Explore Rome’s most charming bookstores, stunning libraries, and lively book bars in this curated guide for bibliophiles and cultural travelers.
If you want a taste of a literary scene that stretches back literal millennia, what better place to visit than Rome?
Biblioteca Casanatense
Founded in 1701, Biblioteca Casanatense is a historic public library in Rome. It began with Cardinal Girolamo Casanate, who wanted to donate his personal collection of 25,000 volumes to the public. That collection has since grown to roughly 400,000, including thousands of manuscripts and rare editions from the 1500s.
The library’s main features are its reading rooms and its Monumental Hall, and not only are there a lot of fascinating artifacts (like antique globes of both the Earth and the constellations), but a surprisingly subtle Baroque design that is beautiful and elegant without being ostentatious.
Address: Via di S. Ignazio, 52, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
Reading Rooms:
September 16 to June 30
– Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 8:30AM – 4PM
– Tuesday & Thursday: 8:30AM – 6PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
July 1 to September 15
– Monday to Friday: 8:30AM – 4PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Monumental Hall and Museum Collections:
– Monday to Friday: 10AM – 4PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Library of Archeology and History Of Art
Rome’s Library of Archeology and History Of Art, also known as BiASA, is a top-notch public research library for archaeology and art history originating from the late 19th century.
As you might expect from such a prestigious establishment, it is replete with classical architecture—not to mention the hundreds of thousands of volumes, periodicals, and visual items (graphics, photographs, and so on) related to archaeology and art history alike.
Address: Piazza Venezia, 3, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 8:30AM – 6:30PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
laFeltrinelli
Curious about Italian bookstore chains? Try laFeltrinelli. Specializing in both books and music, it offers a wide range of products both online and in-store. You can find bestselling titles in Italian, English, and other languages, along with music on CDs and vinyl, games, stationery, and much more.
One of its Roman outlets near Largo di Torre Argentina is especially notable for its spacious interiors and modern arched galleries, calling back to traditional architecture while keeping the design sleek and contemporary.
Address: Largo di Torre Argentina, 5/A, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Saturday: 9AM – 8:30AM
– Sunday: 10AM – 8:30PM
Spazio Sette Libreria
This is a store we’ve visited before, and for good reason. Spazio Sette Libreria is a three‑story independent bookshop that also houses a café, event space, and the kind of gorgeous frescoed ceiling you’d expect to find in the Sistine Chapel.
Spazio offers a curated range of fiction, nonfiction, art, and photography titles in Italian, plus a decently sized English‑language section. The café has a relaxed atmosphere, and it’s common for the third floor to host cultural events like author meets and book presentations.
Address: Via dei Barbieri, 7, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 10:30AM – 8PM
Libreria Fahrenheit 451
Named after Ray Bradbury’s novel and seated near Campo de Fiori, Libreria Fahrenheit 451 has been chugging along since 1989. It carries new and rare Italian books, with a strong focus on the arts, cinema, photography, theater, and smaller or independent local publishers.
It has a chill, bohemian vibe where you can expect to find yourself surrounded by titles you’d never find in a mainstream store. Great for discovering hidden gems.
Address: P.za Campo de’ Fiori, 44, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday: 4PM – 8PM
– Tuesday to Saturday: 10AM – 1:30PM & 4PM – 8PM
– Sunday: 11AM – 2PM & 4PM – 8PM
Altroquando – Libreria e Pub
Liven things up with a visit to one of the hippest book bars in Rome. Altroquando was founded in 2002 with a bookstore on the ground floor and a pub in the basement. Its book collection is mostly Italian, with a strong focus on cinema, photography, theater, and art‑related titles alongside a wide selection of children’s books and comics.
Downstairs, the small underground pub serves craft beer, wine, cocktails, and light food. It also regularly hosts live music, author talks, readings, and other events that draw crowds. It’s a great place to hang and bask in modern Roman culture.
Address: V. del Governo Vecchio, 82, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Wednesday: 10:30AM – 12AM
– Thursday: 10:30AM – 12:30AM
– Friday: 10:30AM – 1:30AM
– Saturday: 10AM – 1:30AM
– Sunday: 10AM – 12AM
Otherwise Bookshop
A basement pub isn’t the only pot Altroquando has its finger in. It also partnered with the Italian‑American publisher Europa Editions to create Otherwise Bookshop. This shop specializes in English‑language contemporary and classic literature, nonfiction, and books for children and young adults. There are also some titles in French and Italian. Basically, there is something for everyone.
