The American Academy in Rome opened the doors of its new library annex in Villa Chiaraviglio during the week of June 2, 2025, marking a quiet but consequential expansion of its capacity to support advanced research in the humanities, art history, architecture, and more. The project addresses a long-standing need for additional library space on the Academy’s historic Janiculum Hill campus.
Nestled just outside the Academy’s gates, the nineteenth-century Villa Chiaraviglio has been sensitively adapted to house low-circulation and duplicate materials from the AAR Library. The new annex gives these holdings a secure, climate-controlled home—freeing up precious shelf space in the main stacks and helping the library evolve to meet the demands of twenty-first-century research.
The annex was made possible in part by a $375,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, awarded in 2019 and matched three-to-one through private support. Meeting this goal in 2024, the Academy brought together federal funding and philanthropic commitment to realize a forward-looking vision: to preserve and extend access to its collections while ensuring that the core reading rooms remain open, flexible, and well used.
The AAR Library has long been a magnet for scholars working across disciplines and centuries—from ancient law and papal politics to Renaissance urbanism and contemporary art. With more than 180,000 volumes, the library serves as both a foundation and a springboard for new knowledge. The annex strengthens that role, offering space to grow while protecting the past.
The annex plays a critical behind-the-scenes role. It allows staff to better organize materials, streamline retrieval, and continue welcoming Rome Prize Fellows, Residents, and visiting researchers to an environment shaped by intellectual curiosity and easy access to primary and secondary sources.
From its new outpost in Villa Chiaraviglio, the AAR Library extends its reach—and reinforces the Academy’s commitment to the care, accessibility, and long-term stewardship of knowledge. In a city layered with centuries of intellectual life, the annex adds a quiet but essential link in the chain.