This is an event of extraordinary significance for the Biblioteca Angelica, which is participating in one of the most important exhibitions dedicated to the birth of printing in Italy. The Roman institution is contributing one of its most precious items, the De Oratore (Subiaco, 1465), one of the first books printed in Italy.

The work will be on display at the National Library of the National Monument of Santa Scolastica, as part of the exhibition “Gutenberg in Subiaco – The Beginnings of Movable-Type Printing in Italy (1465–1467),” alongside the famous 42-line Bible, produced by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz in 1455 and on loan from the Vatican Apostolic Library.

To round out the exhibition, alongside the volume held by the Angelica Library, two other seminal Italian proto-incunabula will also be on display: the Lattanzio and the De Civitate Dei, which bear witness to the very earliest developments in printing in Italy between 1465 and 1467.

This initiative represents an important opportunity to highlight the historical and bibliographic heritage of the Angelica Library, placing it within a context of exceptional international significance and helping to spread knowledge about the origins of the printing culture in Italy.

The exhibition will open on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. and will be open to the public from March 21 to April 19, 2026, with continuous hours from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.