A walking stick, a wooden ladder leaning against the bookshelves, and Peanuts miniatures. And an amulet that no one would ever guess: dog testicles. These are the objects that accompanied Umberto Eco in his most secret room, and which, since 2022, have been keeping his rare books company in the reconstructed Studiolo at the Braidense Library in Milan.
A reinforced attic and no telephone: what Eco’s home in Piazza Castello was like
When he was looking for a home in the early 1990s, Eco had only one requirement: space for his books. He chose a ring-shaped apartment overlooking the castle, and before moving in, he had the floor reinforced so it could support the weight of the bookshelves.
At the end of the hallway was a small room with a tiny balcony. He called it the “Semiological, Curious, Capricious, Magical, and Pneumatic Library,” and neither a telephone nor a computer was allowed inside. He would spend hours there alone, and almost every day he played the flute.
Magic, Alchemy, and Witch Hunters: The Rare Books Born from the Success of *The Name of the Rose*
The novel’s success brought Eco unexpected wealth. He decided to spend it on rare books.
The result is one of Milan’s lesser-known curiosities: today, the Braidense houses 36 incunabula—that is, books printed before 1500. Among them is the *Hypnerotomachia Poliphili*, printed by Aldo Manuzio in 1499.
And there is the *Malleus Maleficarum* from 1492, the witch hunters’ manual.
1,300 books in Brera, 32,500 in Bologna: why Eco’s collection was divided
After Eco’s death in 2016, his family could not decide between Milan and Bologna, where he had taught for over thirty years.
James Bradburne, then director of Brera, proposed a compromise: the antique books to the Braidense, the modern ones to the university.
Bologna opened them to the public at Palazzo Poggi on July 1, 2026.
The Eco Collection at the Braidense arrived in 73 boxes. Each book has returned to exactly where it stood in his home: Eco arranged them according to the “rule of the good neighbor,” whereby the book you need is the one next to the book you’re looking for.
How to see Eco’s books in Brera: hours, admission, and how to get there
The exhibition *The Island of the Day Before: Books, Seas, and Machines of Knowledge*, one of this season’s temporary exhibitions at the Braidense, is on view in the Maria Teresa Hall.
The exhibition features 70 volumes, including some manuscripts with Eco’s drawings and navigational instruments on loan from the Galileo Museum in Florence, among them a quadrant from 1686.
You can get there by taking the M2 to Lanza or the M1 to Cairoli.
The same building also houses the Brera Art Gallery and the Brera Botanical Garden, so you can turn your visit into a tour of Milan’s historic sites, starting from one of its iconic libraries.
If you’re interested in the Studiolo, ask the library if guided tours are scheduled (in person or by calling 02 72263401).
