Built as a ‘summer city’ to replace the miserable village where Pope Pius II was born in 1405 (hence its name), Pienza is a post-medieval ‘new town’ − a careful grouping of late Renaissance buildings in sterile perfection. Comparisons with a Hollywood set for The Agony and the Ecstasy come to mind. The two best things about Pienza are the Flemish tapestries in the museum and the view from the hanging garden of the Piccolomini Palace, but don’t miss the views from edge of town The adjacent village of Monticchiello boasts a popular Little Theatre (Teatro Povero or ‘theatre of the poor’) – www.teatropovero.it

Villa holidays: the Pienza area plus all of southern Tuscany offer many holiday rental properties.