The patron of Pienza is Saint Andrew the Apostle and his day falls on 30 November, with the season over.
The occasion Pienza really puts on in its square comes at the start of autumn: since 1960, in the first week of September, the town has held the Palio del cacio al fuso. A spindle is set in the centre of the square and concentric circles are drawn around it, worth fewer points the wider they get. Six teams of six roll a wheel of cheese across the paving, three throws each, trying to stop it as close to the spindle as they can; the highest score wins the palio painted by local artists.
