The BAUM (Biblioteca di Area Umanistica) of the Università Ca’ Foscari is a large library with focus on history, the history of philosophy, classical antiquity, and the Ancient Near East, art history and conservation, and Italian studies, holding approximately 380,000 volumes, 1,200 periodicals, 1,442 rare books, and more. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access), please consult the library’s website.

Palazzo Malcanton Marcorà, Dorsoduro 3484/D, 30123 Venice
tel. 041 234 5613 or baum[at]unive.it

This library, founded by Pope Pius X in 1909, is specialized in biblical and oriental studies, providing unique resources to scholars of these fields. For further information regarding opening hours and access, please consult the library’s website.

Piazza della Pilotta 35, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 695 266 164

This library, founded by the first director of the Ostia excavations Dante Vaglieri (1907–1913), is specializing on ancient Ostia and related topics. It is open, upon reservation, on Thursdays. For further information and reservations, call 06 56358012 or write to pa-oant.biblioteca[at]cultura.gov.it.

Via dei Romagnoli 717, 00119 Ostia Antica (Rome)
tel. 06 56358012; 06 56358099.

The Department of Classics at Sapienza, which took its present form in July 2010, spans twenty-five distinct areas of research that cover not just ancient Greece and Rome, but also ancient Africa and the Near and Far East from prehistoric times to the medieval period. It has a library with over 150,000 volumes and periodicals, organized into different areas, among these, classical archaeology, classical philology and literature, ancient history and topography of the ancient world, and Byzantine studies. For further information (including the location of the library’s sections), please consult the department’s homepage.

Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 4991 3977 ; 06 4991 3781 ; 06 4991 3870 or biblioantichita[at]uniroma1.it

The British School at Rome (BSR), founded in 1901, is one of the most prestigious research institutes in Rome and houses a library with a focus on Italian archaeology (prehistory, classical, medieval); Italian topography, especially Roman; ancient history and texts; ecclesiastical and medieval Italian history; and the history of Italian art and architecture. The BSR’s library is one of the funding members of URBiS. One of the BSR’s special collections is Thomas Ashby’s library and his unique collection of photographs. For further information, including access, its catalog, library services, or events at the BSR, please consult its homepage.

Via Antonio Gramsci 61, 00197 Rome
tel. 06 32649380 (library); 06 32649377 (photo archive) and library[at]bsrome.it

The Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom (DAI), founded in 1829 as the Istituto di corrispondenza archeologica, is the oldest research institute for archaeology in Rome and has both a library and a photographic archive of international importance. The library, one of the largest specialized research libraries for classical archaeology worldwide, holds over 240,000 volumes and 1,895 periodicals (click here to access the catalog), focusing on Graeco-Roman antiquity, including epigraphy, late antiquity and the archaeology and history of the Roman provinces. The DAI is member of the URBiS library network. The DAI regularly issues research reports (since 2014 in electronic format; the annual research reports are to be consulted here). See also the iDAI, a new approach to archaeology online.

Via Sardegna 79/81, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 488 8141 or bibliothek.rom[at]dainst.de

The École Française de Rome (EFR), founded in 1875, is one of the leading foreign institutions for research in humanities in Rome. It has a splendid library, holding more than 200,000 volumes and approximately 2,000 periodicals. The holdings cover, additionally to the library’s main focus on the Mediterranean in ancient and medieval times, including church history, also history and other fields of the humanities and social sciences from prehistory to the present day. The EFR’s library houses probably the best collection of medieval studies in Rome and is member of the URBiS library network. For further information (access, opening hours, or events at the EFR), please consult EFR’s homepage.

Palazzo Farnese, Piazza Farnese 67, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6860 1427 or accueil.bibliotheque[at]efrome.it

The EEHAR is a research center belonging to the National Agency Consejo Superior de Investigacíones Científicas (CSIC), the main Spanish public institute for research. It has a small (23,000 volumes and 431 journals) but fine library specialized on the history and archaeology of classical antiquity, with a particular focus on the Iberian peninsula. The EEHAR library is member of the URBiS library network. For further information, please consult the school’s homepage.

Via di Sant'Eufemia 13, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 6810 0001 or escuela[at]eehar.csic.es or biblioteca[at]eehar.csic.es

The Institutum Romanum Finlandiae was established in Villa Lante on the Janiculum Hill in 1950 as a base for Finnish students and scholars in the fields of humanities working in Italy. It has a fine library with a special focus on Latin epigraphy, Roman topography, Roman history, and classical philology, with some 21,000 volumes and 200 periodicals. It is a member both of the URBiS library network and URBS libraries network (Unione Romana Biblioteche Scientifiche). For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, events), please consult the institute’s homepage.

Passeggiata del Gianicolo 10, 00165 Rome
tel. 06 6861995 or info[at]irfrome.org

PLEASE NOTE that Villa Lante is undergoing a renovation 2023-2025 and the Institute’s temporary seat is at Via Garibaldi 31.

