Pienza Travel Guide
If you love cozy picturesque towns in Italy, Pienza is a big tip! This town is located high on a hill and is small but nice. The popular destination of Montepulciano is just a half-hour drive from the city. We decided to explore the area from here and visit Pienza for a day. The road from Montepulciano to Pienza is a trip in itself. The town lies in the Val d’Orcia valley under which a scene from Gladiator was shot. As true film lovers, a must-see, of course. In this article, we share the best tips for Pienza.
In this article
- To do
- Hotspots
- Travel time
- Budget
- Practical information
- The nicest accommodations
- How do I get there?
- Our opinion
Bezienswaardigheden Pienza
Pienza, with its charming streets and historic buildings, is one big open-air museum. The surroundings are also one not soon to be forgotten. We especially recommend that you enjoy walking, strolling through the city and enjoying all the goodies the city has to offer.
Road trip through Tuscany
The road from Montepulciano to Pienza is a Tuscan gem. Along the way you can admire beautiful Tuscan villas, cypresses, olive trees, sunflower fields and rolling hills.
Walk away the Gladiator
If you’re a mega movie geek like us, then don’t miss the Gladiator Road at Pienza. In the film, it is the road to Maximus’ house. You can set the route using Google Maps. The road is not accessible by car, but you can take a great hike there.
Wine tasting
Tuscany is known for its amazing VINO. You can do a wine tasting in any city, but much more fun is to take a wine tour or visit a winery.
More tips:
- Duomo of Pienza: a magnificent cathedral in the middle of town where you can admire ancient works of art, among other things.
- La Foce: a spacious villa with beautiful garden where you can take a tour.
- Taste the local Pecorino cheese
- Visit The Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall of Pienza
Vervoer in Pienza
Outside the city, there are several places to park. It takes some searching, but we eventually found a spot at Pienza parking lot. In addition, the parking lots are clearly marked.
Welk budget heb ik nodig in Pienza?
- Motorhome spot: 20 euros per night
- Hotels: average 75 – 150 euros (from basic – luxury).
- Food and drink:15 -20 per meal for 2 people
- Activities: for a museum you pay about 8 – 10 euros and most churches and cathedrals are free
- Groceries are similar to the Netherlands.
- Gasoline prices are also similar to the Netherlands.
- Public transportation: about 2 euros per person for a one-way ticket (30 minutes)
On average, we spent about 60 – 80 euros per day. Most of the budget went into groceries and eating out.
Praktische informatie over Pienza
- With an ACSI discount card, you often get discounts at campsites in the off-season.
- If you take the dog with you, you are required to carry a muzzle. Dogs must wear this in public places. Yet we almost never saw dogs with a muzzle and never did it with our dog. Although we do have a stick old pug with epilepsy who was in backpack most of the time so expect most people were understanding of this. With a larger dog, this may be different anyway.
- For the nicest camping spot, we always use the app Park4night & camper contact
- The same obligations apply in the car as in the Netherlands. So bring safety jacket and warning triangle!
- In Italy, many stores, restaurants and supermarkets are often closed at noon. Something we forgot almost every day.
Wat zijn leuke plekken om te overnachten in Pienza?
We visited Pienza for a day when we were in Montepulciano for a few days. In Montepulicano stayed in the cottage is from Tenuta Winery. In the area of Peinza and Montepulciano, you really do have numerous options for nice campsites:
- Podere Il Casale
- Camping Lucherino
- Camping Agrituristico the Fontanelle
See here all the campsites near Pienza
Hotels in Pienza
Of course, you also have numerous options in Pienza itself where to stay.
View all hotels in pienza here
Hoe kom ik in Pienza?
In Tuscany we took a little road trip.We visited Piensa from Montepulciano. You drive there in about half an hour. From Pienza, we drove on to Volterra and Siena.
Many people visit Italy by car. You drive to Tuscany in about 14 hours. Along the way, you can always stop in France, Germany or Switzerland. It is also possible to fly to Florence or Pisa and rent a car from here to explore Tuscany.
