The Bodoni Museum

The Bodoni Museum in Parma is dedicated to the famous typographer Giambattista Bodoni and is housed in the Palazzo della Pilotta, on the grounds of the Palatina Library. At the heart of the collection are thousands of volumes, extensive correspondence, and an assortment of typographic tools from Bodoni's print shop. One especially prestigious section focuses on the history of the book and displays both manuscripts and printed editions. The idea for a museum like this took shape in 1940, when the treasures were rescued from the destruction of World War II. It wasn't until 1963 that the collection was finally brought together and presented to the public. After a period of repeated changes of direction and funding difficulties in the late 1980s and the 1990s, the museum joined the association of European printing museums in 2004 and has had a seat on the board of the Italian museum association for printing and paper since 2005.