Pienza was conceived as a Utopian "New Town" by Pope Pius II. The site Pius chose was the village of Corsignano, where he was born- the first of 18 children. The construction on Pienza began in 1459.
Tradition claims the new pope wished to avenge himself on Siena - which had unjustly exiled his family - by building a city that would be both Siena's antithesis and its superior. It's also claimed Pius could not live with the shame of having come from a village as humble as Corsignano so he renamed it Pienza. His Architect on the project was Bernardo Rossellino, who worked on all the major buildings here under the guidance of Leon Battista Alberti, the great theorist of Renaissance art, building and town planning.

After consecration of the cathedral, Pius rechristened the "city" Pienza in his own honour. He died two years later and the city, intended to spread across the hill, never grew beyond a couple of blocks to either side of the main Corso.

After Pienza it was almost all downhill to our new home: Le Checche.