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Pienza: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Siena, Toscana. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Pienza

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Corso Il Rossellino 8, Pienza.

Pienza, Pius II's town above the Val d'Orcia

Pienza is the town that Pope Pius II, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, had rebuilt in the mid-fifteenth century as an ideal Renaissance town, with the square, the cathedral and Palazzo Piccolomini designed as a whole. Its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and stands on a hill overlooking the Val d'Orcia, itself on the UNESCO list for its landscape of hills and farms.

For buyers this means two things. First, demand comes from all over the world: farmhouses, country estates and flats in the old town attract foreign buyers and tourism investors, and prices reflect this. Second, the rules are strict, both in the historic centre and in the countryside, where the landscape is protected: extensions, swimming pools and changes of use should be checked with a surveyor before signing. The area is also known for its pecorino cheese.

Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 1,966 residents in 2023, down 8.2% from 2,141 in 2011. The average age is 50.2, above 47.6 for the province of Siena, and foreign residents make up 10.0%. Declared incomes are a little below the provincial average.

Pienza is in seismic zone 3 of the Civil Protection classification, with an expected acceleration of 0.144 g in the built-up area. For a stone farmhouse, ask for paperwork on past works and have the roof, floors and load-bearing walls checked.

On the clay hills of the Val d'Orcia the report shows the official landslide maps for the address. Revenue Agency cadastral maps are published and the report reaches the land parcel.

Key points

  • Pius II's ideal town, UNESCO historic centre.
  • Val d'Orcia: protected landscape, strict rules.
  • Population down 8.2% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration 0.144 g.

Overview

Pienza is a municipality in the province of Siena, in Toscana. At the end of 2023 it had 1,966 residents, ranked 28 of 35 municipalities in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Pienza is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Most municipalities in the province (31 of 35) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.144 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 8.2%. The estimated average age is 50 years, higher than the province average (48). 31% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 10.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Pienza declared an average taxable income of 24,241 euros, in line with the province (25,404 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Pienza is in climate zone E, with 2,113 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 October to 15 April, for up to 14 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 491 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Pienza has 3 schools and 1 pharmacy. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets and 1 healthcare facility.

There are 2.0 grocery shops and supermarkets per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 2.6% of the land in Pienza, compared with 4.0% in the province and 6.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 1.0 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Pienza is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Toscana in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list no contaminated sites in Pienza.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Pienza: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Pienza are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 55 inhabited census areas in Pienza. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • fair 43.5%
  • good 15.5%
  • very good 41.0%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 052021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.