The Acquisition of Pienza 1459-1464

Author(s): Nicholas Adams

Source: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 44, No. 2 (May, 1985), pp. 99-
110
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Society of Architectural
Historians
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 The Acquisition of Pienza I459-I464*
NICHOLAS ADAMS
The transformation of the centralItalian village of Corsignanointo
Pienza (I459-i464) by Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini)re-
quiredan elaborateseriesof propertypurchases.Throughthe discovery
of hithertounpublishednotarialmemorandafrom theArchiviodi Stato,
Siena, it is now possibleto considerthe processof urbanizationas a
distinctseriesof phasesratherthan simply as the resultof papal will.
Thesedocuments,recordingthepricepaidfor theproperty,its appurte-
nances,and thezone of the villagein which it was located,revealthat
thePopedeveloped differentareasin sequence.Purchaserswith a variety
of relationsto him and thePiccolominifamilytendedto buyin different
areas.With thesedocumentsit ispossibleto beginto considerthePope's
intentionsat each stage. It is also possibleto use the documentsto
reconsider sometraditionalownershipattributions.
PIENZA, the village of Corsignano renamed in honor of its
distinguished patron Pope Pius II and rebuilt by him, is the
touchstone of Renaissance urbanism (Fig. i).1 It is not only
*
My workon Pienzahasbeen generouslysupportedoverthe yearsby
a numberof foundationsandinstitutions.I amindebtedto the National
Endowmentfor the Humanities(SummerStipendProgram);Lehigh
University'sMellon FacultyDevelopmentFund;the Universitadegli
Studi(Aquila)andthe Departmentof ItalianStudiesat the University
of Pennsylvania;andthe North AtlanticTreatyOrganizationthrough
ResearchGrant#RGooi8o (Studyof anHistoricalTown by Sampling).
Specialthanksare also due to Henry A. Millon, GiancarloCataldi,
SamuelK. Cohn,Nello Barbieri,John Hunt,andthe lateJudithHook,
una compagna di lavoro.(Archiviodi Stato,Siena,will be abbreviated
throughoutas ASS.)
i. On Pienza, see: Enzo Carli, Pienza: la cittddi Pio II, Rome, 1967;
GiancarloCataldi,"Pienzae la sua Piazza:Nuova IpotesiTipologica
di Lettura," Studi e Documentidi Architettura,7 (1978), 75-115; L. H.
Heydenreich,"PiusII als Bauherrvon Pienza,"Zeitschriftfuir
Kunstge-
schichte,6 (I937), 105-146; C. R. Mack, "Studies in the Architectural
calledRossellino,"Ph.D. diss.,Univer-
Careerof MatteoGhambarelli
sity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1972. C. R. Mack is also preparing
a book on Pienzato be publishedby CornellUniversityPress.A large
numberof importantdocumentswere publishedinitiallyby E. Miintz,
Lesartsd la courdespapes,Paris,x878, andby G. B. Mannucci,"Pio II
e Pienza," BulletinoSenesedi StoriaPatria, 20 (1914), 531-542, and idem,
"IquattroCardinaliFedelia PioIInelleCostruzionePientine,"Bulletino
Senesedi Storia Patria, 72-73 (1955-1956), 95-99. Important general
studiesof Pius II and Pienzaareby Don Ivo Petri,Pienza,storiabreve
di una SimbolicaCittd, Genoa, 1976, and L. Tortaro, Pio II nei Suoi
Commentari,Bologna, I978.
JSAH XLI-V:99-Io. MAY I985
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Lehigh University
considered to be the first complete piece of Renaissance urban-
ism, but it appearsto be remarkablyintact even today.2 More-
over, although the work was executed hastily, Pius's interest in
its renovation was all-consuming-from conception to the
smaller urban details. Newly discovered documents from the
Archivio di Stato, Siena, that record the purchase of properties
in Pienza allow us to define more closely the Pope's timetable
and show how broadly Pius II, his families (personal and papal),
and his cardinals intervened in its urban fabric.3Although the
location of all these purchases cannot be specified exactly, the
new documents provide evidence for the identification of certain
buildings bought by Pius's associates,but more importantly they
record the rich urban process engendered by this intervention.
The Pienza that emerges from these documents is not just the
ideal plan of the monumental core (Fig. 2) laid out by an aris-
tocratic patron, but a project that involves the entire village and
a series of political, economic, and social compromises.4
The documents published here for the first time come from
a series of tax summariesprovided by the Sienese notaries. Since
Corsignano, and later Pienza, was part of the Sienese Republic,
all sales and exchanges had to be recorded so that the tax, the
gabella,could be paid.5Thegabelladeicontratticontains a summary
copy of the contract drawn up by the notary between the parties
2. Althoughthe villageappearsto be a mixtureof 15th-century and
medievalconstruction,thereis, in fact,muchlaterwork.The portalof
the churchof SanFrancesco,for example,which at firstglanceappears
to be purelymedieval,containsmuch 19th-centuryrestoration.The
sameis trueof the PalazzoPiccolomini,which was heavilyrestoredin
the i8th century.
3. The traditionalmapof Pienzashows only the monumentalcore.
See L. H. Heydenreichand W. Lotz, Architecture in Italy1400-1600,
Baltimore, 1974, Fig. I6. By contrast, see G. Cataldi et al., Rilievi di
Pienza, Florence, 1977.
4. In support of this sort of research I would note the foundation of
the CentroInternazionale
deiProcessi
Urbanie Territoriali
in Pienza.
5. On the gabellaas an institution, see W. Bowsky, The Financesof
the Comuneof Siena 1287-i355, Oxford, I977.
99
I00 JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985

AREZZO ^

SICNA

* ASCIANO

*PIC NZA
0 MOlNTICCHILLO
3AN aUIrICO Fig.2. Planof the PiazzadelDuomo,Pienza,andsurrounding
buildings
* PEPAL T
TO (from Enzo Carli, Pienza: Cittd di Pio II).

r Piccolomini family, of which he was a member, had been ex-

?r
5 cluded from political activity within the city, as had other noble
M. AMIATA < families. In exchange for his favors the Pope demanded a res-
0
toration of political rights for his family.8 Pius's initial proposal
10 KM J \ A