You get a nice taste of the pub vibe in the indoor neon sign announcing the store’s name, but for the most part, it has a cozy and chill vibe.
Address: V. del Governo Vecchio, 80, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 10AM – 11PM
– Tuesday: 11AM – 11PM
– Friday & Saturday: 10AM – 12AM
– Sunday: 10AM – 11:30PM
Biblioteca Vallicelliana
Biblioteca Vallicelliana has been around for a while. It grew from the collection linked to Saint Filippo Neri and the Congregation of the Oratory in the late 16th century, and got even bigger thanks to some later scholarly donations. The library now preserves around 130,000 items, including about 3,000 Latin, Greek, and Oriental manuscripts.
And yes, it is everything you’d hope for from a historic Roman library in that it has some impressively detailed sculptures and intricately designed ceilings with eight-pointed stars and frescoes.
Address: Via della Chiesa Nuova, 18, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday, Tuesday, & Friday: 8:15AM – 3PM
– Wednesday & Thursday: 8:15AM – 7PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Antica Libreria Cascianelli
Libraries aren’t the only historic book places, of course. A prime example is Antica Libreria Cascianelli, one of Rome’s oldest bookshops, having been around since the early 19th century. It sells rare books, antiques, artwork, and prints, and fellow bibliophiles will be delighted to learn it even has a secret bookcase door that opens to hidden rooms.
It maintains its old-world feel, with many antiques spilling over the countertops, each with its own unique charm.
Address: Largo Febo, 15, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Saturday: 11AM – 8PM
– Sunday: 12PM – 2PM & 4PM – 8PM
Biblioteca Angelica
Not too far from Piazza Navona stands Biblioteca Angelica, one of Europe’s earliest public libraries. It was opened to all from 1604 and founded by Augustinian bishop Angelo Rocca, merging his 20,000-volume private collection with the convent’s.
Although it’s not huge, it has a very impressive interior design, with a high arched ceiling and massive wooden bookcases lining the walls. The book collection has grown a lot from its inception, reaching roughly 200,000 volumes.
Address: P.za di S. Agostino, 8, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 9AM – 1:30PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
BiblioBar Roma
BiblioBar Roma is an outdoor riverside café‑bar just in front of Castel Sant’Angelo. In some ways, it resembles an outdoor food stand since it’s so close to a major walkway and tourist spot, but the proudly displayed bookshelves and covered patio make it clear that it’s quite a bit more than that.
It has a relaxed vibe, selling beverages aplenty alongside pastries, light meals, and charcuterie boards. It carries mostly modern and secondhand books, mainly in Italian, but a few in English, and you can read on the spot or borrow via a small lending system.
Address: Lungotevere Castello, 00193 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Sunday to Thursday: 7:30AM – 9:30PM
– Friday & Saturday: 7:30AM – 1:30AM
Biblioteca dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana Library
This library is located in Palazzo Corsini and is part of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. However, observant readers will have noticed that the library’s name includes both Lincei and Corsiana. This is because in 1883, the then-privately owned Royal Corsiniana Library was donated to the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
Today, the library has three main sections (Corsiniana, Academic, and the Historical Archive), but the quick version: this place is gorgeous. Gilded ceilings, marble pillars, and intricate detailing pretty much everywhere you turn.
Address: Palazzo Corsini, Via della Lungara, 10, 00165 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday & Friday: 9AM – 2PM
– Tuesday to Thursday: 9AM – 5PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Almost Corner Bookshop
This long‑running English‑language bookshop started in the 1990s and took its name after moving slightly from its original actual “corner” spot. It’s popular among expats, students, and anglophone readers, featuring both new and secondhand books, especially fiction, travel, history, and classics, including titles focused on Italy and Rome.
Staff know their stock and are always happy to recommend a good book or two. It has a friendly vibe, even hosting things like poetry readings every now and then.
Address: Via del Moro, 45, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Sunday: 12PM – 7PM
Librairie Trastevere
Librairie Trastevere is (where else?) in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood, near the famous cat sanctuary at Piazza di San Cosimato. It offers a varied selection of books in Italian and English, as well as maps, postcards, vintage movie posters, and stationery.
The exterior has an understated look, with its wooden door set in a stone building, but inside, its atmosphere is clean and relaxed. Stepping within makes for a quiet escape from the bustle outside.
Address: Via della Lungaretta, 90/e, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Sunday to Thursday: 11AM – 10PM
– Friday & Saturday: 11AM – 11PM
Open Door Bookshop
We’re not done with English‑language bookshops. Open Door has been around since the 70s, selling secondhand books in English, Italian, French, and some Spanish. It has always catered to foreign readers, including both travelers and expats, as well as students hoping to expand their language skills.
