With 5,627,205 books, the National Central Library of Florence (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze) is a pinnacle of knowledge. The library was founded in 1714 when Antonio Magliabechi donated his entire personal library, which consisted of approximately 30,000 volumes, to the city of Florence. It quickly became required for a copy of e very book published in Tuscany to be held in the library, which became open to the public in 1747. It was combined with the Biblioteca Palatina in 1861 and renamed as the National Central Library of Florence, or the BNCF, in 1865. Since, the library collects copies of all Italian publications. The library is located in the neighborhood of Santa Croce and along the Arno River, east of Ponte Vecchio. The library was designed by Italian fascist architects Cesare Bazzani and V. Mazzei. Prior to the construction of the current library, the library was housed in unused rooms of the Uffizi Gallery, just down the river. In 1966, the major flood of the Arno River that saw the entire city of Florence underwater, damaged nearly one-third of the library's collection. Most notable in the loss are its periodicals and Palatine and Magliabechi collections. The flood helped create the library’s Restoration Center which can be credited with saving many of works housed in the library.
If you’re a huge history buff as I am, definitely dig for the two manuscripts: The eternal and the hermit and Marriage of the Virgin, both by Giovannino de Grassi. The library is home to some of the most famous works done by the intellects of our past. Most people would find libraries dull; however, I view them differently. They are archives for our past, and if you are wandering down the cobblestoned streets of Florence then you should appreciate these archives. The reason being is that Florence has scarcely changed its face over the past 800 years, so by exploring the works of people in the past you could attempt to find where they stood, talked, lived, sat, pondered life’s mysteries! The library can lead you down a path of discovering of some of the greatest minds right here in Florence. The pages of the past sit right here all around me, and I can’t help but be curious as to know what brilliance is but a finger’s length away from my mind. As any historical place around the center, the library holds tremendous significance to Florence’s past. I encourage those who may read this blog, come here, get lost and find your way around the pages of Tuscany.
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