Palazzo Piccolomini
It was commissioned by Pope Pio II and built by Bernardo Rossellino during the restoration of Pienza, the ideal town
Palazzo Piccolomini was the summer residence of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, known as Pope Pio II. It was designed by Bernardo Rossellino in the second half of the 15th century (after 1459), who was inspired by the Ruccellai Palace in Florence, made by his master Leon Battista Alberti.
The Palace is one of the first examples of Renaissance architecture. It has a square layout, developped on three levels, made with finely carved sandstone and it has two series of large windows. It also has a rectangular courtyard with stone columns, a small garden on the southern side of the building and a small terrace overlooking the Val d’Orcia.
The first floor of the Piccolomini Palace is one of the most important museum of Pienza, open to the public. Here you can visit the Hall of the Ancestors, where together with various paintings, stands out a portrait of the Pope made by Ventura Salimbeni, his bedroom, richly decorated, with a beautiful bed dating back to the late 16th century and his library that stores incunabula, rare books and documents. The rooms also feature a 15th-century fireplace and precious ceilings, XV and XVIII century furnishing, paintings, sculptures and Flemish tapestries.
Accessibility information: regione.toscana.it