SCAL / \
to aid Pienza was made to the Sienese in April I459. In it he

Fig. i. Map of the eastern edge of the Republic of Siena and its border
towns (map: Chris Brown).
to the action. While it is not always a consistent or unfailingly
accurate record, it provides us with a number of hitherto un-
recorded transactions not noted by earlier scholars drawing on
material in Archivio di Stato, Rome.6 The Sienese documents
are also interesting because, in a number of instances, the lo-
cation within the village is noted. These indications allow us
to trace the progressive expansion of papal influence within
Pienza (Fig. 3).
Pius II's first visit to Pienza (to use its later name) as Pope
took place in mid-February1459, and during either that visit of
two days, the successive days in Siena shortly thereafter, or in
the early spring as he traveled toward Mantua, he may have
conceived of the idea of helping his native village.7 It was not
an easy matter. Pius was not, initially, well disposed to do any-
thing that would show favor to the Sienese government. The
6. The documents relating to the building of Pienza that have been
published hitherto (Mack, Rossellino)begin in 1462. Those that I am
publishing here (Appendix i) begin in I459.
7. It has been suggestedthat among the Pope'spartywas Leone
BattistaAlberti.With regardto PienzaandAlberti,see the discussion
of S. Rossi and L. Finelli, Pienza, tra ideologiae realtd,Bari, 1979, I24-
127.
requested the concession of economic andjudicial rights to the
inhabitants. No mention is made of construction proposals.9
(There was already a palace in Pienza known as the Pope's
palace, as we learn from the sale of a cellar in May 1459; see
Document i.) Between May and September 1459, when pur-
chases of property as part of the renovation scheme began, Pius's
political demands were largely satisfied. Pienza, as it would be
called, could become the dynastic country seat for the Picco-
lomini. In exchange the Sienese received a new infusion of
economic growth in one of their border towns.10
8. The characterof this debateis the subjectof a forthcomingpaper
by Irene Polverini Fosi.
9. ASS, ConsiglioGenerale228, if. Io5-Io5v.
o0. One result of the Piccolomini infusion of wealth was that some
300 canneof city wall was built or rebuilt, as reported in a letter from
the Sienese commissioner in Pienza, ASS Concistoro2133, f. 20 (i6 Jan-
uary 1466). Pius II left his propertiesto AndreaandJacomo Piccolomini,
his nephews. Problems with Montepulciano were common through the
I4th century, when the town changed hands a number of times before
finally coming under Florentine control in 1404. As Andrea andJacomo
note, the area between Pienza and Montepulciano was perennially sub-
ject to attack during war times. In their tax declaration of 1465 they
frequently note the strategic importance of their holdings. Of one piece
of property, between Montichiello and Montepulciano, they write, "in
time of war Your Lords know how it is treated." Another piece of
property, on Pientine territory, "bordersMontepulciano and the tower
is ours and is our responsibilityto look out for"; see ASS, Lirax6o (Terzo
di San Martino), unpaginated.

