They were doing a bronze , lost wax pour that I got to see. This is the same technique used in the Renaisance by some of the greats.

The dorm is up a steep hill, the pour was behind it. As we walked up the hill, we could hear the roar of the oven. It takes several people to lift the pot and pour it in the mold. The students doing the work were wearing heavy leather aprons and gloves in the hot Tuscan sun. But the whole thing was terriffic. I could picture Donatello and his apprentices working in just the same way.

During the summer there are activities planned on a regular basis, because of all the tourists. Opera, flag throwing, jazz, art shows and movies, are going on pretty regularly. Casali was the great  medevil family that controlled the town. Their house is a museum now with a very good exhibit of Truscan artifacts, a must see if you go to Cortona.

Don’t expect anything great in food. There are plenty of restaurants, but the locals have learned that tourists aren’t too demanding. The pizza places are probably the best value. Tonino’s is a good restaurant if you want a meal. Located on  Gerabaldi Square in the center of town, it has a nice outdoor deck for a before dinner drink and one of the best views in Italy.

Everywhere you go, be sure to count your change. Too bad the Italians are short changing tourists. But it happens more times than not.

Around 6P.M. the nightly Passagata begins. Germans, English, Americans, Dutch and assorted other nationalities wander up and down the main street. There are little sidewalk tables for enjoying a glass of wine while you soak in the atmosphere. Don’t be surprised if you see someone from back home.

If you don’t want to spend money, sit on the steps of town hall and drink a cold Oringina from Molesini’s.( the little grocery store just across from the steps) The show is the same and the cost is 1 euro. Plus, they don’t short change you.

The park is great and there is a public swimming pool with a spectacular view. Don’t forget, in Italy everyone has to wear a bathing cap; but you can buy one at the pool.

There are enough shops, churches and interesting buildings to keep everyone busy. After a while, you almost start to enjoy the steep hills you have to master to get around town. But the real charm of Cortona is as a place to relax if you need a few days off the fast tourist track.

Let me know if you have anything to add about Cortona.

The Cicerone