Gabinetto Vieusseux
The Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario G. P. Vieusseux, founded in 1819 by Giovan Pietro Vieusseux, a Protestant merchant from Geneva, is a library in Florence, Italy. It played a vital role in linking the culture of Italy with that of other European countries in the 19th century, and also became one of the chief reference points for the Risorgimento movement.

It began as a reading room that provided leading European periodicals for Florentines and visitors from abroad in a setting that encouraged conversation and the exchange of ideas. A circulating library with the latest publications in Italian, French and English was installed next to the reading room.

Giacomo Leopardi and Alessandro Manzoni frequented the "Gabinetto Vieusseux" when they were in Florence, as did Stendhal, Schopenhauer, J. F. Cooper, Thackeray, Dostoevsky, George Gissing, Mark Twain, Émile Zola, André Gide, Kipling, Aldous Huxley and D. H. Lawrence.
The institute was run privately by the Vieusseux family until 1919 when it became a foundation with a governing body headed by the Mayor of Florence or one of his delegates.

Its work continued in the 20th century under the direction of distinguished men of letters such as Bonaventura Tecchi, Eugenio Montale and, for forty years, Alessandro Bonsanti, who set up three new departments: the Laboratory for the conservation of books damaged in the 1966 flood, the Centro Romantico, specializing in studies in romanticism and the 19th century, and the Archivio Contemporaneo, now named after Bonsanti, which houses manuscripts, private papers and private libraries donated by leading figures in 20th-century culture. The library continues to expand according to the criteria laid down by its founder.

The institute also organizes meetings, conferences and exhibitions throughout the year; in 1995 the quarterly review founded by Bonsanti in 1966 “Antologia Vieusseux” (new series) resumed publication.
Q930825
Giovan Pietro Vieusseux
ORG
Q215536
merchant
Concept
Q71
Geneva
LOC
Q2044
Florence
LOC
Q38
Italy
LOC
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Europe
LOC
Q51122
Risorgimento
Concept
Q1002697
periodical
Concept
Q652
Italian
Concept
Q150
French
Concept
Q1860
English
Concept
Q7075
reading room
Concept
Q172599
Giacomo Leopardi
PER
Q1064
Alessandro Manzoni
PER
Q502
Stendhal
PER
Q38193
Schopenhauer
PER
Q167856
J. F. Cooper
PER
Q167768
Thackeray
PER
Q991
Dostoevsky
PER
Q369790
George Gissing
PER
Q7245
Mark Twain
PER
Q504
Émile Zola
PER
Q47484
André Gide
PER
Q34743
Kipling
PER
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Aldous Huxley
PER
Q34970
D. H. Lawrence
PER
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governing body
Concept
Q30185
Mayor
Concept
Q660260
Bonaventura Tecchi
PER
Q83174
Eugenio Montale
PER
Q3609870
Alessandro Bonsanti
PER
Q333349
1966 flood
LOC
Q930825
Gabinetto Vieusseux
ORG
1819-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1819
DATE
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1966
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1966
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inception
country