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Biblioteca Malatestiana

Founded in the fifteenth century and added to Unesco's Memory of the World Register in 2005, it was the first civic library in both Italy and Europe.

The Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena was founded in the fifteenth century. Added to Unesco's Memory of the World Register in 2005, it was the first civic library in both Italy and Europe. It is a monastic library set among nineteenth-century buildings, with a sober exterior and interiors enriched with unique pieces, such as the ceremonial mace that Pope Pius VI gave to his home city. The Library is divided into an old section of 250,000 volumes, the Biblioteca Moderna with 100,000 volumes, the Mediateca, the Emeroteca and the Biblioteca dei Ragazzi.

Good to know

  • The Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena houses 350,000 volumes, including 287 incunabula, 1,753 manuscripts, 17,000 letters and 4,000 sixteenth-century printed books.
  • It is the only example of a humanist monastic library perfectly preserved, in both its buildings and its books.
  • The Library was built by Matteo Nuti, a pupil of Leon Battista Alberti, to whom the Aula del Nuti is dedicated.
  • The Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena holds the smallest book in the world that can be read without a magnifying glass.
  • In the large hall opposite the Malatestiana (the Biblioteca Piana), there are a further 5,000 volumes printed between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, along with other manuscripts.
  • The Biblioteca Piana houses an Evangeliary from 1104.

photo credits - Photo Emilia Romagna - Open Data Monuments - Marco Boschetti

More places in Cesena

Parco Archeologico del Colle GarampoThe site holds remains from the pre-Roman, Roman republican and Byzantine periods, along with traces of the medieval settlement.Read more
Piazza del PopoloPiazza del Popolo dates back to the 1400s. It is the main square of Cesena, home to the Fontana Masini, the Loggetta Veneziana, the Rocchetta di Piazza and the...Read more
Ponte VecchioThe bridge, originally made of wood, suffered damage several times over the years; in the fourteenth century it was replaced by a stone crossing, which was...Read more
Teatro BonciThe Teatro Bonci in Cesena opened in 1846. From the outset it was a reference point for opera and drama performers from across Italy.Read more

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