Pisa Academic Public Library was established in the year 1742 in Santa Maria street , inside the present-day Galileo’s house. Since 1823 it was located in the 15th century Sapienza Palace, where the north west wings of the main floor hosted the public area, the reading rooms and the offices, while the south-west wings on the second floor were used as book storage rooms. The rooms of the Library weren’t particularly worth seeing, with the exception of the two historical rooms, the Reading Room and the Reserved Room that had preserved the original wooden bookshelves. The rooms of the Library closed in 2012 due to restoration works that were kept on by the University, while the Library will soon start the furnishing of the rooms and areas destined to the pubblic and to the staff.
The first books’ collection was received through a legacy left from professor Giuseppe Averani . In the 18th century the Granduke destined various volumes to the Library that came from the Medicea- Palatina-Lotaringia Library as well as a small, but precious collection from the Botanical Garden.
During the 19th century , the Academic Library received some remarkable collections , like the manuscripts drawn up by the Egyptologist Ippolito Rosellini, that was also director of the Institution from 1835 to 1843 as well as the astronomer Giuseppe Piazzini ,director of the Institution from 1820 to 1832, who also left a legacy.
More recently, the Library acquired collections from Filippo Corridi’s and Sebastiano Timpanaro’s scientific libraries and received a huge donation by the late Carlo Alberto Madrignani, Academic of Literature , who left as useful support for the studies of modern literature.
Address:
branch office in Piazza San Matteo in Soarta, 2 – Lungarno Mediceo
Opening times
Monday – Friday: 8.00 am -7.00 pm ; Saturday 8.00 am -1.30 pm
Sundays closed
Old volumes consultation
Monday – Wednesday – Friday: 8.15 am – 1.15 pm
Info: 050.926569
bu-pi@beniculturali.it