The Istituto Italiano di Numismatica, founded in 1912 as private association, has a library specialized in numismatics and related subjects. It also has a photographic archive that is being digitized. For further information about events, conferences, and the library's services, please consult the homepage.

Palazzo Barberini, Via Quattro Fontane, 13, 00184 Rome
tel. 06 4743603 or istituto[at]istitutoitalianonumismatica.it

The Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani and its library are focusing on the city of Rome in all its aspects: history, archaeology, art, urbanism, social conditions, and more, and in all epochs from antiquity to present. Founded in 1925, the institute’s library holds approximately 34,000 volumes and approximately 1,400 periodicals, which can be found in the catalog and the SBN.

Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta 2, 00153 Rome
tel. 06 5743442 or studiromani[at]studiromani.it and biblioteca[at]studiromani.it

The Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana (PIAC) was founded in 1925. Its library specializes on the history and archaeology of early Christianity. It is a member of the URBiS library network. For further information (e.g., collections, catalog, access, opening hours), please consult PIAC’s website.

Via Napoleone III, 1, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 446 5574 or piac.biblio[at]piac.it

The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is an intergovernmental organization at the service of its member states. It is the only institution of its kind with a worldwide mandate to promote the conservation of all types of cultural heritage. ICCROM contributes to preserving cultural heritage through five areas of activity: training, information, research, cooperation, and advocacy. ICCROM has archives (including an image collection of more than 230,000 analogue photographs, architectural drawings, motion pictures and more), and a specialized library that is one of the world’s leading conservation libraries, with more than 128,000 catalog entries and over 2,300 journal titles. ICCROM is member of the URBiS library network. For further information about access, library services, opening hours, workshops, and other events, please consult ICCROM’s homepage. Many of ICCROM’s publications are available online (free access). 

Via di San Michele 13, 00153 Rome 
tel. 06 585531 or iccrom[at]iccrom.org

The Istituto Centrale per il Restauro e la Conservazione del Patrimonio Archivistico e Librario (ICRCPAL) is a specialized institute dedicated to the restoration, conservation, and protection of library and archivistic materials. It has laboratories, archives of photographic and historical material, digital collections of various materials, a museum, and a specialized library, containing approximately 15,000 monographic and approximately 400 serial publications. For further information about access, opening hours, library services, and more, please consult the ICRCPAL’s website.

Via Milano, 76, 00184 Rome
tel. 06 482911 or ic-pal.biblioteca[at]cultura.gov.it

The Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR), affiliated to the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo, is specialized in the restoration and conservation of the cultural heritage. It has laboratories, archives and the specialized library Biblioteca Adolfo Venturi, holding approximately 56,000 volumes, of which approximately 900 are periodical publications. For further information please consult the ISCR's homepage.

Via di San Michele 23-25, 00153 Rome
tel. 06 6723 6300 or icr[at]cultura.gov.it

This is the archive of the Istituto Luce (L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa, founded in 1924), consisting of the Archivio cinematografico and the Archivio fotografico, with immense holdings of cinematographic material of various kind.

Via Tuscolana 1055, 00173 Rome
tel. 06 722 861 or redazione.archivio[at]cinecitta.it

The Biblioteca Museo Teatrale SIAE (former: Biblioteca e raccolta teatrale del Burcardo) consists of library, archives and museum, specialized on the history of theater and performance. Biblioteca and museo own approximately 15,000 volumes, drawings, photographs, archival material and other documents related to theater and its history. There is also the Biblioteaca Gino Capriolo in Naples, with approx. 25,000 items (periodicals, magazines, newspapers, mainly from the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries).

Biblioteca: 
Viale della Letteratura, 24, 00144 Rome
tel. 06 5990381 or 06 59903816 or biblioteca.teatrale[at]siae.it
Archivio storico: 
Viale della Letteratura, 30, 00144 Rome
ArchivioStorico[at]siae.it
Museo at the Casa del Burcardo: 
Via del Sudario 44, 00186 Rome -- TEMPORARILY CLOSED
Naples: 
Via San Tommaso D'Aquino 13, 80133 Naples

The library Biblioteca Luigi Chiarini is the largest institution in Italy specializing in the field of cinematography. It contains over 155,000 items (plus digitalized material, click here) of reference material (monographs, periodicals, scripts, a collection of press cuttings related to cinematographic subjects, and more). Many of the library’s literary assets have come from private collections of directors, scriptwriters, producers, and famous professionals from the world of Italian cinema. The Fondazione CSC also includes a film archive, a photographic archive and a posters archive.

Via Tuscolana 1520 and 1524, 00173 Rome
tel. 06 722941 or biblioteca[at]fondazionecsc.it

The Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) library, the Biblioteca Centrale Paolo Giuntella, holds approximately 80,000 volumes and 600 periodicals and is specialized on media studies (television studies in particular), theater studies, performing arts, and also, with special regard to Italy, on journalism, history, and sociology. Further, the RAI has several archives with various materials related to broadcasting and television. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, the other RAI biblioteche, etc.), please consult the RAI Teche’s homepage.

