COLLECTION NAME:
Archivision Base to Module 9
Record
Preferred Title:
Piazza Pio II
Image View:
Piazza, view across from the southwest
Creator:
Bernardo Rossellino (Italian architect, 1409-1464); Pius II, Pope (Italian patron, 1405-1464)
Location:
site: Pienza, Tuscany, Italy
Date:
1460-1464 (creation)
Cultural Context:
Italian
Style Period:
Renaissance
Work Type 1:
piazza (square)
Work Type 2:
cathedral
Work Type 3:
palazzo
Classification:
architecture
Material:
stone
Technique:
construction (assembling)
Subjects:
architectural exteriors; City planning; Pius II, Pope, 1405-1464; urban renewal
Description:
Rossellino's most important architectural project was the reconstruction (1460-1464) of Corsignano, the birthplace of Pope Pius II, which was renamed Pienza in 1461. Here the most important feature was a new town centre with a piazza bordered by the cathedral, Palazzo Piccolomini, the Episcopal Palace, the Palazzo Communale and the rectory. The whole complex was designed to create a unified perspectival effect, reinforced by the geometric pattern of the pavement. It is undoubtedly one of the most important works of 15th-century urban planning. While Bernardo certainly supervised the whole project, Mack's opinion (1972, 1987) that he designed it has not been unanimously accepted; some critics maintain that Alberti also played a role. (Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/)
Collection:
Archivision Base Collection
Identifier:
1A1-RB-PP-A6
Rights:
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.
Piazza Pio II
