The Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale or National Central Library of Florence is just that - a library. To enter during most hours you have to have a specific card that I expect only residents of Florence can apply for and obtain. For a couple of hours on Saturdays you may be able to book a tour, but it may be in mostly Italian depending on who the guide is. At one time, the library held a copy of every book published in Tuscany, but a flood in 1966 damaged approximately 1/3 of the library's collection. Many of these works were saved by the "Mud Angels" a team of volunteers that worked tirelessly to clean and dry all of the damaged works. It is the largest library in Italy and one of the most important in Europe and located along the banks of the Arno river. Unfortunately since we visited during a weekday, we were not able to enter and had to admire the exterior of the building rather than marvel at the works inside.

We tried to enter as the building looked nice and I wanted to just peek inside and perhaps escape some heat. We tried and tried to go inside but couldn’t figure it out. I don’t think it is even open anymore.