Biblioteca e pinacoteca Zelantea, Public library and art gallery in Acireale, Italy.
The Zelantea Library and Art Gallery occupies a Neoclassical palace designed by architect Mariano Panebianco in the early 20th century. The building holds an extensive collection of books, manuscripts, and artworks that draw researchers and art enthusiasts to explore its holdings.
The institution was founded in 1671 as the Accademia degli Zelanti and later merged with the Accademia Dafnica in 1934. This union shaped its current form and role as a repository of knowledge and artistic heritage.
The gallery's name comes from the Accademia degli Zelanti e dei Dafnici, a learned society founded in 1671 and still active; since a 1960 agreement, three of the five members of the library's supervisory commission represent the Academy. The picture gallery grew from the 1850 bequest of Acireale collector Paolo Leonardi Pennisi, opened to the public in 1915 and housed in the present rooms since 1919.
The building is easily accessible with clear signage for visitors exploring the collections. It is helpful to check in advance which areas are open to the public, as some sections may require prior arrangement or have limited access.
The marble bust found at Capomulini in 1675 was long identified as Julius Caesar, a label given in 1933; more recent research dates it to the mid-1st century BC and considers it anonymous. The same museum room holds a 19th-century Risorgimento tricolour flag and the old processional ferculum of San Michele.
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