Italy is one of the world’s most intellectual countries, and as such they are fiercely proud of their heritage in literature, poetry, and philosophy.  For scholars and bibliophiles the world over, this heritage is preserved in some of the world’s finest and most renowned libraries.  Many of these are open to the public, or serve as museums on certain days of the week, so if you happen to be traveling through Rome or other areas of the peninsula you should definitely stop by and have a look.

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  1. Vatican Library: The most obvious library the literary explorer has to check out while in Rome is the Vatican Library.  Dating back to 1475, it’s one of the oldest libraries in the world, housing over a million printed books as well as 75,000 archaic codices and manuscripts from the Library of Constantinople.  If you are interested in viewing illuminated manuscripts or are curious about the surrounding mosaics and frescoes in the building, make this your first stop.
  2. Biblioteca Angelica: Your second stop should be at Rome’s other high-profile book collection, the Biblioteca Angelica.  Founded in 1604 as an annex of an Augustinian monastery, it opened to the public five years later.  Today it remains a key archive of 180,000 manuscripts, many of them containing first-hand information on the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, including the historic Codex Angelicus.
  3. Biblioteca Casanatense:  Another Roman library originally founded by a religious order, the Biblioteca Casanatense was once part of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.  Once a thriving hub of intellectual activity in the city, the library retains its sense of Renaissance grandeur despite being currently overseen by the Italian Ministry of Culture.  Today the collection holds over 400,000 works of literature, including some biblical manuscripts that date back to the Middle Ages.libros_2622757
  4. Biblioteca di Bella Arti:  If you swing through Milan, be sure to stop by the library at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, a public institution founded in 1776 as a school for teaching the creative arts.  UNESCO has named it one of the world’s leading universities, and as such the library is unmatched in terms of literature as well as art and architecture.  Soaring buttresses and century-old chandeliers in the main hall make this a true palace of learning.
  5. Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana:  No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to Florence, and no trip to Florence is complete without stopping by the renowned Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, known as the Laurentian Library in English.  It dates back to the Renaissance, when it was built to stand as a testament to the intellectual and artistic prowess of the Medici family.  The building was designed by Michelangelo, and the building is filled with staircases, pillars, and reading halls in the Mannerist style.  As well as a museum, it remains an active scholarly library, free to enter and read books from.

Whether your interests lie in books, architecture, or history, every one of these libraries is sure to enrich your travels through Italy in countless ways.  To fully appreciate them, it will be necessary to have at least a working knowledge of the Italian language, so take a look at our different levels of Italian courses.  Or if you prefer, send us an enquiry and we will get you started as soon as possible!