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Fig. 3. Planof the villageof Pienza(fromCarli,Pienza).
Although the documents often define the zones within the
village by "quarters,"it is clear that since the number of quarters
referredto in the documents exceeds four, then the designation
must be merely generic. In Appendix 2, I have given a list of
the different possible citations. Broadly speaking, however, the
zones (whatever their precise spatial limitations) correspond to
the sites of the gates of the village (Ciglio, Murello, Santo), to
the fortified enceintewithin the walls of the village (Castelnuo-
vo), and to the site of the present-dayPiazza del Duomo (Monte
Piccone). Within these broad designations there are zones of
transition:Castelnuovo al Murello, Castelnuovo al Ciglio. There
are also references, such as Ripa al Ciglio, which may well
correspondto the edge of the bluffs in the direction of the Porta
al Ciglio to the south." Less frequently, churches are used to
define the location of a property (San Francesco, San Giovanni,
San Vito), and there is one reference to a zone as the "Quartiere
nova iuxta San Francesco."12We must be patient with the no-
taries and their designations of the parts of the village; we are
dealing with the translation of an oral tradition of toponymy
into notarial formulae. In short, however, a rough map can be
constructedto aid in the definition and reading of the documents
(Fig. 4). Although it is subjectto refinement and cannot be used
literally, it offers a chance to see the work of Pius, the Picco-
lomini, and their allies in the context of location.
II. I interpretripato mean "bank"or "edge"and thus to referto
the stripof the village that lies betweenthe Portaal Ciglio and the
mainPiazzadel Duomo.
I2. This referencein the notarialrecordswill be discussedin detail
below. ASS,ArchivioNotarile(Ante-Cosimiano) 549, f. 170.
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ADAMS: ACQUISITION OF PIENZA IOI
0 IO SO 100 150 200
ME TR
METRI
The firsttask facing the Pope was the rebuilding of the church
at the center of the village and the reconstruction of the Pic-
colomini palace. The earliest purchasesof property (Docs. 2, 3,
4), in the area of Monte Piccone, were probably intended to
provide space for these buildings. Work, involving the destruc-
tion of old buildings and the construction of new ones, must
have been under way by late 1459 or early 1460. One purchase
by the Pope was from a certain Salamone di Niccolo Picco-
lomini, a relative of the Pope.13The size of the purchases-a
house with a cloister, a garden, and two huts next door-would
lead us to think that Pius was, at least initially, gathering all
the family holdings to himself. The purchase from Giovanni di
Mino Battista Piccolomini of a house with two smaller houses,
a piazza, and a garden in an unspecified location is probablypart
of the same process (Doc. 5). Some of these houses and properties
may have been exchanged or sold later on. Unfortunately, the
record of the gabelleis rarely precise enough to track such sales,
and the notebooks of a number of key notaries have not been
preserved.14
13. The endlesslycomplexrelationsbetweenmembersof the Pic-
colominifamily are partiallyelucidatedin A. Lisiniand A. Liberati,
Genealogia deiPiccolomini,Siena,19oo. I cannotdefineSalamone'sre-
lationto the Popesinceit is not completelyclearwhichof the Salamoni
notedby LisiniandLiberatiis our Salamonedi Niccol6.
14. We aremissingthe recordsof the mostimportantnotariesactive
in Pienza:Ser Stefanodi ser Niccolo, SerAngelo di Meo Angeli, Ser
Marchionnidi JacopoAndrea,SerFrancescodi Antonioda Podio,and
SerAlbertoDaniele.We have the notebookrecords(imbreviature), or
someof them,fromSerLorenzodi Nannidi Andrea,SerBartolommeo
di Simone,SerGasparodi Antonio,andSerMino Trecerchi.
102 JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985
A second series of purchases of property took place in late
I459 and 1460. Some were made by a papal official, Giliforte di
Buonconti, possibly on behalf of the Pope (Docs. I5, i6). Three
houses and a nearbyopen spaceprobablyfaced the bluffs adjacent
to the Porta al Ciglio and may have been purchased to provide
space for the Canonica.15Another purchase, in the Pope's name,
included land in the countryside (Doc. 13).16 Three purchases
were also made by Jacopo Ammanati, one of Pius's intimates
(Docs. 10, II, 12).17
In addition, the Pope's personal family bought property in
Pienza during I459-I460. Besides Ammanati (an honorary Pic-
colomini), Alessandro de Mirabilli Piccolomini bought a house
and a courtyardin December 1459 (Doc. 7), and both Giovanni
di Mino Battista Piccolomini and Salamone di Niccolo Picco-
lomini bought houses early in the Pienza campaign (Docs. 6,
8). Salamone was also active later (Doc. 17). Pius's sisters, Lau-
domia and Catherine, both purchased property in Pienza: Lau-
domia, a house in 1460 (Doc. 9), and Catherine, a piece of land
nearSanVito (Doc. 14) in SeptemberI460. Pius's relativeswould
be the first to benefit from the expansion of Corsignano and its
new inhabitants.
The year of 146I is remarkablein the gabellebecause there is
no mention of any property sold. The situation may have await-
ed the next phase of papal involvement although, quite clearly,
it must have been a difficult time in the life of the village.18
The narrow unpaved streets and newly outlined piazza in front
of the Piccolomini palace and cathedral must have been choked
with building materials. The first secure notice we have of
completed work comes from August 1462 when Pope Pius vis-
ited the site. In a letter from Pienza to the Sienese government
the comissarioNiccolo Severini reports:
... this morninghis Holinesswas takenthroughoutthe palace,above
andbelow,andalsothroughthe church,andwith greatpleasurehe has
seen it. It seems to him that he has done worthy things, worth the
money spentand well made,not just for the buildingsin themselves
but becausethey areappropriate andwell composed....19
15. It mayalsoreferto landbehindandbeyondthe Canonica,where
there were clearly changes during the i5th century.
i6. The purchasesin the countrysidewill be the subjectof a later
article.
17. Ammanati (b. 1422)was made an "honorary"Piccolomini by Pius.
He was the apostolic secretaryand in I460 became Bishop of Pavia. See
Frank Hausmann, "Die Benefizien des Kardinals Jacopo Ammanati-
Piccolomini," RomischesHistorischeMitteilungen,13 (I97I), 28-80.
I8. The Pope spent the summer of I46I in Tivoli. Troubles in Rome
may have encouraged him to stay near the city. See Ludwig Pastor,
Historyof the Popes,London, 1949, I1, II4-115.
I9. "... et questa mattina sua Santita s'e fatta portare per tutto il
palazzo di sopra e di sotto e cosi nella chiesa et con grande piacere a
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It is in the successive period that the Roman family-as the
papal court was traditionally called-was pressed into building
in Pienza too.20Documents record the purchases of Pius's new
cardinals, Francesco Gonzaga and Jean Jouffroy (Docs. 23, 24,
25, 30). Three purchases by Gregorio Lolli, one of the Pope's
secretaries (Docs. i8, I9, 48), all in the zone of Ciglio, might
lead us to doubt the attribution to him of the small palace at
the head of the present-dayPiazza del Duomo, now a bar. There
are no recordsof purchasesby him in the zone of Monte Piccone
where this palace, long attributed to him, is located.21
In all probability during his August I462 visit to Pienza the
Pope laid out the next phase of expansion. With its elevation
to a bishopric (20 February 1462) and the consecration of the
cathedral (13 August 1462), the construction of the Piccolomini
palace, and the "invitations" to the cardinals (more like a de-
mand), it was now possible to look after the renovation of the
village as a whole. Work was begun on the Palazzo Vescovile
and the Palazzo Comunale.22 Unfortunately, during this pe-
riod of acquisition (I462) few of the Sienese documents specify
location. A palace was exchanged with the Commune valued
at ?2,400 (Doc. 21), and another was exchanged with a value
of ?360 (Doc. 20), which suggests that Pius was consolidating
his holdings. We cannot explain the rationale behind all his
purchases.The pattern of expansion continues but it is unknown
where some of the purchases were made (Docs. 31, 33, 34, 35,
36, 40). In addition to city purchases, land was also bought in
veduto. Et pargli avere fatto cose degne si come sonno, et ogni spesa e
benfattaavutorespettoagli hedifitiiin se perchesonomoltoaptiet bene
composti...."; ASS, Concistoro2004, #30 (II August 1462).
20. The most interesting issues are raised by D. S. Chambers, "The
Housing Problems of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga,"Journalof the War-
burgand CourtauldInstitutes,39 (1976), 29-49. Chambers raisesthe ques-
tion of how willing the cardinalswere to come to Pienza. In all prob-
ability some were quite reluctant, like Gonzaga, while others, like
Jouffroy, were anxious for the chance to make political capital out of
the opportunity. (In a forthcoming series of articles I will attempt to
explain Jouffroy's motivations.) The possession of a summer house in
a small village next door to the Pope was clearly a political advantage
of no small value. There were fine baths nearby (San Filippo and Bagno
Vignoni), and while Pienza was off the beaten track, it was not as
asit is today,fornearbySanQuirico
duringthe Renaissance
inaccessible
Ammanatieven remainedon afterthe Pope
was on the stradaromana.
died; see Epistolae& Commentari Jacobi PiccolominiCardinalisPapiensis,
Milan, I5o6, if. I75-I75v. and ff. I76-I76v. Chambers quotes the Gon-
writing to Barbaraof Brandenburgconcerningthe
zaga ambassador
cardinal'sneed to stay near the Pope with the kind of political insight
worthy of Niccolo Machiavelli, for, he says, "chi e lonzo da ochio sia
lonzo da core"; Chambers, "Housing Problems," Doc. 13.
21. Carli, Pio II, 23, gives the palace to Lolli with a question mark.
My own sense, confirmed in conversations during July I984 with C.
R. Mack, Henry A. Millon, and Fausto Formichi, is that the facade of
this palace, now a bar, is quite late (c. 800oo?).
22. See Mack, Rossellino,for the most up-to-date discussion of these
matters.

