Bronte's City/Monuments - The Real Capizzi College, the library

The Capizzi College

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The Capizzi college

The ancient library of the Real College

Biblioteca del Collegio Capizzi, il «Fondo antico» The college library, organized as Temple of Knowledge, contains almost all the works that constituted the humanistic culture of the XVIII century.

After being been shut for over forty years, was reopened to the public only a few decades ago. Also this precious property exists for the will of the founder of the college.

When in 1767, by order of Ferdinand III , the Jesuits were chased out of Sicily, while everyone was trying to take possession of their State goods, to the Capizzi were given several volumes confiscated from the Company libraries of Palermo, very precious book property indeed, part of which is today kept into the College library.

The shelves, filled with over 21 thousand volumes, between scientific, literary, philosophical and theological texts, offer precious editions of very great interest that gives a clear testimony of the degree of culture reached in the life of the college.

Among the works of inestimable value is worth mentioning an

Aristotle of 1561,

a dictionary of Calepino typed in 1571 in the Manunzio's typography,

a splendid geographic atlas of 1692,

a treaty of astronomy of 1877,

a well preserved edition of the Canzoniere Of The Petrarca, dated 1527, the most ancient work of the collection,

a divine comedy printed in Venice in 1536 and

a considerable number of classical, Latin and Greek books who go from Svetonio (1548), to Senofonte (1581), to Tacito (1608).


The shelving of the "Fondo Antico" (Ancient Fund) of the Library was built in 1830 and designed by Don Carmelo Luca. The busts visible in the photos are of two illustrious Bronte citizens: Enrico Cimbali and Benedetto Radice. In the two photos after the title: the Ancient Fund of the library of the Real Collegio Capizzi today and in a photo from 1930; the "modern" part of the library is currently housed in a long corridor waiting for the internal Chapel of the College to be used as the library's headquarters.


Three books of particular value from the Ancient Collection: - *L'historia d'Italia* (The history of Italy) by M. Francesco Gvicciardini, Florentine gentleman, divided into twenty books (…) In Venetia, by Domenico Farri. 1586. The book was donated to the library by the historian Prof. Benedetto Radice. - De Libertate ecclesiastica tractatus Joannis Lupi, ... Ejusdem Tractatus dialogicus De confederatione principum et potentatum Una cum domande bus - Ex officina Joannis Petit, 1511. - A well-preserved edition of Petrarca's Canzoniere, dated 1568, among the oldest works in the collection: «The PETRARCA with the exposition of M. Alessandro Velutello, reprinted again with the Figures and the Triumphs, with the apostilles, and with more useful things added. In Venice with Nicolò Bevilacqua MDLXVIII».

Besides a historical archive of inestimable value, unique in Bronte, the library of the Capizzi College, contains over 20 thousand volumes.

There are also many Latin and Greek classics from Svetonio, twelve Caesars (1548) to works by Xenophont (1581), Tacitus, Velleious Paterculus, Plutark, Valerious Maximum (1557), Plinius (1741) Lucretius (1807), Ovidius (1806) and Sallustius (1813).

In the photos a few precious editions of really great interest:

the splendid geographic atlas of 1692 ("The Mercury guide or the Geographic Guide to all parts of the world", Printed in Rome at the Peace, with engraving by Antonio Barbey),

an image of Sicily taken from the atlas,

a volume of 1511 ("De Libertate ecclesiastical", by Joannis Lupi)

a very ancient volume in eastern tongue (photo on the right).

The Library of the Real Capizzi College, besides a priceless historical archive, holds over 21 thousand books scientiphic, literary, philosophical and theological, with Greek, Latin, Italian, English, Spanish, German and French texts. It is evident the high grade of culture reached in the centuries by the College and the level of scholastic formation that was there furnished.

In the shelves of the library is also preserved a copy of the "Teatro Contemporaneo" (Contemporary theatre) of Luigi Capuana, with autographic dedication of the writer (He had studied in the Capizzi college having as professor, among others, father Gesualdo De Luca): «at the library of the college of Bronte as little expiation of all my escapades of collegiate. Mineo, April 7th, 1872».

The Library Of The Real Capizzi College is generally open every day from 9 AM to 1 PM.

Responsible for the library is Franco Cimbali, who, from his illustrious ancestors (the brothers Enrico, Eduardo, and Giuseppe) inherited the passion for books with the fussiness and the historian' s precision in his continuous archive searches on the history of his country town.
His phone number at the Library is: 095691008. Can be contacted during the hours of opening. Franco Cimbali is also one of the authors of the Bronte Insieme texts.

Il tomo primo del Mercurio Geografico (1692)

«Mercurio Geografico or geographical guide to all parts of the World, according to the Tables of Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola, Geographer of the Sereniss. Signor Duca di Modana, engraved by Antonio Barbey, published under the direction and care of Domenico De Rossi Heir of Gio Giacomo De Rossi in his Printing House in Rome at the Peace with Privilege of the Supreme Pontiff and License of the Superiors the Year 1692. First and second volume»

The precious work is a collection of double geographical maps, hand-colored in different formats, depicting the main European and Italian states, courses of the most important rivers and also Asia, Africa and America published in Rome between 1660 and 1730 by the De Rossi typography which was therefore progressively enriched. The two volumes in the Library of the College are dated 1692. The maps were mostly created by Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola (1643-1695), an important 17th century cartographer who worked for Francesco II Duke of Modena, together with Michel-Antoine Baudrand and Nicolas Sanson.

Another precious book known throughout the world: «CANTO PRIMO DEL LA PRIMA CANTICA O VERO COMEDY DEL DIVINO POETA FIORENTINO DANTHE ALEGHIERI» - The Divine Comedy with engravings printed in Venice in 1536 ("in Vineggia per M. Bernandino Stagnino") with commentary by Cristoforo Landino. Rare volume with woodcut illustrations at the beginning of each canto.

The library also preserves all the works (in the various editions) of the Bronte philosopher Nicola Spedalieri, as well as many of his precious manuscripts and autographed letters, manuscripts and papers of the Cimbali brothers and a precious newspaper library with entire years of newspapers, journals and periodicals from the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century.

It still preserves manuscripts and letters of the Ven. Ignazio Capizzi and Cardinal Antonino Saverio De Luca, among which the “Religious and political history of Ireland”, long awaited at the time by the religious community and scholars across the Channel, which however never saw the light.

Translated by Sam Bella

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