Palazzo del Capitano

The Palazzo del Capitano complex is the result of the union of medieval tower buildings; its entrance is from Piazza del Castelletto, although its austere façade dominates via Ulisse Dini, the curved street which leads from Borgo Stretto into Piazza dei Cavalieri. 
The recent restoration has left the most interesting architectural traces, such as arches and commemorative inscriptions, in evidence on the façade; the interior, with its heterogeneous spaces (a few large halls leading into long corridors with numerous small study areas) is a central, open room with reading rooms and galleries opening out from it. At the centre of this covered courtyard there is an Etruscan sculpture of a standing female figure, donated by Admiral Miniati of La Spezia.
The building was acquired by the Normale, partly in 1986 and partly in 2006. Since September 1994 it has been one of the sites of the Scuola's Library.