I am a huge reader but don't want to lug a ton of books with me to Italy and risk losing them. Does anyone have any experience visiting the public library in Rome (or in Italy in general)? The one I found is the National Central Library of Rome but the website is not very helpful to me(http://www.bncrm.librari.beniculturali.it/). Are there any other public libraries? Do they require a library card and if so, are non-Italian citizens allowed to get one? Are there computers? Any other comments or exeriences would be helpful. Thanks!
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1601 posts
How about buying a kindle or other eReader and downloading books. An alternate is what my wife does - she buys second hand books and then leaves them in the hotels once she is done with it.
Posted by
Austin, TX, USA
492 posts
If you are staying at a smaller hotel or B&B, email them and ask if they have a book area. Our last trip we stayed at a smaller B&B and they had a table where people had left some books, we left one or two for the "library" on our way out.
Posted by
Mpls, MN
1005 posts
The apt. we rented in Florence last summer had a huge assortment of books, including travel books, that people had left behind. I always bring a book or two from home along with our guide books. As a previous poster stated, maybe pick up some used books and leave them behind. I don't know anything about checking out books in an Italian library but I would pack a few bks. from home or buy a kindle/e-reader before I would waste precious time tracking down a library in Rome. Who knows what they would have available in English. Good Luck and buon viaggio!
Posted by
Newburyport, MA
683 posts
You can most likely buy 15 or 20 books there for what a Kindle would cost you. We noticed that English-language books were not as common but also that magazines such as Nat Geo were widely so. They are editions in Italian,French and German but the aricles are so formulaic that you fimd yourself reading and understanding (at least ALMOST understanding)
Posted by
Peterborough, ON, Canada
1634 posts
I work in a pubic library and generally libraries will not sign up people without a true local address because they cannot track you for overdues. One of our staff members visits libraries when she travels out of interest and sometimes asks for a card (not linked to a registration, only a physical card) as a souvenir. I second the suggestion of a kindle or used books you can leave behind as you go.
Posted by
Morrison, CO, USA
893 posts
I generally buy a few paperback books at used book stores and/or garage sales and amazon to take. I leave them in the hotels as I finish them. This method has always worked for me. Last trip I had 3 paperbacks with me that I had paid less than $1 each for at garage sales. They turned out to be my favorites!