Photos: PaestumPaestum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 MHoser, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: PaestumPaestum, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 MHoser, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
The sgraffito facade, read up close
Your local guide
Federico Santini
View profile
Highlights
- A facade scratched, not painted
- Black and white pattern, read closely
- Figures easy to miss from below
- Renaissance craft on a working building
- Detail studied stage by stage
About this tour
This session studies the decorated facade of the Palazzo della Carovana purely as a piece of Renaissance craft. You see the scratched sgraffito pattern up close and the figures worked into the upper sections. The camera stays close on plaster and pigment throughout, moving slowly enough to actually read the design.
We work up the facade in stages rather than taking it in all at once, since the detail rewards patience. I explain the sgraffito technique as we go, and take questions on specific figures as they come up.
It suits anyone interested in decorative technique rather than architecture in general. It runs short, so it pairs well with the wider Piazza dei Cavalieri session.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Pisa before heading out.
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Facade pattern 15 min
The camera moves slowly across the sgraffito pattern scratched into the plaster, and I explain how the technique creates its black and white design.
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Upper decoration 15 min
Higher up the facade, I point out figures and emblems worked into the same technique, easy to miss from ground level without a steady camera.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Pisa: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Torta co' bischeri (sweet rice and chocolate tart) and Mezzogiorno, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Rome time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Pisa, showing you Facade pattern and Upper decoration live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Pisa live with my phone.
Times shown in Rome time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Sat 31 Oct · 8 seats left From 19,00 €
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