Viale Mazzini, 14, 00195 Rome
tel. 06 3726 4689/4619 or bibliomz[at]rai.it

This is a small and highly specialized library with valuable holdings (approximately seven thousand volumes, archival documents, the Fondo G. Sbragia and Fondo C. Bene) on the field of theater, dance, and performance, housing also events. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, events), please see here.

Villa Doria Pamphilj, Largo 3 Giugno 1849, 00164 Rome
tel. 06 45460691 or villinocorsini[at]bibliotechediroma.it or ill.villinocorsini[at]bibliotechediroma.it

The Accademia della Crusca (founded between 1582 and 1583) is, in both Italy and worldwide, among the leading institutions in the field of research on the Italian language. The Accademia pursues its own editorial activity and grants the public access to a specialist library (approx. 158,000 volumes) and archive. It also maintains international contacts with similar institutions abroad, organizes meetings, seminars, and conventions on the Italian language. For further information about opening hours, access, contacts, and holdings, please consult the Accademia’s homepage.

Via di Castello, 46, 50141 Florence
tel. 055 454277 (-78) or segreteria[at]crusca.fi.it and biblioteca[at]crusca.fi.it

In the following, a list of archives with material relevant to Rome and the Italian state : ANAI (Associazione Nazionale Archivistica Italiana ;  Archivio Apostolico Vaticano (see also here) ; Archivio centrale dello Stato ; Archivio dell'ANPPIA (Associazione Nazionale Perseguitati Politici Italiani Antifascisti) ; Archivio di Stato di Roma ; Archivio storico Capitolino ; Direzione generale Archivi ; ICAR (Istituto centrale per gli archivi) ; Soprintendenza archivistica e bibliografica del Lazio ; [...]

The Archivio Centrale dello Stato preserves documents and material produced by the Italian state since the Italian unification in 1861. In addition, it holds material from approx. 50 private or public archives which are of national relevance. The Biblioteca of the archive has approx. 230,000 titles (monographs, periodicals, government publications, microforms, and digitized materials) specialized on the history of the Italian state and its governmental departments and a rich, constantly growing and updated collection of daily papers. For further information (e.g. access, opening hours, contacts) please consult the Archivio's website. Some of the materials can be consulted online.

Piazzale degli Archivi, 27, 00144 Rome
tel. 06 545481 or acs[at]cultura.gov.it

The Archivio di Stato di Roma preserves archival material from the Papal States and of Rome, beginning from the 9th century to present. It has also a specialized llibrary with approx. 76,000 items. For further information (the Archivio's history, its holdings, access and opening hours) please consult the Archivio's website. 

Complesso di Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, Corso del Rinascimento, 40, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 67235600 or as-rm[at]cultura.gov,it
Sede succursale:
Via di Galla Placidia, 93, 00159 Rome
tel. 06 67235644 or as-rm.gp.servizi[at]cultura.gov.it
PLEASE NOTE that the Sede succursale is temporarily closed (its holdings can be consulted at the main seat upon request).

The Archivio Storico Capitolino is dedicated to the preservation of the documentation produced by the Municipality of Rome from the Middle Ages to present. It houses, together with ancient documents, all the maps produced by the Municipality over time, the archive of the Municipality, a number of family archives, the Biblioteca Romana, the Archivio Fotografico and the Emeroteca Romana. For further information about access, opening hours, and holdings, please consult the Archivio’s website and online access to its material.

Piazza dell’ Orologio, 4, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 67108100 or archivio.capitolino[at]comune.roma.it

The Associazione nazionale per gli interessi del Mezzogiorno d’Italia (ANIMI), founded in 1910, is dedicated to the study of southern Italy (the Mezzogiorno). ANIMI has an excellent library, the Biblioteca Giustino Fortunato, created in 1923 and containing at present over 60,000 volumes dedicated to the study of the Mezzogiorno. Its historical archive contains documents relating to the association’s ninety-year history as well as important collections, including the papers of the noted archaeologist Umberto Zanotti Bianco and a large collection of historic photographs. For further information about opening hours and access, please consult the ANIMI’s homepage.

Via di Porta Pinciana 6, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 4785 0239 or segretaria[at]animi.it or biblioteca[at]animi.it or smg[at]animi.it

The BAUM (Biblioteca di Area Umanistica) of the Università Ca’ Foscari is a large library with focus on history, the history of philosophy, classical antiquity, and the Ancient Near East, art history and conservation, and Italian studies, holding approximately 380,000 volumes, 1,200 periodicals, 1,442 rare books, and more. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access), please consult the library’s website.

Palazzo Malcanton Marcorà, Dorsoduro 3484/D, 30123 Venice
tel. 041 234 5613 or baum[at]unive.it

The Biblioteca del Centro Documentazione delle donne (Studi sul Femminismo -- Biblioteca "Archivia") collects documents regarding the feminist movement from the 60ies to present. For further information (library and archive opening hours, access) please consult the website.

