Palazzo della Carovana commands Piazza dei Cavalieri, the former political heart of Pisa. Its sweeping façade, patterned with grey-and-white sgraffito and punctuated by marble busts of Medici grand dukes, makes it one of the city's most striking Renaissance buildings.
Giorgio Vasari remodelled the palace in the 1560s for the Knights of Saint Stephen, the naval order founded by Cosimo I de' Medici. Built over the medieval seat of Pisa's government, it was a conspicuous statement of Medici power. Its name refers to the naval expeditions, or caravans, undertaken by the knights. Today, the palace houses the Scuola Normale Superiore, the university founded under Napoleon in 1810.
A visit offers a different view of Pisa from the Leaning Tower: look closely at the façade's geometric and figurative decoration, then take a slow lap of the square to see the statue of Cosimo I and the neighbouring Palazzo dell'Orologio. Piazza dei Cavalieri is about a ten-minute walk from Piazza dei Miracoli. Morning or late-afternoon light is good for photographs; the palace is a working university rather than a conventional museum, so check with the Scuola Normale about any special visits before planning to go inside.