The rooms of Palazzo Besso
Marco Besso Library
The Library is the real heart of the house; all the main environments converge there. Marco Besso wrote: “owning a real library, mine, in my house, this is the dream of my whole life… ..”. The wooden furnishings, made in 1907 by Fernando Loreti, cabinetmaker and carver of the Royal House of Savoy, together with the coffered ceiling with octagonal designs and the flooring, also wooden, create an environment of great charm both for the atmosphere determined by the uniqueness and the value of the material used, the wood of the stone pine, which for the design solutions adopted in the conception of the room: the alternation of the shelves that exploit the entire height of the environment, with the windows, the balcony with metal balustrade in Art Nouveau style, the connecting staircase between the two levels obtained in the thickness of the masonry, the perforated brass floor ventilation grilles and finally the furniture, coordinated with the fixed furniture, from the large central table, to the niches under the window, up to the tables on the balcony.
In a newsstand, the books written and edited by Marco Besso in their first and valuable editions are exhibited, including the Philobilblon of 1914, in the introduction of which Marco Besso anticipates the plan to leave his library, his private asset, for the benefit of of future generations ... hoping for the meekness of the times ...
The Library Hall is hosting its rich library collection starting oldest dall'incunabolo Diogenes Laertius in 1475. A large part of the collection is dedicated to the works of Dante Alighieri, whose image dominates everywhere in the room: the illuminated reproduction in bronze and alabaster of the monument dedicated to him in Trento, the work of Cesare Zocchi, in the gold effigies on the backs of the imposing wooden and leather armchairs, in the marble bust and finally, in the copies of the ampoule containing the oil and the votive lamp of the tomb of Dante in Ravenna.
The ampoule, the work of Giovanni Mayer, a true masterpiece, is supported by female figures, allegories of the cities of Trieste and Gorizia and the regions of Istria and Dalmatia. There are also many testimonies documenting the life of Marco Besso, including the photo of his visit to the construction site of the new Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali in Piazza Venezia in 1903 and that of Dante's musical evening, which took place in the current Conference Room in 1912. for the publication of his book La Fortuna di Dante out of Italy . Finally, it should be noted the right and functional choice of the location of the Library Room: the place is not reached by direct light for a better conservation of the books and has, at the same time, the right ventilation thanks to the gallery and the underfloor heating, true technological innovation