Via della Lungara 19 (Centro)  and Via della Penitenza, 37 (Archivia), 00165 Rome
tel. 06 6833180 or archivia.cidd[at]libero.it and archivia.info[at]libero.it

The library of Castel Sant’Angelo, small and specialised (history, history of art & architecture) is accessible on appointment. 

Lungotevere Castello, 50, 00193 Rome
tel. 06 6819111 or write to the librarian at miria.nardi[at]cultura.gov.it

During the German occupation of Rome, the headquarters of the German terror apparatus were located in Via Tasso 145/155. The building contained a prison in which Jews and political opponents were incarcerated and tortured. The Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma has been located in the building since 1957, part of which are a library and archives. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access, holdings), please consult the Museo's website.

Via Tasso, 145, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 7003866 or biblioteca[at]museoliberazione.it and archivio[at]museoliberazione.it.

This library contains documents and data concerning the city of Rome (statistics, demography, history of the city and the quartieri, topography, else). For further information (e.g. access, opening hours, catalog, else) please consult the Comune's website.

Via della Greca, 5, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6710 3322 or uffstat[at]comune.roma.it

This library, established in 1971 as a research library for the Soprintendenza officials, is specialized in publications on archival, diplomatic, historical, library science and local interest subjects. Primarily for internal use, it might be consulted upon request during opening hours. For further information, please consult the Soprintendenza archivistica e bibliografica del Lazio’s homepage.

Complesso monumentale di San Michele, Via del Porto, 13, 00153 Rome
tel. 06 67233716 and sab-laz[at]cultura.gov.it

The library’s focus is on the Risorgimento, the working class and anarchist movements; the Fascist period; and the Second World War. It has approx. 600,000 books and pamphlets, 12,000 periodicals, of which 3500 current subscriptions, and approximately 19,000 manuscripts; and a rich collection of photographs and other contemporary documents. A particular attention is given to the collection of newspapers (emeroteca). For further information (access, opening and more), please consult the BSMC’s homepage.

Via Michelangelo Caetani, 32, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6828171 or b-stmo[at]cultura.gov.it

The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma (aka Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II) is one of two central national libraries of Italy, along with the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. It owns more than 9,000 manuscripts, 2,000 incunabula, 25,000 cinquecentine, 10,000 drawings, 22,000 maps, and approximately 7.5 million printed volumes. Additionally, it owns approximately 42,000 PhD theses. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours), please consult the BNCR’s website.

Viale Castro Pretorio, 105, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 49 891 or bnc-rm[at]cultura.gov.it

This is the library of the Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (aka Treccani), founded in 1925 by Giovanni Treccani. Additionally to approximately 110,000 monographs, it owns 900 serials, numerous daily papers, and databases, and a special collection of historical encyclopedias and dictionaries from the 17th century to present. The Archivio storico holds archival material, mainly for the Novecento. For further information (e.g. access, opening hours) please consult the Istituto Treccani’s homepage.

Piazza dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 4, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6898 2241 or biblioteca[at]treccani.it

This library has been founded in 1667 by Pope Alexander VII, as the library of the Studium Urbis, the then university of Rome. The Biblioteca Alessandrina is still the main library of the Sapienza, housing 1.5 million volumes plus manuscripts, autograph material, drawings, historical, archival, and rare material. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, and more), please consult the Alessandrina’s website.

Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 447 40220 or bu-ales[at]cultura.gov.it

The Centro Studi Emigrazione Roma (Center for Migration Studies) is a cultural institution established 1963 in Rome, with a specialized research center on Italian and international migration. Its library—with over 78,000 books, 200 periodicals, and historical and photographic archives on Italian emigration—is one of the most comprehensive libraries on the subject in Italy. The library is open to the public. 

Via Dandolo 58, 00153 Rome
tel. 06 5897 664 or biblioteca[at]cser.it

The library of the Deutsches Historisches Institut (DHI) in Rome, a leading institution for research on the history of Italy from the early Middle Ages to present, as well as on Church history, has a library with approximately 191,000 monographs and 667 periodicals plus a special collection on the history of music (approximately 68,000 books and scores, 3,700 sound recordings, and more). The DHI is member of the URBiS library network. For further information on access, opening hours, events, etc., please consult the DHI website.

Via Aurelia Antica, 391, 00165 Rome
tel. 06 660 492-1 or bibliothek[at]dhi-roma.it

The library of the Fondazione Marco Besso, established 1918 by Marco Besso himself, follows the interests of its founder: the collections (approximately 70,000 volumes plus 700 periodicals) regard Rome, Dante, paremiology, and the Tuscia area. The Roman section is one of the most important private collections in Italy. The paremiology section is among the rarest and most unique in existence. The library also has an archive and a sizable collection of antique prints and photographs of the monuments, vistas, and important sites in the city of Rome, many of which have since disappeared. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, etc.), please consult the Fondazione’s website.

