Pienza

Not a heat haze, just that The Seffalice is not a born photographer


Pienza is a walled hilltop town on the route between wine capitals Montalcino and Montepulciano. It's known for Pope Pius II employing Bernardo Rossellino to architecturize the perfect (in conception, at least) Renaissance town in the mid-fifteenth century. Lots of grandness and symmetry ensued and very pretty it is too in Piazza Pio II.

The rest of the town is also worth a wander round and to follow the passeggiata route along the outside of the walls. Set high above the surrounding valleys it's a very picturesque if currently waterlogged view out from the town.

We also visited many of the numerous local produce tourist traps, and were seen coming by Ghino who flattered us in Italian into buying a couple of bottles of wine ("Sure you pay a little more here but it's worth it for the quality is assured. Have I told you about what the Italian prime minster bought here?"), and by the shopkeep low on tourist trade who didn't take long to convince us that we needed a carboot full of the local pecorino (by refusing to cut it any smaller and insisting that we still buy it) and a slab of lardo (which is just as it sounds, marinated in herbs and oil, then vacuum-packed).

Above: lardo.

Pecorino is a sheep's cheese common all over Tuscany, in many varieties, but originating from the Pienza area so noblesse oblige ensured we had to pick up a respectable quantity. La Seffalice will let you know how the Pecorino Rosso and Pecorino Nero work out for us when she posts the next installment of her cheese blog.