Abstract

Culture was the distinctive mark of the court of Francesco Branciforte, member of the sicilian aristocracy, and Giovanna, the natural daughter of Giovanni d’Austria. The couple decided to locate their dwelling in Militello, in Sicily, and the court was provided with a rich library, defined by the archivistic document as «the third most important among the Christianity». Thanks to the discovery of inedited and diversified primary sources, this article aims to illustrate the process through which the princes created the library, the nature of the collection, its particularity, and, at the same time, how this matter allows us to define the interest of cultured patricians and their designs of glory.