The Archive of the Istituto Mazziniano
The documentary collections preserved in the Istituto are a fundamental point of reference for historical research. Created by Arturo Codignola with criteria which no longer meet the dictates of contemporary archival theory (as entire series of documents were then taken from the Historical Archive of the Municipality), it was first catalogued with scientific rigour by Bianca Montale, when she was director of the Istituto Mazzini (1956-1970). In 2011, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the identification and computerised filing of documents was completed, sponsored by the Istituto in collaboration with and under the general supervision of the Archival Superintendency for Liguria, and entirely financed by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
Info: Consultation by appointment (from Tuesday to Saturday, ph. 010 5576430, museorisorgimento@comune.genova.it).
The Library of the Istituto Mazziniano
The library includes a rich bibliographic treasure, consisting of books, pamphlets, and journals. The most recurring themes are those related to the history of the Italian Risorgimento and, in particular, Giuseppe Mazzini and the main protagonists of the republican and democratic movement, as well as the history of the workers and the cooperative movement.
In 2012, the on-line cataloguing of all books in the Library was launched, in collaboration with the IT and Unified Catalogue Office of the Settore Biblioteche.
Info: Via del Seminario 10
For any information and specific requests for consultation, please send an email to museorisorgimento@comune.genova.it or call the phone number 010 5576430 from Tuesday to Saturday. External loans are not permitted.
The Biblioteca Popolare Giuseppe Mazzini
The people’s library contains periodicals, miscellanies and printed books from the 16th-20th centuries, for a total of about 25,000 historical, philosophical, scientific and literary pieces.
The Biblioteca Popolare was founded between 1905-1907, thanks to the establishment of a Consortium of People’s Libraries in Genoa: the result of an agreement between the People’s University, the Workers’ Confederation, the Chamber of Labour and the “Giuseppe Mazzini” Association.
Since 1925, it is located in an annexe of the Palazzo Rosso in Via Garibaldi 20. In the same year, the Council of the Consortium of People’s Libraries decided to transfer the library to the Municipality, under the obligation to convert Giuseppe Mazzini’s birthplace into a museum, which was eventually realised in 1934 with the creation of the Istituto Mazziniano.
On 26 June 1966, the People’s Library “Giuseppe Mazzini” was formed with a Board and a Statute. In 1991, the Municipality accepted the temporary storage of the library (City Council Resolution no. 2125 of 21 May 1991). In 1993, the Library (including furnishings and archival documents) was donated to the Municipality (Decision of the Prefectural Commissioner of the Municipality of Genoa dated 16 July 1993).
In 2012, in collaboration with the IT and Unified Catalogue Office of the Settore Biblioteche, a project to enhance the Library was launched. The first phase, consisting of the inventory of the library, was completed within the same year; in 2013, the second phase was launched, consisting of the inventory of all documents of the archive.
Until the end of the project, the People’s Library will be closed to the public.
The documents of the Istituto Mazziniano - Museo del Risorgimento, of the documentary fond of the Legato Itala Cremona Cozzolino, are available online, digitalised by the University of Milan - Maths Department, Prof. Simonetta Di Sieno -> http://www.luigi-cremona.it/
Info: For any information and specific requests for consultation, please send an email to museorisorgimento@comune.genova.it or call the phone number 010 5576430 from Tuesday to Saturday. External loans are not permitted.
