Palazzo della Canonica

Palazzo della Canonica is a 16th-century palace in Pisa, located in Piazza dei Cavalieri, near the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, across the square from Palazzo della Carovana.

SHORT HISTORY

In 1567, Cosimo I de’ Medici donated the medieval buildings standing between Via Ulisse Dini and Via San Frediano, to provide quarters for the important and influential division of the priests of the Order of the Knights of Saint Stephen.

Giorgio Vasari was comissioned to design the palace, along with the whole new layout of the square, and David Fortini was the architect to built it. The works on the building lasted over forty years, because most of the funds available were directed to the construction of the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri.

The interventions continued until the 17th century. Between 1604 and 1607, the rooms on the top floor were built, which were renovated between 1690 and 1692, with further additions around the middle of the 19th century.

ARCHITECTURE

The long facade of the palace closely resembles that of Palazzo della Carovana. Three rows of windows define its facade as a whole, masking the differences between the medieval buildings joined together to make the new one.

The decoration of the building is rather sober. Today, it presents itself with a beige plaster, on which, in the center, stands the ashlar stone portal.

The internal layout of the palace was modeled on a monastery. A two-tiered porch in the rear of the building led to dozens of independent quarters, each occupying three floors, with a staircase.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri is located about 1.4 kilometers away from the Pisa Centrale railway station. The closest bus stop is Pacinotti 2, about 350 meters away, on the bus Lines 2, 4, 5, 13, 21, 22, LAM Verde and Navetta E.