Largo di Torre Argentina, 11, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6819 2984 or biblioteca[at]fondazionemarcobesso.net

The Istituto Geografico Militare (IGM, Military Geographic Institute) is the national mapping agency for Italy. Its specialized library (founded in 1865, approximately 120,000 volumes plus periodicals) focuses on geography, geodesy, cartography, topography, astronomy, urban planning etc. but also on military history. It has a special collection of seven hundred (historical) atlases, the oldest from 1570. Additionally, the IGM houses a museum (collection on historical instruments) and an archive. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, and more), please consult the IGM’s website.

Via Cesare Battisti, 10/12, 50122 Florence
tel. 055 27 32244 and caservbiblio[at]geomil.esercito.difesa.it

The Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (Italian National Institute of Statistics) is a public-research organization. It has been present in Italy since 1926 and is the main producer of official statistics in the service of citizens and policymakers. ISTAT operates in complete independence and continuous interaction with the academic and scientific communities. Many of its more recent publications are accessible online. ISTAT’s library contains over 600,000 volumes and 2,700 current periodicals focusing on statistical and socioeconomic subjects. Its historical archive preserves all documents produced by the institute.

Via Cesare Balbo, 16, 00184 Rome
tel. 06 46732380 and biblio[at]istat.it

The Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani and its library are focusing on the city of Rome in all its aspects: history, archaeology, art, urbanism, social conditions, and more, and in all epochs from antiquity to present. Founded in 1925, the institute’s library holds approximately 26,000 volumes and approximately 1,500 periodicals, which can be found in the catalog and the SBN.

Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta 2, 00153 Rome
06 5743442 or studiromani [at] studiromani.it (studiromani[at]studiromani[dot]it) and biblioteca [at] studiromani.it (biblioteca[at]studiromani[dot]it)

The Polo Bibliotecario Parlamentare (the Joint Parliamentary Library) consists of the Biblioteca del Senato Giovanni Spadolini (the library of the Senate), and the Biblioteca della Camera Nilde Iotti (the Library of the Chamber of the Deputies), and holds a total of over 2 million books and other items, such as pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, archival and rare materials and more. The core consist of parliamentary papers and scholarly publications related to law, political sciences, history of political thought, economics, and history of journalism.

Biblioteca del Senato:
Piazza della Minerva, 38, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 67063717 or bibliotecaminerva[at]senato.it

Biblioteca della Camera:
Via del Seminario 76, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6760 3476 or bib_segretaria[at]camera.it

This Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) library, the Biblioteca Centrale Paolo Giuntella, holds approximately eighty thousand volumes and six thousand periodicals and is specialized on media studies (television studies in particular), theater studies, performing arts, and also, with special regard to Italy, on journalism, history, and sociology. Further, the RAI has several archives with various materials related to broadcasting and television. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, the other RAI biblioteche, etc.), please consult the RAI Teche’s homepage.

Viale Mazzini, 14, 00195 Rome
tel. 06 3726 4689/4619 or bibliomz[at]rai.it

The Società Geografia Italiana houses a highly specialized library, the most important of its kind in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It contains more than four hundred thousand volumes, including rare material. The institute also has a cartoteca and a historical and photographical archive. For further information on access, opening hours, materials, etc., please consult the Società Geografica’s homepage.

Via della Navicella, 12 (Palazzetto Mattei in Villa Celimontana), 00184 Rome
tel. 06 700 8279 or biblioteca [at] societageografica.it (biblioteca[at]societageografica[dot]it)

Praglia Abbey is a Benedictine monastery, originally founded in 1080, in the frazione of Bresseo in Teolo (Province of Padua). The sixteenth-century library has been converted into a repository for the National Monument Library, and currently houses approximately 120,000 volumes. For further information (e.g., opening hours, contact, access, catalog), please consult the website.

via Abbazia di Praglia, 16 - 35037 Bresseo di Teolo (PD)
tel. 049 99 00 625 or bmn-prg [at] beniculturali.it (bmn-prg[at]beniculturali[dot]it)

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1607, was one of the first libraries to be opened to the public. It is undoubtedly one of the most important libraries in Italy and indeed in the world, owing to the vastness of its collections and the number and pricelessness of its codices. The library specializes on the fields of classics, history, literature, and religious studies. It also has an extremely rich collection of drawings, etchings, and prints, encompassing approximately forty thousand items. The Medal Collection is made up of more than twenty thousand coins and medals, including some items of exceptionally great value. See also the Pinacoteca and the Mediateca. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access, catalog, etc.), please consult the Biblioteca’s homepage.

