托斯卡纳的皮恩扎镇, 意大利 Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy (© zpagistock/Getty Images)

托斯卡纳的皮恩扎镇, 意大利 Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy (© zpagistock/Getty Images)

品味皮恩扎 A taste of Pienza

托斯卡纳的皮恩扎镇, 意大利

有些城镇历经数个世纪缓慢演变。皮恩扎？15世纪，一位教皇为了证明某种观点——或许也为了炫耀——彻底重塑了它。这座意大利小镇坐落在奥尔恰山谷之上，周围环绕着连绵起伏的群山，其景象与你想象中的托斯卡纳一模一样：柏树成荫，蜿蜒的土路，偶尔还能看到几只绵羊。它宁静祥和。而当你踏入城墙，它便会变得灵动起来。

皮恩扎曾是一个普通的中世纪村庄，名叫科尔西尼亚诺。直到教皇庇护二世的儿子决定改造他的家乡，他聘请了建筑师贝尔纳多·罗塞利诺，按照文艺复兴时期的对称、秩序与和谐理念重建了这片区域。结果如何？这片区域仿佛是经过精心设计的。中心广场皮奥二世广场两侧分别矗立着大教堂、教皇宫殿和市政厅，布局也恰到好处。此外，皮恩扎还以佩科里诺奶酪而闻名——这是一种以羊奶为原料，以独特的方式陈酿而成的奶酪。每年一次，整个小镇都会变成奶酪竞技场，举办“奶酪节”（Fiera del Cacio），这是一个以“奶酪轮”（Cacio al Fuso）为特色的节日——这是一种人们将奶酪轮滚向目标的游戏。

The town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy

Some towns evolve slowly over centuries. Pienza? It received a full rebrand in the 1400s from a pope who wanted to prove a point—and maybe show off a little. This tiny Italian town is perched above the Val d'Orcia, surrounded by rolling hills that look exactly like you think Tuscany should: cypress trees, winding dirt roads, the occasional sheep. It's peaceful. And then you step inside the town walls, and it gets clever.

Pienza was once a regular medieval village called Corsignano. That is, until one of its sons became Pope Pius II and decided to transform his hometown. He hired architect Bernardo Rossellino and rebuilt the area based on Renaissance ideals of symmetry, order, and harmony. The result? A site that feels intentional. The central square, Piazza Pio II, is flanked by a cathedral, a papal palace, and a town hall, all arranged just so. Moreover, Pienza is known for pecorino cheese—sheep's milk, aged in interesting ways. And once a year, the whole town turns into a cheese arena for Fiera del Cacio, a festival featuring Cacio al Fuso—a game where people roll wheels of cheese at a target.