Royal Hotel Victoria, lungarno Pacinotti

Royal Victoria Hotel, facciata (M. Cerrai, Comune di Pisa)

In the 10th century, the Corporazione dei Vinajoli, one of the Pisan artisan guilds, erected the oldest tower of the building, which is visible at the back of the hotel. In the tower, the Università dei Vinajoli held lessons and in some rooms an inn had been created. At the time of the first Florentine conquest, in 1406, the tower was renamed the Sapienza, and passed into the hands of the Florentine captains and the inn was called della Vittoria (Victory); on the top of the building a Marzocco was installed, the Florentine lion. In 1837, the building was purchased by Pasquale Piegaja, who transformed the old inn into the Hôtel Royal de la Victoire, a name that was changed to Royal Hotel Victoria, following the ascent to the throne of Queen Victoria, which took place in the same year in England, with the aim of hosting a greater number of English tourists attracted to the city for its good climate. The real inauguration took place in 1839, when the Hotel hosted the participants of the First Congress of Italian Scientists. The restoration completely transformed the dark inn into a hotel with a contemporary taste, with apartments equipped with all comforts (including toilets), and a place where customers, also with their servants, could spend the winter. The hotel was equipped with a running water system, central heating and an elevator. Even today the hotel shows its nineteenth and twentieth century furnishings. Do not miss the opportunity to see the telephone on the ground floor and the kitchens on the first floor, home to numerous temporary exhibitions.

Distinguished guests: The guest books are a great testimony of the many visitors who passed through the hotel. Among the signatures and dedications we recognize Charles Dickens, John Ruskin, Virginia Woolf, Paolina Leopardi, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Giulio Einaudi and numerous royal families from every continent.