Piazza Pio XI, 2 - 20123 Milano
tel. 02 806921 or direzione.biblioteca [at] ambrosiana.it (direzione[dot]biblioteca[at]ambrosiana[dot]it)

The Biblioteca Angelica owes its name to the Augustinian Bishop Angelo Rocca (1546–1620), an erudite writer and a keen collector of rare editions. The library’s heritage consists today of nearly 200,000 volumes. Its specialized areas are Italian literature and literary criticism, Italian theater from fifteenth to eighteenth century, religious historical studies with a particular reference to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and Augustinian studies. The Manuscript Fund consists of nearly 24,000 unbound documents and 2,700 Latin, Greek, and Oriental volumes. The biblioteca further owns 460 unbound geographical maps, of which 85 are manuscript nautical charts produced in the Netherlands, numerous atlases and around 10,000 maps bound in volumes. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access, more), please consult the Biblioteca Angelica’s homepage.

Piazza di S. Agostino, 8, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6840801 or b-ange[at]cultura.gov.it

The Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana is the library of the Holy See, formally established in 1475, although it is much older. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. It currently has 75,000 codices from throughout history, as well as 1.1 million printed books, which include some 8,500 incunabula. The Vatican Library is a research library for history, law, philosophy, science, and theology. The Vatican Library is open to anyone who can document their qualifications and research needs. The Archivio Segreto Vaticano, the central archives of the Holy See, is one of the most important research centers in the world. For further information (e.g., opening hours, admission criteria, access to its enormous collections), please consult the homepage of the Biblioteca or the Archivio Segreto.

Cortile del Belvedere, V-00120 Città del Vaticano
tel. 06 6987 9411 (Biblioteca) and 06 69883314 or asv [at] asv.va (asv[at]asv[dot]va) (Archivio)

The Biblioteca Casanatense, founded by the Dominicans of the Monastery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome and opened in 1701, had ever since a focus not only on the traditional religious and theological arguments, but also on Roman Law, economy, and the history of the city of Rome. Currently, the Casanatense owns almost 400,000 volumes; furthermore, valuable prints and drawings, paintings, scientific instruments, and furnishings. For further information (e.g. opening hours, catalog, access, and more) please consult the Casanatense’s homepage.

Via S. Ignazio, 52, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 69760300 or b-casa[at]cultura.gov.it

The Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana, a public library founded by Count Giovanni M. Bertolo, opened in 1708. It owns 3,556 codices, more than 100,000 items of autograph material, approximately 100,000 photographs, 2,500 shelf meters of archival documents, and 850 incunabula; further, more than 200,000 volumes, mainly in humanities. For further information (e.g., opening hours, addresses of the seven buildings of which the library consists, contact, access), please consult the Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana’s homepage.

Biblioteca di Palazzo San Giacomo: Sede di Palazzo S. Giacomo, Contrà Riale, 5, 36100 Vicenza
tel. 0444 578211 or consulenza.bertoliana [at] comune.vicenza.it (consulenza[dot]bertoliana[at]comune[dot]vicenza[dot]it)

The historical and scientific heritage of the INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica/National Institute for Astrophysics) consists of books, archival documents, and instruments that testify to the development of astronomy in Italy from pre-Galilean observations to the present time. The Museo Astronomico e Copernicano is unique worldwide, the INAF has also archives and libraries. At Monte Mario, there is the Biblioteca antica, holding pre-800 titles. For further information (e.g., opening hours, access), please consult the INAF’s website.

Via Parco Mellini, 84, 00136 Rome
tel. 06 94286425 or 06 3534 7056

This is the “parte storico-moderna” of the Biblioteca dell’Osservatorio astronomico di Roma, holding the post-800 titles of the immense collection. For further information (e.g., access, catalog, opening hours), please consult the INAF’s website.

Via Frascati, 33, 00040, Monte Porzio Catone (RM)
tel. 06 942 86440 or marco.ferruci [at] oa-roma.inaf.it (marco[dot]ferruci[at]oa-roma[dot]inaf[dot]it)

This is the library of the Seraphicum—Pontificia facoltà teologica San Bonaventura, with a special focus on religious studies, theology, and the Franciscan Order. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, catalog, more), please consult the Seraphicum’s website.

Via del Serafico, 1, 00142 Rome
tel. 06 515031 or seraphicumbiblioteca [at] gmail.com (seraphicumbiblioteca[at]gmail[dot]com)

The Laurentian Library, whose core collection is the Medici’s private library (now, belonging to the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali), contains a repository of more than 11,000 manuscripts 2,500 papyri, 43 ostraka, 566 incunabula, 1,681 sixteenth century printed books, 592 periodicals on related subjects and a total of 126,527 books dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The exceptional character of the collections can be attributed to the fact that the manuscripts and books have been chosen for their age, textual worth and beauty. For information (e.g. regarding access, opening hours, catalog, etc.) please consult the Laurenziana's homepage. The Accademia Fiorentina di Papirologia e di Studi sul Mondo Antico has made a collection of the Laurenziana's literary papyri accessible online.

