National Central Library of Florence, National library in Santa Croce district, Florence, Italy

The National Central Library of Florence occupies a light-tan stone building on Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, designed by Cesare Bazzani and inaugurated in 1935. Its facade carries the metal inscription BIBLIOTECA NAZIONALE CENTRALE above three arched openings, with two turret-like sections holding dark bronze statues and the words DIRITTO COMMERCIALE on the right. Inside, a domed ceiling is divided by pale grey carved ribs around a small amber-and-blue round window.

Antonio Magliabechi left his 30,000 volumes to Florence in 1714; the Magliabechiana opened to the public in 1747. In 1861 it merged with the Palatina to form the national library, and in 1885 it gained the title Centrale. The present building, designed by Cesare Bazzani, was begun in 1911 and inaugurated in 1935; the 1966 Arno flood damaged its holdings.

The library's name recalls Antonio Magliabechi, whose 1714 bequest of some 30,000 volumes to the city of Florence founded the collection; it opened to the public in 1747 as the Magliabechiana. Since 1870 it has received by legal deposit a copy of every work published in Italy. In 2026 the archive of comics historian Gianni Bono, some 800,000 items including original drawings and scripts, was donated to the library.

The building welcomes researchers and visitors without requiring special permits to access most areas and explore the collections. Plan to spend several hours here, wearing comfortable shoes, as navigating the different rooms and finding specific materials takes time.

In August 1944 retreating German troops used the library's large consultation-room windows and the niches of the Dante and Galilei statues as machine-gun nests, and fired at the reading-room clock for target practice. Director Anna Saitta Revignas stayed at her post through the evacuation order, then took refuge in the nearby Santa Croce convent. Returning on 11 August, she found two cases opened in the basement and nothing missing: the soldier had not recognised the writings of Foscolo.