the countryside (Docs. 22, 33) to provide revenue for the main-
tenance of the Piccolomini palacein Pienza.23Gardensand ditches
were also purchased (Docs. 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 43, 44, 45, 46,
47).24 Some of these were clearly to form the gardens below
the Piccolomini palace. The final land purchasesare interesting:
property opposite the Piccolomini palace (Doc. 37) and toward
the church of San Francesco (Doc. 50). Thus, through 1463 and
1464,just before the death of Pius II, he continued to move into
the wider realm of Pienza, turning away from the Porta al
Ciglio, where most of the purchaseshad been made, and toward
the Porta a Murello.25
Let us survey the acquisition of land as a whole:
I459-First visit in February to Corsignano (Pienza). First
papal purchases in September centering on the land needed for
the cathedral and the Palazzo Piccolomini.
I460-During the summer and autumn the Sienese Picco-
lomini purchase land in Pienza. Papal purchasescontinue in the
area known as the Ripa al Ciglio.
146--No papal purchases in the village.
1462-Name changed from Corsignano to Pienza (February)
and elevation to bishopric with consecration of the cathedral
(August). Cardinals and Roman "family" of the Pope encour-
aged to buy. Purchasesfor the Palazzo Vescovile, Palazzo Com-
unale. Adjustments to papal holdings, gardens, and country-
side purchases.
1463-1464-Purchases throughout the village.
The Pope was intensely involved in all aspects of the Pienza
project. The activity-exchanges, alterations, and constant
shifting of properties-is one indication. Pope Pius probably
oversaw and approved all palace plans, not merely his own but
23. This is confirmed in the tax statements of Andrea and Jacomo
Piccolomini of 1465 (see n. io). One of their holdings, called El Ca-
stelleto,was purchased"to providea dowryto maintainthe palacein
Pienza."The samephraseis repeated,slightlyabbreviated, in relation
to anotherholdingat Fabricanearthe Lagodi Vico (?);ASS,LiraI60.
24. The Popeseemsto havebeenespeciallyinterestedin buyinggar-
dens close to the village;havingvegetablesnearbywas an advantage.
Ditcheswere sometimesusedfor the storageof grain,as we learnfrom
documentsin the ASS;a certainestimatoris sent out to measure"fossi
per grano"; ASS, ConcistoroI677, ff. 7iv.-72. Since this visit of 2 June
1459 involved the inspection of mills, it may be that the "fossi" referred
to here were chutes of one sort or another. On the other hand, there
is a certain logic to the operation: grain could be more easily stored and
protectedfor shortperiodsat the end of a seriesof rows,thanit could
be carted.
25. If it was Pius'saim at some point to takeover the entirevillage
andencouragemore cardinalsand other dignitariesto settle there, he
musthaveconceivedof transformations of a kindwe havenot yet begun
to imagine.The Portaa Murellois the present-dayPortaal Prato(see
Appendix 2).
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ADAMS: ACQUISITION OF PIENZA I03
those of others as well.26 He was also aware of the effect his
architecturalboom, with the resultant dislocation in traditional
activities, must have had on the village. He donated money to
the poor and he must have been aware of the complaints of the
"wretched men" who had lost their property to the Roman
cardinals.2 Under the direction of the Sienese architect Pietro
Paolo Porrina, new housing stock, the so-called casenuove,were
built and in his will Pius provided for the construction of a mill
on the nearby Orcia River to be owned by the village.28Largely
through his help the new chapter of the cathedralwas an active
participant in the land market and thus provided itself with
some income (Docs. 38, 39, 42, 49, 5o).29The Pope also nour-
ished his creation through individual grants that enriched the
economic infrastructureof the village: a craftsman, Quirico di
Cristoforo da San Quirico, was paid ioofiorini on the condition
that he build a house and come live in Pienza; Maestro Do-
menico di Antonio, a potter, was paid oo00ducats to convert his
house into a hospice; Magio di Angelo, a carpenter, was given
60 ducats to build a house in Pienza.30In these three cases, the
Pope used his money to stimulate the local economy and im-
prove the physical amenities of Pienza; all three men were
obliged, as a condition of their grant/loans, to return money
yearly to the new chapter of the bishopric. Thus the village, its
physical form, its economic infrastructure, and the future fi-
nancial health of the see were all foreseen in the Pope's bold
moves.
26. The incredibleprecisionof the kindsof changesand additions
proposedto Pienza'sinfrastructuremightconvinceus of thispoint,but,
in addition,note that CardinalFrancescoGonzagasendsa drawingof
the armshe intendsto placeon his titularchurchas well as a drawing
of the facadeof his housein Rometo the Pope.This incidentis reported
in Chambers, "Housing Problems," 28, n. 51.
27. The donationsto thepoorof Corsignanoarerecordedin Archivio
di Stato, Rome, TesoreriaSegreta(Camerale I), 1288, f. 77 (8 April I46I);
I288, f. I2iv. (26 September 1462). Hereafter, ASR.
28. On the houses,see FaustoFormichi,"LeDodici CaseNuove di
Pienza," Studi e Documentidi Architettura,7 (1978), II9-128. The ver-
nacularoriginsof these houseswere discussedby HenryA. Millon in
a talkbeforethe CollegeArtAssociationAnnualMeeting,SanFrancisco,
1981.The provisionof the mill ("unomolinocon gualchiere")is noted
is ASS, Concistoro2133, f. 20.
29. Almostcertainlythe money camefrom Pope Pius or the papal
treasuries.In somecasesthe sourceis indicatedwhile in otherswe may
probablyassumethat the ultimatesourceof the fundswas the Pope.
The Pope also suppliedmoney to whitewashthe old churchof San
Francesco;ASR, TesoreriaSegreta(Camerale i), 1289, f. 83. The white-
wash may have been intendedto give it the sameclean,airylook of
the new cathedral.
30. See Appendix3. Money was given also to others who were
building houses (ASR, TesoreriaSegreta[Camerale I], I289, ff. 69v., 82)
as well as for the constructionof a new hospital(ASR,Tesoreria
Segreta
[Camerale i], 1289, f. 86).
104 JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985

Key:A = Portaa
Fig. 4. Schematicplansof the villageof Pienzashowingproposedareasof the town c. 1460basedon ASS,GabelladeiContratti.
Murell1;B = Portaal Santo;C = Portaal Ciglio.
I = Murello or Castelnuovo al Murello
2 = Castelnuovoor Castelnuovoal Ciglio
3 = QuartiereNova (?)
4 = Ripa al Ciglio
5 = MontePiccone
extensionandhave,hence,been allowedto overlap(map:ChrisBrown).
The areasareshown in theirapproximate

It is difficultto knowpreciselyhow muchof Pienza'shousing population,perhapsas muchas 60 or 70 percent.33 This reduc-

stock was taken over in Pius'sintervention.In attemptingto
get some senseof the magnitudeof his involvement,it is prob-
ably usefulto includeall transactionsinvolving the Pope, his
relatives,agents,and entourage.We find, as a result,the pur-
chaseof some 38 houses.But how many houseswerethere in
the Corsignanoof 1459?The only sourcefor this information
is a tax roll of c. 1320 in the Archiviodi Stato,Siena.Estimo41,
as it is called,lists all propertyowned by Corsignanoresidents.
It providesan estimatedvalue for that propertyand a list of
adjacentproperties.Fromthis recordwe canlearna numberof
things.31 Therearesome286 houseslistedin Estimo41.Through
the adjacencieswe can deducethat there were probablysome
64 additionalownersof propertyin the village whose names
arenot listedfor one reasonor another.32 We thus arriveat an
approximate total of 350 houses. While the Black Death did
not immediately reduce the number of houses,it did reducethe
tion in population,strikingthe poor with disproportionate se-
verity,would alsohave had an effecton the of
number houses-
the smallesthutswouldhavebeeneitherleft emptyor destroyed
in the aftermathof the disaster.A medievalstructure,like this
minimalshelter still standingon one of Pienza'sside streets
(Fig. 5), representsa robustexampleof the kind of house that
predatedPius'sintervention.Of the 350 houses, some I6 are
known to have been definedas either casalinum,capanna,or
somethingless than a house;since we cannotknow what the
adjacenciesin the propertylists of those who residedoutside
Corsignanowould haverevealed,let us use an estimatedfigure
of 20 for the totalof hutsor minordwellings.In anycase,given
the potentialreductionsin the numberof dwellingsin Corsi-
gnano in 1459, and taking into accountthe loss of huts and
other substandard dwellings,we might reducethe numberof
housesin Corsignanoin 1459 to c. 320o.We can see that the

33. The loss of populationin Corsignanoitselfis not known.In San

Gimignanothe numberof hearthsfell by 77 percent(town andcoun-
3I1. A study of ASS Estimo 41 will be published in the acts of the tryside)between1332and 1428,and in Pratobetween1339and 1428-
UrbanLifeconference of Maryland
heldat theUniversity (I983). I429 the numberof "mouths"fell by 55 percent.These figuresfrom
Hencethe
32. "A," "B,"andpartof the "C"sectionaremissing.
the work of EnricoFiumi and David Herlihy are reportedby Brian
useful.
is extremely
listingof theadjacencies Pullan,A Historyof EarlyRenaissanceItaly,New York, 1972,208.

