Pliny the Elder praised it and Lorenzo the Magnificent was fond of it: pecorino di Pienza is a cheese that for centuries has embodied the taste of the land and traditions of one of Tuscany's most beautiful valleys, the Val d'Orcia. Located in the stunning hills between Montepulciano and Montalcino, Pienza is a charming Renaissance village that produces some of the best pecorino cheese in the country. It's also one of the first towns we visit whenever we're in Umbria. Named after locally born Pope Pius II, Penza has been a UNESCO protected World Heritage Site since 1996. The architectural focal point is the square Piazza Pio II, surrounded by the Duomo and pope's family residence, Palazzo Piccolomini, and the beautiful gardens in the Palazzo's interior courtyard. However, the culinary spotlight is the town's Pecorino cheese together with the Pienza's friendly shop owners, quaint cobblestone streets, lovely restaurants and quiet unhurried lifestyle. With it's small size and charismatic centro storico, this beautiful little hilltop town captures the true essence of Tuscany.
Derived from the Italian word for sheep —'pecora' —pecorino is made from full cream ewe's milk and the naturally growing herbs and shrubs that the sheep graze on around Pienza, are what give the cheese its unique quality, texture and character. The cheese can be sold fresh, medium-aged and well matured, and while the flavours are quite different, it's a matter of taste when deciding which is your preferred choice: fresco, semistagionato or stagionato. Throughout the town, shops are laden with hundreds of flattened spheres of mouth-watering Pecorini, as well as Pienza's great local honey, which pairs up perfectly with the pungent stagionato. The finest and most beautiful restaurant in Pienza is La Terrazza del Chiostro, located in a 15th-century ex-convent beside the Palazzo Piccolomini. The cuisine and views from the outdoor terrace are simply sublime. Arriving on a quiet weekday afternoon, after visiting the Palazzo Piccolomini and our favourite cheese shop, we were seated at a beautiful table overlooking the spectacular Val d'Orcia, and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of Crostata di Zucca with Carbonara Sauce, Millefoglie of Bufalo Mozzarella with Warm Cherry Tomato Gazpacho and Basil, homemade pasta and a bottle of bubbly pink Prosecco to toast our first week in Italy's culinary and cultural embrace.
Al Troieri in Pienza sells beautiful Tessitura Pardi table linens,
which I find very hard to resist, so I don't!
A prosciutto stand for carving the luscious cured ham, and Chitarra pasta cutter that is strung like a musical guitar where the wires are strung tightly to create a cutting surface for the pasta
Collection of decorative olive oil cans
Our favourite cheese shop in Pienza, but having bought some pecorino at Podere il Casale a few weeks before, we bought some sweet pannaforte here instead
Smiling and affable, it's always a pleasure shopping in Pienza
Pecorino comes in all shapes, sizes and flavours
15th-century ex-convent courtyard beside the Palazzo Piccolomini leads to Terrazza del Chiostra
The gorgeous lush garden terrace of Terrazza del Chiostra overlooking the fertile Val d'Orcia
Our lovely table set with linen napkins and fine stemware, overlooking the valley below
A chilled bottle of San Felice Acqua di Toscana was the perfect thing
on a very hot afternoon
Fresh baked bread
Local olive oil poured into a small bowl for dipping the wonderful squishy bread
Enjoying a glass of Prosecco as we look over the wonderful menu
Terrazza del Chiostra's menu of refined Tuscan cuisine is always a special treat
Our server opening a bottle of 2015 Rocca di Frassinello “Son La Pia” Rosata from the Maremma
Based on Sangiovese's and Merlot's grape cultivated in the vineyards of Rocca di Frassinello. This rosé maintains its Italian-French character, which is the typical style of the Maremma
With a unique orange hue, La Pia is a luscious elegant Rosé
Antipasti menu
Tempura-Style Fried Zucchini Flowers served with a creamy local cow's milk cheese,
with drops of sweet pepper purée and fillets of anchovies
Creamy local cow's milk cheese sauce with purée of sweet pepper and anchovy fillets
The light, creamy and tangy sauce was the perfect "foil" for the tempura zucchini flowers
Pan Roasted Salmon with a garnish of tzatziki made with a local sheep's milk yogurt, and emulsion of cucumbers and sweet garlic
The menu of tasty secondi
Tortelli filled with ricotta and parmesan cheese served with caramelized tomato sauce, smoked aubergine and mozzarella foam
Café Macchiato
Dessert called "100% Chokolate" made with warm chocolate cake,
homemade gianduja iced cream and pralined hazelnuts
