The Relais Chiostro di Pienza, is a former Franciscan convent of the thirteenth century, located in an enviable position, in the center of the village of Pienza, the heart of the Val d'Orcia.
The hotel structure, in addition to the charm of antiquity and the history that has literally "passed" through its rooms, hides a magnificent surprise, the panoramic terrace with garden nestled in the romantic hills of Siena.
The Relais Il Chiostro di Pienza is now an elegant and quiet structure, which offers comfortable and stimulating hospitality due to its peculiarity combined with the functionality of the rooms and rooms.
Relais Il Chiostro di Pienza History
Located in the historic center of Pienza, a Renaissance city designed by Rossellino at the behest of Pope Pius II Enea Silvio Piccolomini, overlooking the Val d'Orcia with its hanging gardens, the Relais Il Chiostro di Pienza, an ancient convent of the 13th century, offers rooms comfortable and full of stimuli for the peculiarity of the structures combined with the functionality of the environments.
At the beginning of the 14th century, with the spread of the Franciscans of the Order of Minors, a convent of these monks was also built in Pienza, and the monastery of San Francesco was certainly the most significant religious and cultural institution of ancient Corsignano, at least until to the radical transformation of the city wanted, starting from 1459, by Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini), born here in 1405. In fact, during the first visit made to Corsignano by Pope, Piccolomini celebrated the solemn mass in San Francesco , obviously the most important church in the village.
The only certain information we have about the life of the Monastery dates back to the sixteenth century and is given by the guardian father Domenico Gabrielli, who tells of the violence with which the soldiers treated the convent and the church during the "war of Siena".
In 1634, St. Francis hosted the Provincial Congregation with solemnity and "sermons, Latin prayers, beautiful music" were made for the occasion. A few years later, with a papal bull which suppressed the "small convents", the Franciscans had to leave. But the population did not like it and did so much that, by popular acclaim, the friars were sent back to San Francesco in 1658.
They remained until 1788, the year in which Bishop Giuseppe Pannilini suppressed the convent, allocating the premises to a boarding school called the "Ecclesiastical Academy" for clerics of the dioceses of Pienza. This institution had a short life and was replaced by an Episcopal Seminary in 1792.
The history of the Cloister of Pienza is closely linked to the history of the city of Pienza; the ancient structure in which the relais is now located was in fact at the center of the development of one of the most characteristic towns in Tuscany. In 1996 the historic center of Pienza was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The hotel has 37 comfortable rooms furnished with traditional local furniture and overlooking the historic center, the Val d’Orcia countryside or the convent itself.
The roof garden of the Convent is a large terrace opening onto the Val d’Orcia.
In the summer, under the lime trees, immersed in the fragrance of the scents of the garden where the plants and cultivated essences of the monks persist, the tables of the restaurant are set, where the classic dishes of the Tuscan gastronomic tradition are served and local wines kept in the private cellar.
The Chiostro di Pienza is able to host exclusive receptions, offering you a unique experience full of suggestions.