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 ADAMS: ACQUISITION OF PIENZA I05

Pope took control, directly or indirectly, of some I2 percent of

the housing stock at the least, an extraordinarilyhigh percent-
age.34
Finally, what of the cost? In the Commentaries,Pius II's au-
tobiographicalchronicle, he refersto his horror at the architect's
bill, more than 50,000 ducats.35Indeed, as the Sienese ambas-
sador in Rome, Giovanni Battista Piccolomini, wrote in De-
cember 1462:

... as you know, to createthe bishopricof Pienza,betweenbuilding

andothernecessarypossessions,he hasspentmanythousandsof ducats.
36

Still, even using a conservative count of Pius's purchases, he

spent only ?I5,ooo on property before building costs: at least,
Pienza could be acquired cheaply.37
The Sienese documents help widen our view of Pienza. Not
only do the purchases record Pius's interests far beyond the
monumental core, but they show how the development of Pien-
za forms part of Piccolomini ambitions. We can also view the
political compromises and economic initiatives needed to make
Pienza. The gabelleare a crucial first step toward opening the
study of the topography of Pienza and toward a wider view of
urban patronage during the papacy of Pius II. The publication
of these documents will also offer to others the chance to make
further identifications and attributions of palaces in Pienza.

Fig. 5. Houseon the Via Elisa,Pienza(photograph:

author).

ducatin this periodis not alwaysclear.In general,i florin= ducat

34. It is impossible to know precisely the amount of housing stock
that was lost. It is possible that the loss of population, heavier among
the poor, affected their housing disproportionately. I have taken an
extremely conservative view of the figures, assuming the loss of only
the poorest quality of housing. Just because a house is noted in the
Estimo as "domus" does not mean that it was in livable condition.
Unfortunately we have no information on the loss of housing during
the Black Death in Siena despite the important work of Duccio Ba-
lestracci and GabriellaPiccini, Siena nel Trecento:Assettourbanoe strutture
edilizie, Florence, 1977. See pp. 35-36 in particular.
ofa Renaissance
35. PiusII, Memoirs Pope:TheCommentaries
ofPiusII,
trans. F. A. Gragg, ed. L. C. Gabel, New York, I959, 288.
36. "... come sapete per fare veschovado Pientia ha speso tra edifici
e possessioni necessarie tante migliaia di ducati...."; ASS Concistoro
2005, #32.
37. Land was not the major component in the cost of Pienza. Com-
parison figures are difficult to come by as the relation between lira and
and hence ?4 per ducat, but note that in I480 the sculptor-architect
Antonio Federighi was paid ?320 a year for a supervisory position in
the Sienese aqueduct system;Judith Hook, Siena:A City and its History,
London, 1979, 104. The amount spent on Pienza was enormous by
comparisonwith the salaryof a workingperson(andit may even be
true, as his heirs noted, that Pius spent more than he should have done),
but as a comparison consider the expenses of the Spannocchi family. In
I460 they advanced the Sienese republic ?5,840 without expectation of
seeing it repaid and they could report "nel traficho di Roma fiorini
4000" (?x6,ooo); Ubaldo Morandi, "Gli Spannocchi: piccoli proprietari
terrieri, artigiani, piccoli, medi e grandi mercanti-banchieri," in Studi
in Memoriadi FederigoMelis, 3 vols., Rome, 1968, in, 105. Moreover, in
comparison with the amounts spent by the Piccolomini in Siena, what
they spent on Pienza was mere chicken feed. There the building of the
Palazzo della Papesse, the Palazzo Piccolomini, the Logge del Papa, and
the present-day piazza in the immediate vicinity were all built up by
Pius II.

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io6 JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985