Piazza San Lorenzo, 9, 50123 Firenze
tel. 055 2937 911 or b-mela [at] beniculturali.it (b-mela[at]beniculturali[dot]it)

This library, located in the Oratorio dei Filippini complex built by Francesco Borromini, was completed in 1643. The Vallicelliana holds about 130,000 items (manuscripts, incunabula, books), with a main focus on church history, theology, patristics and philosophy. For further information (e.g. access, opening hours, more) please consult the Vallicelliana's homepage.

Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, 18, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6880 2671; 06 6869237 (direzione) or b-vall[at]cultura.gov.it

The École Française de Rome (EFR), founded in 1875, is one of the leading foreign institutions for research in humanities in Rome. It has a splendid library, holding more than two hundred thousand volumes and approximately two thousand periodicals. The holdings cover, additionally to the library’s main focus on the Mediterranean in ancient and medieval times, including Church history, also history and other fields of the humanities and social sciences from prehistory to the present day. The EFR’s library houses probably the best collection of Medieval Studies in Rome and is member of the URBiS library network. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, or EFR events), please consult the EFR’s homepage.

Palazzo Farnese, Piazza Farnese 67, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6860 1427 or accueil.bibliotheque[at]efrome.it

The main focus of the Augustinianum is on patristics, theology, canon law and the history of ancient Christianity. Its specialized library, member of the URBiS library network, is one of the best for the study of Early Christianity, with a collection of approx. 60,000 volumes and 500 periodicals. The Institute also has the Corpus of the Coptic Literary Manuscripts (CMCL), an important photographic archive which comprises the largest number of texts and fragments of Coptic Christian literature. For further information (e.g. access, opening hours, events, etc.) please consult the Augustinianum's website.

Via Paolo VI, 25, 00193 Rome
tel. 06 6800 6238 or 06 68 88 69 or biblioteca [at] patristicum.org (biblioteca[at]patristicum[dot]org)

The Istituto, founded in 1883, has a library specialized on the middle ages, with approx. 100,000 volumes and 250 periodicals plus an institutional archive. For further information (e.g. access, opening hours, the ISIME's publications, more) please consult the ISIME's website.

Piazza dell’Orologio, 4, 00186 Rome
tel. 06 6880 2075 or biblioteca [at] isime.it (biblioteca[at]isime[dot]it) or info.biblioteca [at] isime.it (info[dot]biblioteca[at]isime[dot]it)

The Norwegian Institute in Rome, founded in 1959, has a research focus on classical and medieval art and archaeology but expands its historical field of study and promotes research on religious history, philosophy, philology, literature, history, and the history of ideas. The library reflects these research fields and owns approximately 25,000 volumes and a photographic archive. For further information (access, opening hours, and more), please consult the institute’s website.

Address: Viale Trenta Aprile, 33, 00153 Rome
Telephone: 06 5839 1005
Email: post [at] uio.no (post[at]uio[dot]no)

Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, houses the Berenson Library: Its rich collections of books and periodicals (approx. 185,000 volumes, 625 periodicals, over 12,000 titles on microforms), photographs and digital images, manuscripts and recordings offer comprehensive interdisciplinary resources for the study of late medieval and early modern Italy. As one of the over seventy libraries that make up the Harvard Library system, the Biblioteca Berenson also provides access to a vast range of online journals and other electronic resources. Additionally, the Library has special collections, a large collection of auction catalogs, a photograph archive, and a historical archive. For further information (e.g., access policies, opening hours, more) please consult the Berenson Library’s website.

Via di Vincigliata, 26, 50135 Florence
tel. 055 603251

The Museo Nazionale degli strumenti musicali houses a rich and exceptional collection of musical instruments from antiquity to these days and is one of the most important institutions of its kind in Europe. It has a specialized library that can be consulted for research purposes. For further information, please consult the Museo’s homepage; for the library call 06 7014796.

Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 9/a, 00185 Rome
tel. 06 7014796

The IISM, linked to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, was founded in 1938 with the aim of promoting research on the history of music, with particular focus on Italian composers and musicians. For further information about events, opening hours, access, and the holdings of IISM’s library, please consult the website.

Via Vittoria, 6, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 36000146 or info [at] iism.it (info[at]iism[dot]it)

The Biblioteca di storia della musica, being part of Rome’s university La Sapienza, is one of the richest libraries in Italy specializing on the history of music. For further information about access, opening hours, and more, please consult the biblioteca’s homepage.

Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome (c/o Città Universitaria, Edificio di Lettere e Filosofia, 4 piano)
tel. 06 4969 3256 or bibliomusica [at] uniroma1.it (bibliomusica[at]uniroma1[dot]it)

The library of the Deutsches Historisches Institut (DHI) in Rome, a leading institution for research on the history of Italy from the early Middle Ages to present, as well as on Church history, holds a special collection on the history of music (approximately 68,000 books and scores, 3,700 sound recordings, and more). A particularly precious part of the DHI’s Music History Department is a collection of historical libretto prints. The DHI is member of the URBiS library network. For further information on access, opening hours, events, etc., please consult the DHI website.

