Palazzo Poschi (Poschi Palace), Pisa

You will find the Palazzo Poschi on the corners of via San Francesco and Borgo Stretto. It very well preserved as the renovation work carried out in 2005 restored it to its former elegance. The palace consists of two buildings: the 11th century tower on via San Francesco and the main body of the building built in 1496. It was constructed on three storeys, the ground floor being loggias, that now front shops and a restaurant. The arches of the arcade are supported by Corinthian-style columns with Roman capitals. The first and second floors are of red brick with 12 lovely mullioned windows, each with three slender marble columns. Since 1905 the building was used as offices and was left remarkably untouched by interior decorators.

It was built for the Poschi family, but by 1840 the owner was up to his neck in gambling debts. He fled the city and the palace was sold by auction. It was bought for a modest sum by Toscanelli, who renovated the exterior and the interior frescoes and his family lived on the upper floors until the end of the 19th century. An insurance company took it over in 1905 and stayed there until the late nineteen fifties. It remained empty for many years, until renovation work was carried out by Albertino Luciano, who carefully restored the ancient frescoes. The palace is now rented out as individual office space.