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Massimo Listri

Included among the 180,000 items in Oxford’s Codrington Library are manuscripts dating from the 11th century and memorabilia of Laurence of Arabia. Closed the public, the library is open by application only to bona fide scholars and Oxford students.

Founded in 1688, Biblioteca Civica principally houses medical and science texts bequeathed by physican Romolo Spezioli. Housed in the Globe Room, the library has been open to the public since its inception and can be visited as a complement to the main museum.

The Library of Trinity College, founded in 1592, receives nearly one million visitors a year. The main draw is a famed medieval text, The Book of Kells, housed within the Long Room where the library’s 200,000 oldest books are stored. Visitors can see both on a self-guided tour, open daily.

The library at the active Kremsmünster Abbey holds a large number of incunabula (books printed before the year 1501), and the Codex Millenarius, an 8th-century book containing all four Gospels. Tours in English take in the abbey's imperial hall, the treasure chamber, the famed Tassilo chalice, and the library. Visitors must book in advance.

The Baroque Joanina library is home to 70,000 volumes—and a colony of bats. The bug-eating creatures have done their part to keep the collection free from pests since at least the 19th century, and librarians there have done their part to accommodate them. To catch a glimpse, try visiting just before closing time on a rainy afternoon.

A fire in 2012 broke out in one of the oldest galleries of the Biblioteca Palatina. Fortunately, most of its impressive collection was spared. Of its 708,000 works, the library contains one of the oldest surviving Jewish collections in the world, and original letters by Galileo, Machiavelli, Martin Luther, and Guiseppe Verdi.

The Duke d'Aumale was a passionate bibliophile. His private collection of 60,000 volumes includes major works of medieval art, manuscripts dating to the 11th century, and ”The King of Manuscripts,” reputed to be the most precious and beautiful in the world. Visitors can access digital versions for free.

Opened to the public in 1780, the Biblioteca Teresiana still operates as a public library. Visitors should note the historic library is located within the building—just ask the staff to access it.

The Mafra National Palace was once a royal convent. Its library, completed in 1730, contains over 35,000 leather-bound volumes amassed by royal commission. In 1745, the Pope granted the library special permission to house the so-called forbidden books. The library is open only to researchers and scholars with “justification” and a prior appointment.

The current library carries a double name owing to the origin of its collection. When the Italian state established a new seat for the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the original Corsiniana library bequeathed its collection to the academy. The library is open to the public and offers guided tours.