Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III

Overview

The Biblioteca Nazionale "Vittorio Emanuele III" di Napoli is a state public library located in the eastern wing of the Palazzo Reale on Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples. It is the largest library in southern Italy and, by volume count, the third largest in Italy after the national libraries of Rome and Florence, operating under Italy's Ministry of Culture.

History

The library's foundation dates to 1784, when a royal decree of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon ordered the royal book collections held at the Reggia di Capodimonte, including the Farnese library that Charles of Bourbon had brought to Naples in 1734, transferred to the Palazzo degli Studi (today the National Archaeological Museum). The library opened officially to the public on January 13, 1804, as the Reale Biblioteca di Napoli. In 1816 it was renamed the Reale Biblioteca Borbonica, and following Italian unification it was declared, by decree n. 130 of October 17, 1860, the first library in Italy to bear the name "Biblioteca Nazionale." In 1910 the library incorporated the Officina dei Papiri Ercolanesi, the workshop founded by Charles of Bourbon to conserve papyri excavated at Herculaneum. Following the First World War, and on the suggestion of Benedetto Croce, the library moved to the Palazzo Reale; the transfer of collections began in 1922 and continued through 1924 with the incorporation of the libraries of the Museo di San Martino, the Biblioteca Provinciale, and the Biblioteca Brancacciana. The new premises were dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele III in 1925 and inaugurated May 17, 1927. The library closed in 1942 to protect its holdings during the Second World War, with materials relocated inland under the direction of librarian Guerriera Guerrieri, and reopened to the public in 1945.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The library's holdings, according to figures cited by the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI) and the Ministry of Culture, include approximately 1.48 million printed volumes, more than 319,000 pamphlets, over 18,000 manuscripts, and more than 8,000 periodicals; other sources describing the fuller historical collection cite figures including roughly 4,563 incunabula, about 50,000 16th-century editions, more than 6,000 historical maps, and 1,838 papyri. Notable acquisitions include the autograph manuscripts of poet Giacomo Leopardi and the Lucchesi Palli theatrical and musical collection. The library has participated in Italy's national library service (SBN) since 1990 and coordinates its southern hub.

Access and Usage

The library is open to the public free of charge upon presentation of identification. It offers guided tours for tourists and school groups, participates in international research collaborations including papyrus-reading projects with the University of Pisa, CNR, and the University of Kentucky, and has offered free public Wi-Fi since 2018.