A 6th-century codex by St. Augustine, a 15th-century map depicting America, and several manuscripts by Italo Calvino on display for the first time. These are among the treasures of the exhibition with which the National Central Library of Rome is celebrating its 150th anniversary: a journey through more than one hundred works, including manuscripts, rare editions, archival documents, and multimedia installations.
A library born from 300,000 books
The Library opened on March 14, 1876, when Rome had been the capital of Italy for just five years. Its original core was formed around the Jesuit collection at the Collegio Romano: following the suppression of religious orders, over 70 monastic collections were merged into it, for a total of approximately 300,000 volumes.
Over a hundred treasures to discover
The exhibition, titled “Treasures: The Heritage of the National Central Library of Rome,” tells the story of how those original books and subsequent acquisitions have come to form a collection spanning centuries of history.
Among the oldest works on display are St. Augustine’s *Confessions*: the 6th-century manuscript is the oldest and most complete extant version of the work. The exhibition also includes illuminated manuscripts, incunabula, editions by Aldo Manuzio, and first editions by Giordano Bruno. Also on display are documents by Belli, Leopardi, D’Annunzio, Morante, and Pasolini; some manuscripts of significant works by Calvino are being exhibited for the first time.
Dates, hours, and address
The exhibition is open from October 22, 2026, to April 2, 2027, at the National Central Library, located at Viale Castro Pretorio 105. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
