Palazzo della Carovana (also Palazzo dei Cavalieri) is a palace in Knights' Square,

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

, Italy, presently housing the main building of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.

History

It was built in 1562–1564 by Giorgio Vasari for the headquarters of the

Knights of St. Stephen The Order of Saint Stephen (Official: Sacro Militare Ordine di Santo Stefano Papa e Martire, "Holy Military Order of St. Stephen Pope and Martyr") is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created by Co ...

, as a renovation of the already existing ''Palazzo degli Anziani'' ("Palace of the Elders"). The name, meaning "Palace of the Convoy", derives from the three-year period undertaken by the initiates of the Order for their training, called "la Carovana". The façade is characterized by a complex scheme with sgraffiti representing allegorical figures and zodiacal signs, designed by Vasari himself and sculpted by Tommaso di Battista del Verrocchio and Alessandro Forzori, coupled to busts and marble crests. The current paintings date however to the 19th-20th centuries. Amongst the sculptures are the Medici Coat of Arms and that of the Knights, flanked by the allegories of Religion and Justice by

Stoldo Lorenzi Stoldo Lorenzi (''Stoldo di Gino Lorenzi''; 1534 – after 1583) was an Italian Mannerist sculptor active in Florence and Pisa. Born 1534 in Settignano, Tuscany, close to Florence. He was born the son of Gino Lorenzi, of a family of renowned sto ...

(1563). The upper gallery of busts of the

Grand Dukes of Tuscany Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

(who were all also the Grand Masters of the Order) were added in the late 16th-early 18th centuries, sculpted by Ridolfo Sirigatti, Pietro Tacca and

Giovan Battista Foggini Giovanni Battista (Giambattista) Foggini (25 April 1652 – 12 April 1725) was an Italian sculptor active in Florence, renowned mainly for small bronze statuary. Biography Born in Florence, the young Foggini was sent to Rome by the Medici Gran ...

Stemmi dei cavalieri nel palazzo della carovana 205 Giovanni Battista Giusti di Colle Val d'Elsa, 1571

The double-ramp staircase was remade in 1821. The rear area is a modern addition (1928–1930) for the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Some halls of the interior house 16th-century paintings.

External links

Palazzo della Carovana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo Della Carovana Houses completed in 1564 Carovana Renaissance architecture in Pisa Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa Giorgio Vasari buildings