APPENDICES
APPENDIX I
The Documents 3. Salamone di Niccolo Spinelli Piccolomini
Pius II*
All documents are from the Archivio di Stato, Siena, and thefondo domumcum claustroet ortuloet cum aliis duabusdomunculiscontiguis
of the Gabella dei Contratti.Since these documents tend to follow a in terzo[sic] MontisPicconis
notarial formula I have chosen not to transcribe them completely but Lire I,ooo
12 September 1459
have restricted my report to the essential elements: seller, buyer, prop-
erty sold, location, price, date, gabellevolume and folio, and notary. 238, f. 32V. (Ser Stefano di ser Niccol6)
Since the names are frequently inflected in the Latin original, and are 4. Francesco di Antonello Turini da Corsignano
thus less easily recognizable, I have translatedthem into moder Italian. Pius II*
The object sold and the location, two partsof the transactionthat cannot domumcum casalinoiuxta
be translated without losing some of the original meaning, have been in quartieroMontisPicconis
left in the original (Latin or Italian) and italicized. I wish to thank Lire 200
Dottsa. Sonia Fineschi, Director of the Archivio di Stato, Siena, for 12 September 1459
helping me formulate this transcriptionsystem. To my knowledge there 238, f. 32V. (Ser Stefano di ser Niccol6)
have been no extensive transcriptionsfrom thisfondo. 5. Giovanni di Mino Battista Piccolomini
The document is divided into lines as follows: (a) seller, (b) buyer, Pius II
una casacon casalinipiazza et orto
(c) description of property sold, (d) location of property sold, (e) price
translated into lire, (f) date, (g) reference in the Gabelladei Contrattiby castellodi Corsignano
volume and folio number followed by the name of the notary. The vast Lire I,ooo
majority of the transactionsreported here are straight cash sales. In the 17 November 1459
case of exchanges (Docs. 17, 20, 21) the word "Exchange" has been 238, f. 40 (Ser Angelo di Meo Angeli)
added in parentheses after the first name listed. In all other cases it is 6. Bartolommeo di Cristoforo Griffoli da Siena
assumed that cash was paid. All prices are in either florins or lire but Giovanni di Mino Battista Piccolomini
have been translated into lire for ease of comparison. (At this time the unam domumcumplathearetrodictadomum
value of the florin was four lire.) Transactions that are recorded in lire in castroCorsignani
in the documents have been italicized. If the price is not italicized that Lire 320
means that it was originally reported in florins. 20 November 1459
In a number of instances a purchasewas made by a third party, either 238, f. 40 (Ser Angelo di Meo Angeli)
named or unnamed. Many of the purchasesfor Pius, for example, were 7. Gherardo di Mariano Thadi (?) da Monterchi
made by others; that is, the actual transaction was made by someone Alessandro de Mirabilli Piccolomini*
else. In many instancesthese propertieswere later in the hands of Andrea unam domumcum [illegible]
and Jacomo Piccolomini, the sons of Nanni Tedeschini and Laudomia, in castroCorsignani
the Pope's sister. When the transaction was conducted by another (per Lire 720
alia ementiis a common formulation), it has been designated with an 22 December 1459
asterisk (*). 239, f. I4v. (Ser Stefano di ser Niccol6)
At the end of the documents a comparison table is provided to show 8. Matteo di Antonio Guglielmo da Siena
those documents that can be found in other redactions in the Vatican Salamone di Niccolo Piccolomini
or other archives. These latter documents were reproduced by C. R. unam domum
Mack in his dissertation on Bernardo Rossellino and reference is given in castroCorsignani
Lire 660
by number to that version.
I am grateful for the help of Nello Barbieri, assistant in the Sala di 13 June 1460
Studio of the Archivio di Stato, Siena, in the transcriptionof a number 240, f. o1 (Ser Bartolommeo di Simone)
of documents. 9. Matteo di Antonio Guglielmo da Siena
Laudomia di Silvio Piccolomini
unam domum
el quartieredi castelnuovoal ceglio
Lire 64
3i August 1460
I. Giovanni di Mino Battista Piccolomini 240, f. 39v. (Ser Gasparo di Antonio)
Nanne di Piero Piccolomini io. Maestro Paolo and Francesco di Domenico Richa da Corsignano
-for Andrea and Jacomo di Nanno Jacopo Ammanati Piccolomini, Bishop of Pavia*
unum cellarium duasdomascontiguiscum ortoretro
subpalatiosantissimidomininostripapepii in castroCorsignani
Lire 40 Lire 248
io May I459 i8 September I460
237, f. 54v. (Ser Lorenzo di Nanni di Andrea) 240, f. 39V. (Ser Gasparo di Antonio)
2. Pietro di Gasparo da Cotone 11. Magio Angeli da Corsignano
Pius II* Jacopo Ammanati Piccolomini, Bishop of Pavia*
unam domum unam domum
in quartieroMontisPicconis in dictocastro
Lire 400 Lire 120
12 September I459 x8 September 1460
238, f. 32V. (Ser Stefano di ser Niccol6) 240, f. 39V. (Ser Gasparo di Antonio)

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 ADAMS: ACQUISITION OF PIENZA 107

12. Leonardo di Francesco da Siena, resident in Corsignano 21. Comune di Corsignano (exchanges)
Jacopo Ammanati Piccolomini, Bishop of Pavia Pius II
unamdomum unum . . . palatium
in castro in Corsignano
Lire I20 Lire 2,400
i8 September I460 I September 1462
240, f. 40 (Ser Gasparo di Antonio) 245, f. 38v. (Ser Tomasso di Lorenzo)
13. Domenico Bartolo Massi di Giovanni Credi 22. Ser Tomasso di Lorenzo de Interrame notaio
Pius II Pius II
unam domumet plurespetias terrarumlaboratorum vineatarumet prati- unam domumet ... unam vineatum(house: in civitatepienseseu cor-
varum signani;vineyard: sitam in dectacuria)
domumsitam in castrocorsignani... terrain curiacorsignani Lire 550
Lire 1,240 I September 1462
22 September 1460 245, f. 27v. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
240, f. 40 (Ser Gasparo di Antonio) 23. Jacobo di Pietro Jacobo da Pienza
I4. Fr. Giovanni di Ambrogio (plebanusat San Vito) Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga
Caterina di Silvio Piccolomini unam domum
unampetiamterrelaborative(1x/3stiara) in dictacivitate
in curiaCorsignaniala pieve infrasuos confines Lire 440
Lire 42 2 September 1462
24 September 1460 245, f. 29 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
240, f. 39 (Ser Gasparo di Antonio) 24. Niccolo Diedi da Pienza
I5. Comune di Corsignano Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga*
Giliforte di Buonconti da Pisa, camerario apostolica del papa* unam domum
duas domoscontiguis. . . et una platea iuxta dictasdomos el ciglio
el quartierede la ripa al ciglio Lire 320
Lire 200 2 September 1462
29 October 1460 245, f. 29 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
240, f. 49V. (Ser Gasparo di Antonio) 25. Francescadi Matteo di Jacobo da Pienza
i6. Francescadi Antonio di Bartolo Guglielmo da San Quirico Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga
Giliforte di Buonconti unam domum
unam domum in dictacivitate(Pienza)
el quartierodela ripa al Ceglio Lire I62
Lire 360 2 September 1462
29 October 1460 245, f. 29 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
240, ff. 49v.-50 (Ser Gasparo di Antonio) 26. Mino di Leonardo Mini da Pienza
17. Salamone di Niccolo Spinelli Piccolomini (exchanges) Pius II
GiovanniJacobo Lombardo(habitatorcivitatisPientiealiasCorsignano) unum ortum
unamdomum(house to Lombardo in castelnuovoal murello;house to la portaal Sancto
Piccolomini in castelnuovoal ciglio) Lire ro
Lire 120 5 September 1462
9 May I462 245, f. 33 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
243, f. 65 (Ser Marchioni di Jacopo Andrea) 27. Cristoforo di Mariano da Pienza
i8. Nanni di Piero Piccolomini da Siena Pius II
Gregorio di Niccolo Lolli* unum orticellum
certacasamenta iuxta portamal sancto
in contrata. . . el ciglioet in locodectola ripa Lire Io
Lire349 5 September 1462
3i August 1462 245, f. 33V. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
245, f. 28v. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) 28. Jacobo di Leonardo Francesco da Pienza
I9. Mariana di Thomme Menicucci da Corsignano Pius II
Gregorio di Niccolo Lolli unum ortumextradictamcivitatem
unam domum la portaal sancto
el ciglio Lire 32
Lire I60 5 September 1462
3I August 1462 245, f. 33V. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
245, f. 28v. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) 29. Martino di Matteo da Pienza
20. Antonio di Angelo apothecarius (exchanges) Pius II
Pius II unum ortalecum certisolivis et aliis arboribus
unam domum in curiapientie in locodictola portaal Sancto
in Corsignano Lire 24
Lire 360 5 September I462
I September 1462 245, f. 37 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco)
245, f. 38v. (Ser Tomasso di Lorenzo)

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IO8 JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985

