Connected to the Palazzo Reale and part of the Savoy "command zone", the Reale Library of Torino is housed in a building protected by UNESCO World Heritage. The Reale Library was founded by Carlo Alberto in 1831. There were both printed works and manuscripts from the ancient Savoy collections, and new acquisitions promoted by the sovereign. The books were initially arranged on the first floor of Palazzo Reale, however, in 1837 a larger space was necessary due to the increase in the collections. Therefore, the books were moved to the current location designed by the court architect Pelagio Palagi on the ground floor of the Palazzo. The Reale Library's monumental hall, whose original design has been maintained, is a space characterised by a double set of walnut bookcases with a balcony with a wrought iron railing and a frescoed monochrome vault with allegorical scenes of the arts and sciences. In 1839, Carlo Alberto bought a collection of drawings by great Italian and foreign masters, including Michelangelo, Raffaello, Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci, from Giovanni Volpato. The Library has 13 autographed items from Leonardo da Vinci (including the famous self-portrait) and the Codex on the Flight of Birds. The Library has a patrimony of about 250,000 books, 4,500 manuscripts, 3,055 drawings, 187 incunabula, 5,019 sixteenth-century works, 1,500 parchments, 1,112 periodicals, 400 photo albums, geographical maps, engravings and prints.
