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
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, presently housing the main building of the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
.
History
It was built in 1562–1564 by
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
for the headquarters of the
Knights of St. Stephen, 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
''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...
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
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
Coat of Arms and that of the Knights, flanked by the allegories of Religion and Justice by
Stoldo Lorenzi (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
Pietro Tacca (16 September 1577 – 26 October 1640) was an Italian sculptor, who was the chief pupil and follower of Giambologna. Tacca began in a Mannerist style and worked in the Baroque style during his maturity.
Biography
Born in Ca ...
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 ...
.
The double-ramp staircase was remade in 1821. The rear area is a modern addition (1928–1930) for the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students.
It was founded in 1810 wi ...
. 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