The palace that closes piazza dei Cavalieri was the medieval town hall of Pisa, the seat of the Elders of the republic. When the Medici took the city they had Giorgio Vasari transform it for the knightly order of Santo Stefano: the Gothic front disappeared under sgraffito decoration, and the symbol of communal liberty became the house of the grand duke's knights.
What to see
The front is covered with allegorical figures, zodiac signs and coats of arms cut into the plaster, with a double-ramp stairway before it and busts of the grand dukes above. It is one of the most elaborate façades of the Tuscan sixteenth century and should be looked at calmly, because the design is dense and reads only if you stand still.
Since 1810 the palace has been the seat of the Scuola Normale Superiore, founded as a branch of the Paris school under Napoleonic rule and later one of the most selective university institutions in Europe. Students study inside, so it is a building in use and not a museum.
Visiting
The palace is in piazza dei Cavalieri, five minutes on foot from the tower; the interior is visited only on particular occasions and on guided tours organised by the school, while the square and the front can always be seen. Twenty minutes.
Our editors' tip
Look at the whole square and not only the palace: it was redesigned to erase the political centre of the commune and replace it with that of the knightly order. The churches, the palaces and the coats of arms tell of a change of regime five hundred years ago, and Pisa still bristles when you mention it.