Guided tours of the Graf Library

The "Arturo Graf" University Historical Library is located in the Rector's Palace of the University of Turin, built in 1720. It exercised the right of legal deposit until the Unification of Italy: a copy of every publication published in the Kingdom of Sardinia had to be deposited in the library, in order to preserve the cultural memory of the Kingdom. After unification, it was the only one among Italian academic libraries to have the title of National University Library.

A serious fire in 1904 and the bombings of the Second World War destroyed parts of the collections, which in 1973 were transferred to the current location of the National Library, in Piazza Carlo Alberto.

The Library, whose furnishings were rebuilt in the 1950s taking the model of those present at the time of the fire, remained as the library of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, and was subsequently awarded the title of Historical Library of the University, by virtue of its numerous collections.

The historic rooms of the Library, rebuilt as mentioned on the original model from the late 19th-early 20th century, with wooden shelves and galleries, house the documentary collections. Their story is told in guided tours, which can be booked by filling out this form module.

For more information  write to biblioteca.graf@unito.it(link sends e-mail)