The Palazzo Agostini is a Gothic-style aristocratic palace located on Lungarno Pacinotti #26 along the north bank of the

Arno river The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...

, in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy. The ground floor still houses the functioning ''Caffè dell'Ussero'', founded in 1775.

History and description

The palace was built in the 14th-century from the combination of two medieval towers at the site by the Astajo family. Over the following century, the palace was owned by various other families including the Della Seta, Fantini and Venerosi, until it was acquired in 1496 by the Agostini family. Descendants of the family still own the palace. The structure is made of red brick and terracotta, and also known as the Palazzo Rosso (Red Palace). The

mullioned windows A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

are framed with decorative

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

facing. Originally the 3rd floor was an open loggia. Adjacent to the palace was one of the oldest Italian cinemas, the Cinema Lumière, inaugurated in 1905 and closed in 2011 and transformed into a stage venue for concerts and music. The Caffè dell'Ussero gained its name from a group of

hussars A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

who arrived in Pisa with Grand Grand-Duke Francis I in 1750, and who lodged in the palace. The coffee shop became a meeting spot for educated Pisans. It also became of spot for meeting of Italian patriots, and was a spot for departure of the locals who joined the Tuscan university battalion for the 1848 Battle of Curtatone and Montanara was organized.

References

{{Authority control Agostino Gothic architecture in Pisa Gothic palaces in Italy