City: Italy
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10 Libraries in Italy That You Shouldn't Miss
Coordinates: 43°N 12°E / 43°N 12°E / 43; 12
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1. Biblioteca Capitolare
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 47 reviews
Biblioteca Capitolare of Verona: the oldest library in the world. When was the Italian language born? Everyone knows that it emerged from spoken Latin which through changes, deformations, and even influences of other dialects gave rise to our language. But not all know that the oldest phrase in the Italian language is contained in the so-called “Veronese Riddle”, written at the top of folio 3r in codex 89 (LXXXIX). This volume is a Mozarabic prayer book, that is, a book of liturgical prayers used in Spain and written in Visigothic characters.
2. Biblioteca Malatestiana
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 689 reviews
Reviewed By viaggioSensoriale - Cesena, Italy
In this sad period ravaged by the coronavirus, I am closed in the house but if I go out to my balcony I cannot avoid thinking that a few hundred meters from me there is this magnificent library, built in the mid-1400s by an incredibly enlightened man . Novello Malatesta built the first library open to all, so for the first time in history culture knowledge was available to everyone and not only to religious or the wealthy. Entering the library rooms you are enveloped in an incredible magic the books tell a story of a literally enchanted place, the Reading Room is positioned in a way that the light is always regular for reading and the temperature both in winter and summer is almost always constant. Extraordinary are the Miniati codes and the huge "choirs". The diffusion of knowledge and culture for all helps to face periods of great difficulty for all humanity in a more conscious way. A praise goes to the volunteers and guides who guide visitors in a very professional way through the library rooms We will be able to overcome this virus all together and we will return to have the joy of also physically experiencing these beauties
3. Biblioteca Civica Aprosiana
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
4. Biblioteca Piccolomini
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,063 reviews
Reviewed By westy54 - Sydney, Australia
This large single, rather narrow, room with a very high ceiling, used to be part of the priest's house attached to the side of the Duomo. Entry is gained via a side doorway from within the Cathedral. All of the combined tickets into the Duomo include entry into this Library. The Library was built in 1492 by authority of the then Bishop of Siena, Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (who was to be the future Pope Pius III), to house the books and manuscripts of his uncle, Pope Pius II, and to honour his lifetime achievements. The single room has display cases that house beautifully hand painted and hand written hymn books around the lower part of the walls of the room. Above the display cases the walls are totally covered with richly coloured frescoes of 10 scenes representing various important events in the life of Pope Pius II. The vaulted ceiling is similarly covered in a series of brightly coloured smaller paintings that are geometrically spaced. The frescoes are the work of Pinturicchio, who was born in Perugia, and his workshop and were completed in the first decade of the 16th century. It is believed that a young Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino worked in this workshop for a period at this time. The only statue in the room is a copy of the statue of the The Three Graces, which is based on an original Greek statue. Don't miss seeing this room if visiting the Duomo.
5. Libreria Palazzo Roberti
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 271 reviews
Reviewed By kaasmarkt
Must go, when you visit Bassano! Napoleon was here... beautiful building, in the middle of one of the best small city’s in Vemeto
6. Libramente Caffe Letterario
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Bookshop and literary cafe
7. Archiginnasio di Bologna
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,931 reviews
Reviewed By 126marivicd - Venice, Italy
We visited the anatomical theatre, the library, and looked around the hallways. Wow so wonderful!!! I cannot imagine how an opulent university like this could have already existed in the 9th century. I could just imagine how students were taught during those days and how prestigious it must have been to graduate from this place. Amazing place!!! My tip is for you to visit the minute it opens so you can have the anatomical theatre all for yourself and get wonderful photos. The hallways and ceilings are also picture perfect. Be ready for an interesting and well spent time.
8. Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 204 reviews
Reviewed By rjmartin50
I went there specifically to visit the university and wasn’t disappointed. Very interesting from an academic and historical perspective
9. Biblioteca Salaborsa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,177 reviews
Salaborsa is the Bologna city multimedia and general information library, which every day provides users of all ages with books, newspapers, magazines, videos, cds, data banks, along with cabled and and wi-fi internet connections. Access to the library is free. To take advantage of certain services it is necessary to register and show the membership card.
Reviewed By asiyahnoemik - Pula, Croatia
Arriving at the beautiful historic Piazza Nettuno immediately catches our eye the beautiful medieval Palazzo d'Accursio building ( Palazzo Comunale ). Biblioteca Salaborsa (Salabrosa Library) is located in one part of the Palace. The Salaborsa Library is the central public library opened in 2001 and provides a rich and fascinating cultural space inside the Palazzo d'Accursio, the ancient and historical seat of the city government. Its history is very interesting. In the thirteenth century, some Ghibella houses of late antiquity were built on this site above the Roman ruins. Among the builders are Francesco Accursio, a well-known lawyer at the Bologna School. The building then becomes a town hall. During Visconti's reign (1350 - 1360), the building was fortified because it had a house headquarters of troops that guarded the town hall, and converted Visconti into a true fortress. In 1568 Ulisse Aldrovandi transformed the inner garden into a botanical garden. Then began the cultivation of medicinal plants and exotic plants imported from all continents. Here Aldrovandi conducted the basic research that contributed to the creation of modern botany. In the meantime, a committee headed by Bologna entrepreneurs was set up, aimed at promoting the transformation of the indoor garden and cisterns into a space intended for the trade and market activities of the Bologna Stock Exchange, which had opened by then. Thus, between 1883 and 1886 on the site of the old garden built new Sala Borsa. Archaeological excavations carried out recently to restore Salaborsa revealed traces of public and religious buildings. They are visible to the public through a walkway and testify to the fact that the place has always been the center of public life in the city. There is an impressive wall perimeter of the Renaissance Terribilia tank, paved roads and foundations of the Roman basilica, the wall of the Medieval tower house and the star-shaped tub once at the center of the garden. In 1920, Salaborsa became a public restaurant, followed by the Bank with a Treasury (Cassa di Risparmio). After World War II and until the 1960s, the covered square served as a sports hall. This is where the Virtus Basketball Club originated. Today it is a beautiful and significant library.
10. libreria Acqua alta
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,423 reviews
Reviewed By WaitForIttttt - Hazlet, United States
My husband and I visited Libreria Acqua Alta while visiting Venice for the first time. We're both avid readers and were excited to see a bookshop amidst the beauty of Venice. Libreria Acqua Alta captures the charm of Venice in bookstore form. The books are stacked in boats in the center of shelves of more books. There is a small door that leads to the canal and stacks of books you can climb outside to peer over into the canal. We spent a good amount of time wandering the shelves, which had books in Italian and many other languages (including English). My husband found a copy of one of his favorite books (from the Dragonlance series) in Italian and purchased it to add to our collection. If you love books, Libreria Acqua Alta is most definitely worth a visit while you're in Venice!
