Dear readers,

Prepare to immerse yourselves in the silent, dusty corridors of Venice’s ancient libraries, where whispers of the past speak through pages yellowed with age. Venice is not just a city of canals and palaces, but also a sanctuary of historical knowledge preserved within its storied libraries.

One of the most precious gems is the Biblioteca Marciana, located opposite the San Marco basin. Founded in the 16th century, it houses one of the world’s most significant collections of manuscripts and incunabula, including treasures like the Codex Venetus and original works by Petrarch. Entering this library is like walking through the history of literature and human thought, surrounded by frescoes that adorn the ceiling and walls, the work of the greatest artists of the Venetian Renaissance.

No less fascinating is the Library of San Francesco della Vigna, hidden in a quiet cloister away from the well-trodden tourist paths. Here, among ancient leather bindings and creaking woods, one can hear the echoes of monks who once studied sacred and philosophical texts, seeking truth among the hand-written lines.

Another haven for book lovers is the Querini Stampalia Library, located in a palace dating back to the 1500s. This library is not just a place of conservation but an active cultural center that continues to influence Venice’s cultural life with exhibitions, lectures, and literary meetings, showing how the past and present can converse through books.

Exploring these libraries is like taking a journey through time, discovering stories of scholarship, intrigue, and passion that have spanned centuries. Every book, every manuscript is a portal to another world, to epochs long past that continue to influence the present.

I invite all of you, lovers of books and history, to lose yourselves among the shelves of these wonderful institutions, letting the whispers of the past guide you through centuries of knowledge.

Until our next discovery