Palazzo Piccolomini, a magnificent city palace, was the residence of the Pope and his family. The noble residence, designed by Rossellino, was built on the ancient building where Enea Silvio Piccolomini was born in 1405. The loggia, like an open-air theater, overlooks the Renaissance-style hanging garden and the breathtaking panorama of the Val d’Orcia. Palazzo Borgia, on the other hand, houses the Museo Diocesano, which contains artworks from various periods: the Madonna with Child by Pietro Lorenzetti, the splendid English-made Piviale donated to the Cathedral by Pope Pius II, goldsmith’s works, and various paintings by great Renaissance masters such as Vecchietta, Luca Signorelli, and Fra Bartolomeo della Porta. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, designed by Rossellino at the behest of Pius II, was consecrated in 1462. The imposing travertine facade, which almost seems to advance onto the square from the vast panorama of the Val d’Orcia, reflects the classical canons of Leon Battista Alberti’s architecture. To the left of the Cathedral, from a door at the base of the bell tower, you can access the church of San Giovanni, also known as the ‘Crypt,’ where the baptismal font designed by Rossellino and a collection of fine illuminated pages are kept.