Pienza

Built to order in the 1460s by Pope Pius II on a ridge above the Val d'Orcia, Pienza is a rare example of early Renaissance town planning, with its cathedral, papal palace, and civic buildings arranged around a central trapezoid piazza according to Bernardo Rossellino's design. The view from the cathedral terrace behind Palazzo Piccolomini looks south over the layered clay hills that define the Val d'Orcia landscape. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.