Description
The birth of the Municipal Library “Nannino Di Giovanni” dates back to 1867, the year in which the Government Commissioner Salvatore Montesante requested to obtain the book heritage from the abolished religious corporations which was transferred to a room in the Municipality.
In 1881 the Library was moved to the premises of the Gymnasium and named after the jurist Francesco De Luca and enriched by donations from illustrious local figures, including the Nicolacis and the Picardis.
In 1957, a commission was appointed to establish the Municipal Library, which only resumed operations in 1961. It was officially inaugurated on April 7, 1962.
In 1975, the Library was moved to its current, spacious premises in the Art Nouveau villa on Via Regina Margherita and named after Giovanni Di Giovanni, a reserve lieutenant of the 42nd Infantry Regiment, born in 1892 in Messina and died of illness on April 25, 1917 in Condino. His father Francesco donated these premises to the Municipality of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto so that a library can be made out of it.
The villa, the residence of the lawyer Francesco Di Giovanni, was built according to a 1913 design by engineer L. Zancla. The Di Giovanni family crest adorns the entrance to the main façade. Part of the garden and the carriage house have been replaced by the new wing of the Library. In the garden, in addition to several statues from ancient villas, there is a valuable amphora with the city coat of arms, a testament to the skill of Barcellona craftsmen in working clay. The garden also houses a bronze plaque commemorating the sacrifice of Arcodaci Paolo and Arcodaci Valerio and their fellow citizens who fell in war.
The Library's holdings were increased by works purchased with state, regional, and municipal funding, but the most significant contribution to its enrichment came from the substantial donation of 10.000 volumes from school inspector Corrado Perricone in 1975, covering a variety of subject areas, and the subsequent acquisition of the 4995-volume collection from ISES (Institute for the Development of Social Housing).
In 1996 the municipal library “Nannino Di Giovanni"establishes a section dedicated to its ancient book collection. The ancient texts, previously stored in warehouses along with a wide variety of publications, after being organized and registered, are subjected to a cataloguing process that has further highlighted their importance, both from a bibliographical perspective and as an element of the city's historical reconstruction.
In 2006-2007, donations followed first from the lawyer Michele Rabbito (approximately 350 volumes) and then from Dr. Ercole Bravi (approximately 2000 volumes).
In 2016, the Library joined the SBR (Regional Library Service). In 2018, the Women's Library was inaugurated, a section dedicated to women, named after Adelasia del Vasto, wife of Roger the Norman. This choice was influenced by an important historical circumstance linked to the Barcelona area. Indeed, with the Diploma of 1105, Adelasia fulfilled the wishes of her husband, who had since passed away, to rebuild the Basilian Monastery of Gala, whose 7th-century church was in poor condition and in need of restoration or reconstruction. Again in 2021, the Corda Fratres of Barcelona donated part of its library, consisting of approximately 1000 volumes.
In 2024, the donation from the Fazio-Gregorio family further enriched the Library's book collection.
As of today (July 2025) the Municipal Library “Nannino Di Giovanni” boasts a book collection of approximately 55.000 volumes, as well as a collection of periodicals, making it one of the largest in the province of Messina.
The Library also houses: the first banner of the Municipality of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, contemporary with the installation of the Democratic City Council a few months after the victory of Milazzo, some archaeological finds dating back to the 10th century BC and coming from the archaeological excavations conducted in the area of Pizzo Lando and Monte S. Onofrio following the discoveries of the architect Pietro Genovese, an 18th century canvas depicting the portrait of the Spanish philanthropist Giovanni, two paintings of great artistic value by Nino Randazzo, two sculptures donated by the artist Salvatore De Pasquale, a painting by Nino Leotti, one by the master Iris Isgrò, some paintings by the Barcellona poet Bartolo Cattafi, a bas-relief by Giordano Bruno, found in 2008 in the municipal warehouses, initially placed at the entrance of the "Circolo Unione" located in Palazzo Fazio in Piazza San Sebastiano and subsequently removed because it was vandalized and copies of Placido's musical scores were made Mandanici.
