Pope Pius II’s birthplace, under the former name of Corsignano, before being remodelled by him within the principles and philosophy of the Italian Renaissance to become his vision of utopian perfection… and a palace for his summer residence. He did quite well, Pienze is pretty perfect.
As well as its utopian architecture and rich popes Pienza is also famous for it’s sheep cheese, pecorino, ranging from well-matured and strong tasting to delicious creamy young cheese, I bought a bit of all three from a local delicatessen that is probably fed up of tourists buying tiny tasters. It’ll make me sound like a peasant but, while they were all very good, my favourite was the one matured for less than 3 months gorgeously creamy as well as tasty, I wish I’d bought more.
As well as walking around the village walking along the bottom on a kind of wide promenade, affords the most incredible views. There are stone benches between some Cypress trees to sit on and just enjoy.
At the bottom of the hill, below Pienza, is the Pieve di Corsignano, a 12th century Romanesque church with 7th century origins. It could be easily missed even though it would be a reason to come here on its own. It has a wonderful serene, unaffected, atmosphere with curious interesting details, such as the medieval Celtic-style stone carvings on what seems to be an alter front, looking somewhat anomalous in this Tuscan setting. The church also contains the original baptismal font where both Pope Pius II and his nephew Pope Pius III were baptized which I touched and just felt amazed that it was still here.
The entrance features a central figure of a half-female pagan creature, which I learned from an Italian website is possibly a siren, “[a]mong the Etruscans and until a few centuries ago, female cults linked to the waters and to the Mother Goddess were widespread, especially among rural communities. The woman was venerated as the generator of life, a message very far from her portrayal as a “temptress” [that] operated later on“. Interesting turn around. In Christianity the woman, embodied in Eve, very much became the perpetrator and symbol of evil. As well as perpetuating misogyny, Christianity was also successful in absorbing (and later obliterating) pagan rites and symbols into its own hegemony. So interesting to see the changes in the dominant ways of seeing and understanding the world inscribed in the walls and buildings of the ancient and medieval world.
Another unusual feature I looked for in the church was the carving of the Regolo serpent (or Regulum in Latin), a two headed snake on the top of one of the columns. It is a rare survivor of a Roman deity according to the same website above and may represent the human struggle between good and evil and act as a warning to be on our guard lest we are tempted. The only thing tempting me right then was the thought of a coffee and sweet pastry so I made my way out of the stony shadows towards the lovely sun of this incredible utopian town.
