PIENZA

Pienza - think peity - was created as a "new town" by Pope Pius II who was born there. History has it - rather cattily it seems to me - that he wanted, in creating this 'new town" that was to out Siena Siena - that he was attempting to denegrate Siena for treating him unjustly. Bad old buggers turned his family out of town. The project ended with the pope's death leaving Pienza a very sweet, small and romantic walled town that specializes in the pecorino cheess of the area, wine and pasta shops and almost no parking to be found.