Spring is blossoming in Pienza. From May 1st to 10th the “Ideal Renaissance Town” rebuilt by Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini is hosting its 30th edition of “Pienza and Flowers”. This year cloisters and courtyards of Renaissance buildings, such as the Piccolomini Palace, the Borgia Palace and the Ammannati Palace, together with some of the town’s squares, will be decked out in Renaissance style. The most beautiful areas of Pienza will be covered in festoons with ribbons, laurel and fruit, with box plants and climbing roses as well as many other flowers.
The traditional flower market will be held on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th in the streets of the old town centre and in the gardens of Piazza Dante Alighieri. Furthermore, it will also be possible to visit some of the historic gardens of the Val d’Orcia. A shuttle service will take visitors to discover the magnificent green architectures of the gardens of the Piccolomini Palace, of the Horti Leonini in San Quirico d’Orcia, of the very refined garden of La Foce and the elegant Italian garden of the Massaini Palace. Here, at the end of the visit, there will be a free tasting of the food and wine products produced by the estate.
Among the side events, the museum of the Borgia Palace will be exhibiting a new, rare and precious masterpiece by painter Nicola van Houbraken (1660-1723). The painting is a monumental still life portraying Pan and his Satyrs which has never been exhibited before and belongs to an important private collection. The work will be presented on May 1st at 4.30 pm and will be on show at the Borgia Palace until June 2nd. Other events will be, under the Palazzo Comunale’s loggia, the creation and exposition of an enormous illustrated flower composition called Pugnalone di Acquapendente after the town in Lazio which traditionally make these panels with flowers and leaves, whereas the cloisters and courtyards of the surrounding 15th-century buildings will be hosting concerts, processions and Renaissance dancing.
“Pienza e Fiori” was conceived to create a trade show which would bring out the best of the architecture of Pienza. Considering the classical floral stylistic elements of the buildings what better than flowers and the arrival of Spring as tribute?
