Pisa - Palazzo dei Cavalieri / Palazzo della Carovana

This palace in the Piazza dei Cavalieri, to the east of the Botanic Garden, was originally the Palazzo degli Anziani (Palace of the Elders); then in 1562 Giorgio Vasari began the rebuilding and enlargement which produced the magnificent Palazzo dei Cavalieri or Palazzo della Carovana, named after the training courses for knights (cavalieri) of the Order of St Stephen which were held here; the courses were known as carovane (caravans). The imposing facade is decorated with sgraffito ornament, coats of arms and busts of six Grand Dukes of Tuscany (from Cosimo I to Cosimo III). The effect of the building is enhanced by the wide projection of the roof and the handsome double staircase leading up to the entrance. Since 1810 the palazzo has housed the Scuola Normale Superiore, an élite college of higher education founded by Napoleon. In front of the building is a statue of Cosimo I by Piero Francavilla (1596).