In this article, among the secrets of Rome, I would like to point out a real gem: the Angelica Library. Why should a library be so interesting that it is recommended by a local tour guide of the Eternal City? Because even places of culture of this kind exude history and are centuries old...

Located right next to the sixteenth-century basilica dedicated to Sant'Agostino (famous for being the church of the courtesans and for hosting an original work by Caravaggio), the Angelica Library is universally recognized as one of the very first public libraries to the world, founded at the beginning of the 17th century with the clear purpose of making public the written treasure it contains. We are speaking about 2,700 manuscripts in Latin or ancient Greek, about 20,000 sixteenth century (among the first works printed with the new printing techniques in the 16th century), about 1,000 incunabula (the first written works published in the second half of the 15th century with the new printing technique with movable type), plus another 20,000 loose texts. It all began with the bequest of Cardinal Rocca, an Augustinian, who donated his personal patrimony with the sole purpose of making it public, divulging it to all those who wished.

From the first nucleus, over time the collection has expanded thanks to other bequests and acquisitions. And still today, in this place almost out of time, with a truly rare quiet for modern times, students, scholars or curious people come here, to breathe the ancient and wise atmosphere of a place created specifically to make public knowledge. The main room smells of antiquity, in some way, considering the book collection but also the atmosphere that you breathe here. Also try to find a small hidden ladder used by the library staff to reach a mezzanine. There are secrets here too! The Angelica Library is therefore one of the surprises of Rome, not a monument or an archaeological area but a treasure trove of knowledge which, due to its centuries-old history, also becomes a point of reference for all those who want to see something outside the normal tourist circuits.