30. Alessandro de Mirabilli Piccolomini 39. Marco Nardi di Cecco da Pienza

Jean Jouffroy, Bishop of Arras Santa Maria di Pienza
unamdomum unamdomum
in civitatepientie in quarteriocastrinovi
Lire 762 Lire 257, soldi I5, denari8
6 September 1462 2 April 1463
245, f. 33 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) 247, f. 6v. (Ser Mino Trecerchi)
31. Giovanni and Bartolo di Pietro Leonardo da Pienza 40. Giovanni and Deo Fortunati da Cotone
Pius II Giovanni Saracini
unamdomum -for Antonio, Jacomo, and Andrea di Nanni Piccolomini
el quartieredi Castelnuovo possessionem cum domibussupereo
Lire 8o in curiaPientie lococretanuovole
6 September 1462 -for Pius II
245, f. 33 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) certasdomos
32. Pietro di Nanno Ugolini da Pienza in civitatePientie
Pius II* Lire 1,096
unum ortalecum certisoliviis 14 April 1463
in dictocivitatelocodictoloculla 246, f. 53V. (Ser Mino Trecerchi)
Lire32 41. Jacobo di Mariano da Corsignano (habitatorSenensis)
6 September 1462 Salamone di Niccolo Piccolomini
245, f. 33 (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) medietatem pro indivisounius domuscum una platea
33. Giovanni and Deo Fortunati da Cotone in Corsignano
Pius II* Lire 60
unumprediumsitam in curiaPientie in locodictocretiavole 22 April 1463
unamdomumsitam in Pientia et alia domum 246, f. 5Iv. (Ser Antonio da Podio)
Lire 1,240 42. Domenico di Antonio alias Riccio da Pienza
21 September 1462 Santa Maria di Pienza
245, f. 38 (Ser Deo Fortunati da Cotone) unum domum
34. Jacobo di Mino Battista Piccolomini in civitatePientie
Pius II* 1oo ducats
unamdomum 5 May 1463
in civitatePientiesuperplatea 246, f. 54 (Ser Mino Trecerchi)
Lire 800 43. Meo di Franco Landini da Pienza
28 September 1462 Pius II*
245, f. 31 (Ser Mino Trecerchi) unum ortum
35. Cristoforo and Constantino di Pietro di Giovanni Bindi Quartierioportaal ciglio
Pius II* Lire 64
unam cantinamcum una platea 20 June 1463
in Pientia in contrata. .. la villa 247, f. 8v. (Ser Alberto Daniele)
Lire 20 44. Domenico Onofrio alias Perella da Pienza
15 October 1462 Pius II
245, f. 33V. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) unamplateamsivefoveam
36. Pietro Nanni di Cecco da Pienza in quarterioportaal ciglio
Pius II Lire Io
unam cantinamcum una platea 20 June 1463
in dictacivitatePientie in locodictola culla 247, f. 8v. (Ser Alberto Daniele)
Lire 40 45. Bartolommeo Giovanni di Brunello da Pienza
25 October 1462 Pius II*
245, f. 37V. (Ser Francesco di Antonio Cecco) unamplateamsivefoveam
37. Sano di Marco merciariusda Siena in dictacivitate
Pius II Lire Io
unius domus... quaevocatumla casadela madonna 20 June 1463
medientumpro indivisoquaeestecontrapalatiumPape 247, f. 9 (Ser Alberto Daniele)
Lire I44 46. GasparoNanni di Franco Landini da Pienza
5 February1463 Pius II*
246, f. 27v. (Ser Mino Trecerchi) unamplateamsivefoveam
38. Angelo di Cristoforo Biondo da Pienza quarterioportaal ciglio
Santa Maria di Pienza Lire o1
unampetiamterrevineatesitam 20 June 1463
in curiapientie locodictoel rivo 247, f. 9 (Ser Alberto Daniele)
aliudpetiamterrevineatein dicto
curiapientielocodictole pratella
Lire 257, soldi 15, denari8
2 April 1463
247, f. 6v. (Ser Mino Trecerchi)

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 ADAMS: ACQUISITION OF PIENZA 109