The shop is known for its cozy, browse‑friendly shelves and wide mix of fiction, nonfiction, and occasional antiquarian finds.
Address: Via della Lungaretta, 23, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday: 4PM – 8PM
– Tuesday to Saturday: 10:30AM – 2:30PM & 3:30PM – 7:30PM
– Sunday: Closed
Libreria Caffè Bohémien
Libreria Caffè Bohémien is a small, boho‑chic book café and wine bar that mixes a cozy reading space with art books and magazines. The interior is filled with comfortable vintage armchairs and shelves that give it a real “literary salon” sort of vibe. Guests are free to browse or buy from the book collection, which is primarily in Italian.
On the café/bar side of things, you can find wines, craft beer, cocktails, and tea. It also offers light bites, including some vegan options.
Address: Via degli Zingari, 36, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 5:30PM – 1:30AM
– Friday & Saturday: 6PM – 2AM
– Tuesday: Closed
Libreria Rotondi
This bookshop opened in 1941 by Amedeo Rotondi, a scholar and spiritual‑esoteric writer, and the book collection very much follows in the spirit of that, filling shelves with texts on esoteric, philosophical, religious, and occult topics. On top of that, it also has rare, out‑of‑print, and antique volumes on history, literature, and the humanities.
It has regular events throughout the year, focusing mainly on esoteric subjects, covering everything from magic squares and their roots in history to spirituality and religions from around the world.
Address: Via Merulana, 82, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Saturday: 10:30AM – 1:30PM & 4:30PM – 7:30PM
– Sunday: Closed
Libraccio Roma (IBS+Libraccio)
Here’s another bookstore chain—this one combining the famous Italian online store IBS and Libraccio, which has outlets all over Italy and four in Rome alone. And its branch on Via Nazionale is especially spectacular, with a broad, sweeping layout, elegant banisters, and intricate Roman-style indoor columns.
Whether you are searching online or visiting the physical store, you will find a huge range of stock: books, both new and used, in multiple languages, as well as stationery, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, comic books, and even games.
Address: Via Nazionale, 254/255, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Saturday: 10AM – 8PM
– Sunday: 10AM – 1:30PM & 4PM – 7:30PM
Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History
Bibliotheca Hertziana at the Max Planck Institute for Art History presents quite a majestic blend of historic architecture and modern design, with an exterior featuring grand balconies and columns, and a sleek, asymmetrical atrium inside, all the while showcasing well-preserved frescoes on walls and ceilings.
The book collection holds thousands of specialist volumes and over a million photographs and digital images on topics from the Middle Ages to contemporary art and architecture.
Address: Via Gregoriana, 30, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Friday: 9AM – 7PM
– Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Assaggi Bookstore and Cafe
This independent bookshop‑café (which is sometimes called Tomo Libreria Cafe) began as a science‑focused bookstore and still offers a strong selection of scientific and specialist nonfiction, plus some literature for funsies, all in Italian. (When in Rome, amiright?)
The attached café serves coffee, light meals, and even a few vegan options. It has a calm, laptop‑friendly atmosphere (for science!), so don’t be surprised to see students and remote workers hanging around.
Address: Via degli Etruschi, 4, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday to Saturday: 10AM – 8PM
– Sunday: Closed
Giufà Library Coffee
Finally, we have a book café that opened 20 years ago, Giufà Library Coffee. It has a noted focus on graphic novels, comics, and illustrated albums for all ages, as well as a curated selection of contemporary Italian and international fiction.
The space is well-lit with nice splashes of color that keep it feeling bright and welcoming. It has a warm, intimate vibe, with bookshelves lining the walls and the café-bar at one end, stocked with coffee, tea, and plenty of wines.
Address: Via degli Aurunci, 38, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
Opening hours:
– Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 9:30AM – 9PM
– Tuesday: 2:30PM – 9PM
– Friday & Saturday: 9:30AM – 10:30PM
– Sunday: 3PM – 8:30PM
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K Lou
K. Lou is a writer born in the U.S. who found her way to Japan through a spiritual calling—or, more precisely, better access to tea. She writes about travel, culture, and the occasional creative piece, inspired by her enduring love of books. This love began in high school when K. Lou carried books around to avoid seeming odd while lost in thought. Once she started reading, she never stopped. With zero regrets, she continues to explore the written word and invites others to join her in celebrating its varied forms.