Via Aurelia Antica, 391, 00165 Rome
tel. 06 660 4921 or musikbibliothek[at]dhi-roma.it

This is the library of the Galleria Nazionale (founded in 1883), holding approximately 80,000 volumes, 1,500 periodicals, catalogs, and other material on modern art, with a particular focus on the Italian Novecento. The GNAM has also archives, with invaluable material: the Archivio dell’istituto (documents produced and issued by the GNAM), the Archivio bioiconografico (biographic material on more than 25,000 artists), and the Archivio fotografico e fototeca (material mainly on exhibitions at the GNAM). For further information about opening hours and access, please consult the GNAM’s website.

Via Gramsci, 81, 00197 Rome (entrance to the Biblioteca). The GNAM’s address is Viale delle belle arti, 131)
tel. 06 32298246 or gan-amc.biblioteca [at] beniculturali.it (gan-amc[dot]biblioteca[at]beniculturali[dot]it)

Being the library of the INASA (the national institute for archaeology and art history), the BiASA (Biblioteca di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte) is probably the richest library in Rome for art history, including classical art and archaeology, with 600,000 volumes, 3,500 periodicals, and large collections of photographs, engravings, and drawings, as well as archival documents and manuscripts. For further information about access, opening hours, and catalog, please consult the BiASA’s website.

Palazzo Venezia, Piazza San Marco 49, 00186 Rome (INASA)
tel. 06 6780817 or inasa[at]inasa-roma.it

Piazza Venezia, 3, 00186 Rome (BiASA)
tel. 06 6977001 or vi-ve.biasa.ricerca[at]cultura.gov.it

The Bibliotheca Hertziana (Max-Planck-Institut für Kunstgeschichte), founded in 1913 by Henriette Hertz, is one of the leading institutions for research on the history of Italian art from the Middle Ages to modern times. Its library’s holdings run to approximately 307,000 volumes, including 2,643 periodical and yearbook titles. The Hertziana has digitized many of its rare books (accessible thru rara-viewer and LVPA). The Hertziana has also a large photographic collection. It is member of URBiS and part of the Art Libraries Network Florence-Paris-Munich-Rome. For further information about access, opening hours, and more, please consult the Hertziana’s homepage.

Via Gregoriana, 28, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 69 993 1 or institutssekretariat [at] biblhertz.it (institutssekretariat[at]biblhertz[dot]it)

The library of the Académie de France à Rome, founded at the end of the seventeenth century, has more than 30,000 volumes reflecting the main disciplines of the Académie: fine arts, architecture, history of art, photography, cinema, design, and music and literature from the French and Italian Renaissance to the present. It is member of the URBiS library network For further information about access, holdings, and opening hours, please consult the Académie’s website.

Viale Trinità dei Monti, 1, 00187 Rome
tel. 06 6761 263 or raffaella.carchesio [at] villamedici.it (raffaella[dot]carchesio[at]villamedici[dot]it)

The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, founded in 1897, is one of the oldest research institutions dedicated to the history of art and architecture in Italy. The institute’s resources—including the library with over 360,000 volumes, some of which are extremely rare, over 2,600 periodicals (of which 1,070 are current), and one of the most wide-ranging photographic libraries on Italian art—are placed at the disposal of researchers from all over the world. Its archive has approximately 60,000 documents of various types. Its largest collection is the correspondence between the KHI and art historians, museums, institutions; further it has a special section, the Archive of 20th century Italian art. For further information (e.g., access, opening hours, user information, etc.), please consult the KHI’s website.

Via Giuseppe Giusti, 44, 50121 Florence
tel 055 24911-1

The MART library specializes in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art, with particular focus on avant-garde movements. It holds over 1,500 periodicals and over 80,000 volumes, including a rich collection of original Futurist publications, artists’ books, and about 10,000 exhibition catalogues. Furthermore, the MART library preserves the private libraries of several artists, architects, and critics and has an archive of historical documents related to twentieth-century art. One of the library’s special collections consists of rare twentieth-century periodicals on art, many of which are digitized. For further information about access, opening hours, archive, exhibitions, and more, please consult the MART’s website.

Corso Bettini, 43, 38068 Rovereto
tel. 0464 454156 or 454157 or library [at] mart.trento.it (library[at]mart[dot]trento[dot]it)

The Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo (MAXXI) has invaluable resources for the study of contemporary art and architecture: a specialized library and a media library, archives preserving material on art and architecture respectively, and access to the entire digital material via MAXXI Ricerca. For further information about access, opening hours, special collections, and exhibitions, please consult MAXXI’s website.

Via Guido Reni, 4/A, 00196 Rome
tel. 06 96735 or bibliomaxxi [at] fondazionemaxxi.it (bibliomaxxi[at]fondazionemaxxi[dot]it)

Over fifty thousand volumes on American topics (history, literature, nonfiction, political science, poetry, theater, etc.).

Oltre cinquantamila volumi su argomenti americani (storia, letteratura, saggistica, scienze politiche, poesia, teatro ecc.)