The University of Florence has launched Impronte Digitali, a new digital library aimed at preserving and sharing rare historical materials held across its libraries.
Developed by the University Library System, the platform provides online access to more than 200,000 images. These represent around 4,000 digital objects organised into 15 documentary collections, three archival fonds, and ten historical journals.
Impronte Digitali is open to the public, not only to researchers and students. Users can access the platform at improntedigitali.unifi.it.
Rare books and historical collections
The digital library includes printed books, illustrated plates, drawings, and photographs. Advanced search and visualisation tools allow users to explore materials in detail.
Among the oldest works are 22 incunabula, early printed books produced at the end of the 15th century. Some are rare Latin editions preserved in very few, or even unique, copies.
The platform also features 18 manuscript volumes of statutes from municipalities and guilds. These date from the 16th to the 19th centuries and originate from the former Library of the College of Lawyers of Florence.
Scientific and cultural heritage
More than 100 volumes once owned by Vincenzo Viviani, Galileo Galilei’s last disciple, are included. The collection of physician and intellectual Antonio Cocchi, active in the early 18th century, is also available.
Scientific travel literature forms another section. Over 20 volumes relate to exploration narratives, including accounts of James Cook’s third voyage in the Pacific.
Impronte Digitali hosts digitised photographic archives from the Faculty of Agriculture. It also includes image collections linked to architects Piero Sanpaolesi and Francesco Rodolico.
Historic journals and exhibition
The platform offers access to important historical journals in science, history, and literature. These include Hermes, inspired by the aesthetics of Gabriele D’Annunzio, and Lacerba, a key publication of the Italian avant-garde.
To mark the launch, the university will host a travelling exhibition from 13 January to 10 February. The exhibition will move across eight university library locations.
Original volumes featured in the digital library will be displayed alongside their digital versions. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the relationship between physical heritage and its digital preservation.
![Guglielmo Libri, book thief was born on 1 January 1803. Por Alexis-Nicolas Noël (lithograph) - [1], Dominio público, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2560518](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Guglielmo_Libri_Carucci_dalla_Sommaja-300x300.jpg "On this day in history: birth of Guglielmo Libri - scholar and book thief")
