Description of the attraction
Piazza dei Cavalieri - Knights' Square is one of the main attractions of Pisa and the second most important square in the city. In medieval Pisa, it was the center of political life, and in the 16th century it was the seat of the knightly Order of St. Stephen the Great Martyr. Today it is a kind of educational center of the city, as it houses the main building of the Higher Normal School of Pisa - the state center for higher education and scientific research.
Piazza dei Cavalieri is located on the site of the forum of the ancient Portus Pisanus - the Pisa harbor in the era of Ancient Rome. The square, known as the Square of the Seven Roads, was the political center of the city, where the people of Pisa discussed their problems and celebrated victories. Since 1140, it became the center of the Pisa commune - houses and churches belonging to various rulers were built here. In 1254, the Palazzo del Popolo e degli Anziani, the Palace of the People and the Elders, was erected on the square. The southern part of the square was occupied by offices, courts and the residence of the podesta - the head of the city. Here once stood the Church of San Sebastiano alle Fabbrique Madjori, demolished by order of Vasari.
It was on Piazza dei Cavalieri in 1406 that an envoy from Florence announced the end of the existence of the independent Pisa commune. After the conquest of Pisa, the priors from Florence settled in the Palazzo del Popolo e degli Anziani, and the head of the guard was in the Palazzo del Capito del Popolo. Later, in 1558, Giorgio Vasari, the famous architect of the Grand Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici, rebuilt the square in the Renaissance style. He designed the only Renaissance church in Pisa, Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, but other architects built it. Today, it houses the Turkish banners captured by the knights of the Order of St. Stephen during the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571.
The main building of the square is the Palazzo della Carovana - the palace of the knightly order and the former Palace of the Elders, which now houses the High Normal School of Pisa. Its fantastic façade is decorated with sgraffito, a special technique for creating wall images, and six niches with busts of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. In front of the palace there is a huge statue of Cosimo I Medici by Pietro Francavilla, who also designed the Palazzo dei Priori in 1603. In another corner of the square, you can see the Palazzo del Orologgio.
Other attractions in Piazza dei Cavalieri include the Palazzo del Collegio Puteano and Palazzo del Consiglio dei Dodici, the Church of St. Roch, the Canonica and the Torre Muda tower.
