The historic, wood-panelled library is one of Italy’s oldest and most venerated libraries, founded in 1466 by humanist Guarniero d’Artegna and later enriched with the collection of Archbishop Fontanini. It contains 12,000 well-preserved antique books, on vellum and parchment, including a priceless 12th-century Byzantine bible, an original manuscript of Dante’s Inferno and a 1524 illustrated account of Cortez’ conquest of Mexico.
To see these fabulous treasures, join one of the Saturday morning tours (in Italian and English) at 10.45am or make an appointment. Much of the collection has now been digitised and can also be viewed online.
