If you've been to Tuscany, you would know why it is considered as a region like no other. And if you haven't, allow me to show you why!
Let a 20-min short drive from the gorgeous town of Montepulciano in Tuscany take you to a city that is not only a Unesco World Heritage site but also the earliest example of humanistic urban planning. Welcome to Pienza, built by Pope Pius II in 1459 in an attempt to turn his birthplace into Italy's first model city. Considered as an "ideal Renaissance city", it served as an early example of urban planning for other cities in Italy and abroad.
Perched atop a hill like many other towns in Tuscany, Pienza offers fantastic views of the Val d'Orcia. The elegant beige and brown stone walls reflect the care with which the town has been preserved over the centuries, whilst the numerous shops lining the main street show the response to the growing tourism.
I was lucky to be accompanied by a friend who lives in Montepulciano, who knew all the insider places to visit and things to do and making sure that I made the most of my short 2 day visit to all the beautiful Tuscan towns surrounding the area. (You see, now that I have a full time job and I actually need to count my days of leave, I prefer to organize well and make the most of the 48 hrs I get as a weekend! :D) It had been a long Saturday, full of numerous picturesque pit-stops surrounding Montepuciano, and we reached Pienza around 4.30 pm. The town is well known for two main things: 1) early humanistic urban planning 2) delicious Sheep's milk cheeses a.k.a pecorino
(By now we all know what I was excited for the most! :p) The late lunch relished just an hour ago did not stop me from digging right in to sample a hearty cheese platter, all washed down with a glass of delicious local red wine.
(Pecorino cheese platter - 5 types: Fresh, with black pepper, aged in tobacco leaves, medium aged in walnut leaves and a standard well aged. Cost 14 euros + wine)
The place we chose for the tasting was owned by a super friendly duo and they animatedly explained the beauty of their cheeses on offer. Time flew by and by the time we stepped out of the store/tasting room I was relieved to see daylight at 7 pm. Oh how I love the European summers!
We strolled across numerous other bars, coffee shops, souvenir shops and what looked like a pretty famous gelato shop. Even with a full belly, I couldn't help but enter a local cheese shop with it's uber inviting aromas and it was no surprise to see it brimming with people (always a good sign!)
The display shelves were loaded with pecorino cheese ranging from fresh, medium aged to really well aged. You could find them in all kinds of flavours imaginable: covered in truffles, with black pepper, chillies, grapes, and even covered in tobacco, olive and walnut leaves.
I was pleasantly surprised to see cheeses labelled 'caglio vegetale', meaning that instead of animal rennet (derived form the intestines of calves), they used a rennet of plant origin, 100% suitable for vegetarians. A huge leap for the tradition bound Italians indeed!
We walked further to let Piazza Pio, the main town square, greet us with the famous Duomo and the Townhall, standing tall opposite each other. The narrow alleys next to the duomo opened up to beautiful views of the valley.
I found the names of the streets to be very fascinating, from via dell'amore (love), via del bacio (kisses), to the via della fortuna (luck), and I obviously had to click a cheesy pic :p
The town is indeed small and we managed to see it all in about 4 hours. Not only is it well planned, but the advantageous placement makes it an ideal spot to catch the sunset with breathtaking views of the valley, as we did.
From what we understood, Airbnb is a thing here, and if you fancy, you could enjoy your Tuscan holiday perched upon this quaint hill top town, sipping delicious wine and relishing lip smacking fresh local food minus the crazy tourist rush for as long as you want.
La bella vita, indeed!
#thatsthestory Read more about pecorino here.
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