Piazza dei Cavalieri, Pisa Plaza

Address: Piazza dei Cavalieri, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy

Piazza dei Cavalieri is a historic urban square in central Pisa that became the seat of the Order of the Knights of St Stephen in the 16th century. It is one of the city’s principal civic spaces and contains notable Renaissance architecture.

The square is dominated by the Palazzo della Carovana, with its richly decorated Renaissance façade remodelled by Giorgio Vasari, and by the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri on the square’s edge. Architectural details, cloistered facades and ruling-order emblems are the main attractions.

Originally a medieval administrative area, the square was transformed in the 1500s into the headquarters of the Knights of St Stephen under the Grand Dukes of Tuscany; Vasari’s interventions date from this period. The buildings reflect the square’s ceremonial and military-religious role in early modern Pisa.

Piazza dei Cavalieri sits in Pisa’s historic centre, a short walk from the Arno river and within the urban fabric that connects to other central landmarks.

• 16th-century redevelopment: The square was redeveloped in the 16th century as the administrative and ceremonial centre for the Knights of St Stephen under Cosimo I de’ Medici.

What to See#

• Palazzo della Carovana: Palazzo della Carovana, the square’s principal palace with a decorated Renaissance façade remodelled by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century to house the Order of the Knights of St Stephen.
• Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri: Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, built in the 16th century to serve the military-religious order and located on the square’s perimeter.

Piazza dei Cavalieri is in central Pisa, a 5-10 minute walk from the Leaning Tower and Pisa Centrale railway station. It is easily reached on foot from the main tourist sites in the historical center.

• Visit early morning to see the square before tourist buses arrive and to photograph softer light on the palaces.
• Notice the façade of the Palazzo della Carovana (now Scuola Normale Superiore) - it carries Vasari's grotesque decorations and fascinating Mannerist detail.
• Combine a visit with the Baptistery and the cathedral (Duomo) nearby for a longer, coherent architectural walk.