Biblioteca Reale di Torino (Royal Library of Turin), Turin

Biblioteca Reale di Torino (Royal Library of Turin), Turin

The Royal Library of Turin (Italian: Biblioteca Reale di Torino) is a library located within the ground floor of the Royal Palace of Turin.

The library contains approximately 200,000 print volumes, 4,500 manuscripts, 3,055 drawings, 187 incunabula predating 1501, 5,019 sixteenth century books, 20,987 pamphlets, 1,500 woks on parchment, 1,112 periodicals, and 400 photo albums, maps, engravings, and prints.

Since his ascent to the throne of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1831, king Charles Albert wished to boost the cultural standing of the nation, and he did so through the introduction of a series of reforms and the establishment of a number of institutions. The library was then founded in 1842 as one of such institutions, with one of its aims being that of grouping and safeguarding manuscripts collected by the House of Savoy.

The library was fitted out by painter and decorator Pelagio Palagi. In 1893 a Russian collector by the name of Theodore Sabachnikoff donated Leonardo da Vinci's Codex on the Flight of Birds to the library's collection as a gift to the king. Further works by Leonardo held by the library include his presumed self-portrait, his study for the angel in his Virgin of the Rocks, and his study for the angel in Verrocchio's The Baptism of Christ.

In 1998, an underground exhibition room was crafted to safely display the collection to the public with the most up-to-date museum technologies.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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Biblioteca Reale di Torino (Royal Library of Turin) on Map

Sight Name: Biblioteca Reale di Torino (Royal Library of Turin)
Sight Location: Turin, Italy (See walking tours in Turin)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Turin, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Turin

Create Your Own Walk in Turin

Creating your own self-guided walk in Turin is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Turin Introduction Walking Tour

Turin Introduction Walking Tour

A Roman colony called Julia Augusta Taurinorum was established in 28 BC. Today the city known as Turin is the capital city of the Piedmont region of Italy. The Romans planned the town as a grid. Garibaldi Street (via Garibaldi) today follows the pattern of the Roman north-south street.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Turin was occupied in turn by Ostrogoths, Lombards, and the Franks of...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Coffee, Food and Chocolate Tour in Turin

Coffee, Food and Chocolate Tour in Turin

Among other things, the capital of Italy's Piedmont region – Turin – is well known for its rich culinary tradition, which includes long-standing coffee and chocolate culture. There are several cafes and coffee houses in the city that have been in business for hundreds of years.

The most notable of them are found in the historic heart of the city, such as the Caffè al Bicerin....  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles