Vittoriano
The war and a return to normalcy
After the dark years of WWII, the library thrived and its collections continued to grow
In the autumn of 1939, to safeguard its collection in light of Italy's imminent declaration of war, the library was transferred to the building which held the offices of the Royal Academy of Italy at Villa Farnesina, where it remained until 1947.
Villa Farnesina on Via della Lungara, headquarters of the Royal Academy of Italy from 1929 to 1944
The return of the collection to the original location was an opportunity to reorganise the way the rooms of Palazzo Venezia were used, equipping them with book shelves, elevated platforms and mezzanine levels to accommodate an ever-expanding library. Once the reorganisation was completed, in the 1950s, the library was given the bequests of Alfredo Dusmet, Ugo Monneret de Villard (1881-1954) and Giulio Quirino Giglioli (1866-1957).
The History of Art Hall including the stacks, walkways and mezzanine levels
