On Porta Sole Hill, the highest of the city, within the Conestabile della Staffa Palace, there’s the Municipal Library Augusta, one of the most ancient public library in Italy.
Started in 1582 with the donation of his private book collection by the Peruginian humanist Prospero Podiani to the Municipality of Perugia, it has been open to the public without interruption since 1623. For the richness of its gatherings and funds it is today a research place at national and International level
Manuscripts, incunabulums, cinquecentine (books printed during the XVI Century), books printed from the 1600 to the 1830, engravings and geographical maps, historic periodicals, make of it the most important historic and preservation Library in Umbria.
In 1849, Palazzo Connestabile became home to the Princess Maria Bonaparte Valentini daughetr of Luciano, brother of Napoleon and wife of the Count Valentini, Minister of Finance of the Roman Republic of 1848. Maria Bonaparte started here a renown “salotto”, that became a gathering place for exponents of the Liberal and Patriotic Movement of the city and was attended by a great number of scholars and academicians.
The collection, with manuscripts of high value, incunabulum, cinquecentines, historica periodicals, has been enlarged, since the second half of the XIX Century, with the acquisitions of several funds - Conestabile della Staffa, Fabretti, Bonacci Brunamonti, Presidio militare, Silvestri, Gurrieri, Pizzoni, Guardabassi, Binni, Lipinsky and others - acquisitions that render it today the most important historical preservation Library in Umbria .
It contains all publications of the provincial of Perugia, as compulsory. In this way antiquity and modernity combine themselves, rendering the Augusta a place for students, researchers and readers, who can browse around a library to be discovered, heart and memory of Perugia, main holder of historic and cultural documentation of the city.
The Library is wheelchair accessible.
Opening hours Monday - Friday 8.30 am -6.30 pm |Saturday 9.00 am -1.00 pm
Info: tel. +39 0755772500
email: contatti
Address: via delle Prome, 15 - 06122 Perugia