47. Martino di Matteo Vanucci da Pienza APPENDIX 2

Pius II*
unum ortum The "Quarters" of Pienza
in quarterioportaal ciglio
A survey of the place names in Pienza reveals that zones tend to be
Lire 28
characterized by two or more affinities. On the whole, one finds a
20 June 1463
designation, such as "Castelnovo," qualified by "porta al ciglio" or
247, f. 9 (Ser Alberto Daniele) "Castelnovo" qualified by "murello." It is impossible to tell how ac-
48. Jacobo di Niccolo Cecco di Matteo
curately these notarial registers are as regards these formulations. Here,
Gregorio Lolli* at the least, we can list the variations and offer the first register of Pienza
unumpetium terreortive
in curiaecivitatepientie in locodictoil quartierede la ripa place names. It may be possible, at a later date, to trace a more precise
Lire 28 plan of the zones of Pienza. What follows is a survey of the variety of
21 October I463
place names taken from the Gabelladei Contrattiin the Archivio di Stato,
Siena, running from the pre-Pietine intervention to a period just after
247, f. 55 (Ser Giovanni di Antonio) the Pope's death. References in parentheses after the name refer to the
49. Neroccio and Francesco de Buoninsegni di Neroccio de Buonin-
Gabella dei Contrattivolume number and folio number. It should be
segni borne in mind that the reference, cited frequently in the documents, to
Pius II (for Santa Maria di Pienza)
a property in castroCorsignanirefers only to a property within the walls
quandambonasita in civitatepientie et omnia bona ... in curiapientie and not to a specific location.
1,700 ducats
2 March 1464 Castronovo/Castelnuovo
248, f. 47v. (Ser Mino Trecerchi) quartiere di castronovo (230, f. 8)
50. Domenico di Antonio copparius alias Riccio quartiere castri novi al ciglio (234, f. io)
Pius II (for Santa Maria di Pienza) castro novo al ciglio (234, f. I0)
unam domumnonfinitum cumplateis cohopertiset opertis castro novi al ciglio (234, f. 41)
in civitatepientie quartiere castro novo (235, f. 40)
Lire 1,316 castro novo al ciglio (238, f. 29)
5 March I464 castelnuovo (238, f. 36)
248, f. 47v. (Ser Mino Trecerchi) castronovo al ciglio (240 f. 39V.)
quartiere di castelnovo al murello (240, f. 62v.)
NOTESTO APPENDIX
I
PortaMurello
Of the documents from the Gabella dei Contratti reproduced above
porta murello (233, f. 31)
only a few can be found in expanded form among the archive of the castelnovo al murello (241, f. 5)
Notarileis the ASS. I will cite only the section of the Notarilethat seems
castronovo alo murelo (242, f. 34v.)
to expand on the reference in the gabellequoted above.
quartiere di Sancto Giovanni alo murello (243, f. 7)
Document 40: Notarile 549, ff. 62v.-65. One of the houses in Pienza castronovo al murello (243, f. 65)
is referredto here as "palatium"and the other is noted as follows: "Item
MontePiccone
mediatas unius domus pro indiviso cum Sano Marci vocata la casa dela
madonna quae palatium contra domini nostri in decta civitate." This quartiere monte piccone (225, f. 9)
would seem to be the palace referred to elsewhere as the Palazzo Lolli quartiere montis picconis (230, f. 8)
in montis picconis (232, f. 9)
(see n. 21). in quartiero Montis Picconis (238, f. 32V.)
Document 42: Notarile 549, ff. 71-73v. The money was paid by Gio- in terzo [sic]Montis Picconis (238, f. 32V.)
vanni Simone di Saracini on behalf of the Pope for Santa Maria di in quartiero Montis Picconis (238, f. 32V.)
Pienza. The location is given as "quarterio castrinovi loco decto Ca- in quartiere montis picconis (241, f. 74v.)
stelnuovo." It was then rented back to Domenico di Antonio at the rate in castro montis picconis (243, f. 9)
of 4/2 ducats a year.
Portaal Santo
Document 49: Notarile 549, ff. i65-I66v. Among the properties sold extra porta el Sancto (243, f. 9)
is listed "unam domum cum claustro pro parte portam Cigli ... alium loco la porta al Santo (245, f. 35)
domum ... unam ortale ... terra prative ... terra vineatum ... unam porta al santo (245, f. 33V.)
possessionem vocata fontepertufo."
Ciglio
Document 5o: Notarile 549, ff. I69V.-I7I. The house is described as castelnovo ala porta al ciglio (222, f. 29)
"unam domum non perfectum cum plateis copertis et non copertis et alla porta ciglio (225, f. i6v.)
cum lateribus et legnamibus." The location is given as "in quarterio porta al ciglio (227, f. 27)
castri novi contra ecclesiam Sancti Francesci." Despite the sale, the quartiere ciglio (233, f. 6)
property remained in the control of Domenico di Antonio who leased contrada del ciglio in quartiere ripa (233, f. 62v.)
the property from the Pope (or rather from the Canons of the church) quartiere castri novi al ciglio (234, f. I0)
for 71/2ducats a year. castro novo al ciglio (234, f. i0)
A list of the equivalent transcriptionsfrom Mack, Rossellino:20 [83]; 22 quartiere ripa al ciglio (240, f. 63)
quartiere del ciglio ala ripa (245, f. 28v.)
[33]; 26 [43]; 27 [42]; 28 [45]; 31 [32]; 32 [4I]; 35 [34]; 36 [35]; 40 [46]; el ciglio (245, f. 28v.)
50 [91, 92, 94]. Documents cited in this article precede the Mack number, castelnovo canta al ciglio (247, f. 47)
which is enclosed in square brackets.
Some areas cited in some of the Pietine documents still cannot be
identified: "contrata ... la villa" (245, f. 33v); "la culla" (247, f. 37V.).

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IIO JSAH, XLIV:2, MAY 1985
These documents (Docs. 35,36) might seem to have provoked a problem
of transcription but have, in fact, been carefully checked and clearly
result in different spellings. My thanks to Nello Barbieri for help in
reading the documents.
Of special interest is the fact that the Porta al Prato, the present-day
main entry from San Quirico and Siena, is not mentioned in any of the
documents. It seems from other documents in the Archivio di Stato,
Siena, from later periods, notably ASS, QuattroConservatori1959, that
there was no entry so named. In QuattroConservatori1959 is a "Des-
crizione delle Strade della Citta di Pienza comprese nel suo Territorio
Civile per formarsene il Campione in esecuzione del Benigno Montu
Proprio de S.A.R. del 15 Agosto 1771." In this report five roads are noted
as leading from Pienza: "Strada,che da Pienza porta a S. Quirico de-
nominata La Lunga o sia Calessabile." This is the road that leads from
"la porta denominata Murelli [che] passa per la Capella della Madonna
del S.S. Rosario, che resta a mano sinistra." The second route to San
Quirico is from the Porta al Santo. The third road that leads from Pienza
goes to Montepulciano. "Si parte dalla Citta di Pienza dalla porta de-
nominata a Murello, e voltando subbito a mano destra camminato un
tratto piccolo di paese si trova la chiesa di S. Gregorio a mano destra.
..." Hence, the name Portaal Prato, though it may have antique origins,
seems not to have been in use during either the I8th or the i5th centuries.
The name Porta a Murello seems to be its appropriate name in the
period under discussion. Of special help, once again, has been the sharp
eye of Nello Barbieri, who brought this document to my attention. I
am especially grateful to him.
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APPENDIX 3
The UrbanisticImprovements
of Pius II
Archiviodi Stato,Siena
GabelladeiContratti245, ff. 38v.-39
3 and4 September1462
MagiuscondamAngeli carpentariusde Montefollonicoet habitator
Corsignanihabuitet recepita DominoNicolaodePicholominibus dante
pro SanctissimoDomino nostropapaPio secundoducatossexagintade
cameracumhoc debeatfacerein dictaCivitateCorsignaniunamdomum
iuxtadomumipsiusMagiubihabitat,valoriset extimationisducatorum
sexagintade camera,de quadebeatsolverequolibetannoin perpetuum
ecclesieSancteMariede dicto loco ducatosduosde Camera.
[newhand]Extimatores comunisdie 28 martii1463extimaveruntdictum
contractumflorenos60 de lire 4 pro floreno.
Solvit die 28 Martii1463JohanniSilvestricamerarioin fo. 99 lire 4
s.O.
Et pro eo Porrinade Porrinis.
QuiricusCristoforide SanctoQuiricofaberhabuitet recepita Sanctis-
simo Domino nostropapaPio secundoper alius ducatoscentum de
Cameracum hoc quod dictusQuiricuset fratresteneanturrediread
habitandumin Corsignanoet facereunamdomumin eo valoristrec-
netorumflorenorumsive ducatorumde Camerade quaquolibetanno
in perpetuumteneantursolvereducatosquattuorde Cameraecclesie
SancteMariede dicto loco.
Menicus Antonii aliasdicto Riccio coppariushabitatorCorsignani habuit
et recepit a Domino Nicolao de Picholominibus dante pro Sanctissimo
Domino nostro papa Pio secundo ducatos centum de camera cum hac
conditione quod dictus Menicus teneatur alzare et in altum elevare suam
domum ad usum hospitii sitam in Corsignano de qua dictus Menicus
promisit solvere quolibet anno in perpetuum ecclesie Sancte Marie de
dicto loco ducatos tre cum dimidio de Camera.
[new ink] Stimatores comunis extimaverunt dictam perpetuam florenos
septuagintaquinque de Lire 4 pro floreno et die 29 Novembris notifi-
catum duit dicto Menico.
Solvit die 3 Decembris 1462 Lire io denariorum Laurentio Magistri
Marci Camerario.