The issue considers the position that libraries occupy in some guidebooks of Northern and Center Italian cities between 1700 and 1800. These descriptions usually concern the book and reviews collections, origins, characteristics of the building, role of librarian and time opening, together with some other positive elements. The types of the pages illustrating libraries are different, especially depending on the interesting of authors in them, but – anyway – their presence is strong as

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... ns deserving high attention. Examining these guidebooks we find that libraries represented important point of reference both for citizens and for tourists: they usually had architectural and artistic virtues, they preserved ancient manuscripts and rare volumes but, also, they were fundamental structure for the spreading of knowledge, where the cultural heritage of Italy and Europe was available to people.