Biblioteca Civica di Bassano del Grappa

Bassano del Grappa's Civic Library preserves manuscripts, early printed books and correspondence, including the papers of Antonio Canova and the Remondini printing family. Its collections grew from a bequest by naturalist Giovanni Battista Brocchi.

Why it matters

The library's holdings document the intellectual and cultural life of Bassano across several centuries. Among them are incunabula, sixteenth-century editions, illuminated manuscripts and a large correspondence collection.

What to notice

Canova's letters, writings, drawing albums and engravings entered the library in 1852. The collection also includes correspondence associated with the Gamba, Remondini and Brocchi families and scholars.

Context and history

Brocchi’s testament, published in 1828 after his death, left scientific and literary works, fossils, minerals and an herbarium to his native city. The library opened to the public in 1843, after moving with the pinacoteca to the former convent of San Francesco. It later incorporated other important collections and moved to its current premises in 2011.