This section is meant to be a tool for foreign publishers and literary agents interested in working with Treccani. Furthermore, it might be helpful to readers who don’t read Italian but want to know more about the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani and this Website.

A brief presentation

The Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana was founded in 1925 by the businessman and philanthropist Giovanni Treccani. His project was to publish the large Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti (appearing in 35 volumes, 1929-1937, updated with appendices to the present day) and the Dizionario biografico degli italiani.  Both of these works were lacking in Italy at the time. From 1925 to 1943 the scholarly supervisor of the Istituto was philosopher Giovanni Gentile. Included among the rich list of publications are encyclopaedic-lexicographic works (from the Dizionario enciclopedico italiano, 1955-61 to La Piccola Treccani, 1995-97), a vast range of Italian dictionaries, works of historical-literary scope (Enciclopedia dantesca, Enciclopedia virgiliana, Enciclopedia oraziana, Federico II. Enciclopedia fridericiana). Since 1975 the Istituto has produced specialized encyclopaedias on various fields such as art, archaeology, the social sciences, law, cinema, fashion, sport, the human body, the life sciences and the history of cities (Storia di Milano, Storia di Venezia), in addition to art books (Pompeii, Venezia, Firenze).
In keeping with the needs of contemporary society the Treccani’s editions are targeting an ever wider audience, branching out into different formats and channels of communication, from paper to multimedia support both on and offline (CD, DVD, Website).

The Website

Treccani.it is the official website of the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana. You can find part of Treccani's encyclopaedic resources, videos, articles and a community with forum and interactive utilities such as comments, tags, bookmarks, 'send to a friend', 'suggest to Treccani' neologisms, synonyms, personalities from the past or the present to be added  to the Encyclopaedia.
Contents and utilities are available in Italian. Enter >

Introduction to our catalogue

Treccani’s publications cover the entire breadth of human knowledge. In eighty years since its inception the Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana has produced works which have met with universal acclaim, providing researchers of every level with detailed outlines and comprehensive accounts on every conceivable scholarly topic. These works are the product of a fruitful relationship with people and organizations, with thousands of collaborators representing universities and research centres from every country and every corner of the world. An astonishing amount of labour goes into every Treccani publication, our aim being to satisfy the world’s most demanding, most scrupulous readers, our unwavering motivation being to know and grow in culture.

The major works currently available in our catalogue trace the entire history of the Istituto down to the present day. Every Treccani publication is enhanced with illustrations, drawings and photographs of the very highest quality. These are often accompanied by detailed explanations and are the fruit of painstaking research which has resulted in a unique collection of material, some of which has never before appeared in print.

Every phase of the editorial process is carried out with meticulous attention to detail and with the aid of cutting edge technologies. Complementary processes such as binding are carried out with a craftsman’s precision; a great deal of reflection goes into the choice of raw materials, tailoring them to the specific characteristics of each work. In addition to this, electronic supplements to some of the works, which are an integral part of the text, bear witness to the Istituto’s presence in the multi-media sector.

The Places of Art

In the eighty years since its foundation the Istituto Treccani has devoted enormous attention to the fine arts, drawing on the contributions of the world’s most authoritative experts.
The result has been the publication of a series works which have proved vital for an understanding of the artistic expressions of the past. Treccani’s art publications are a veritable reference source for scholars and art lovers around the world.
In order to pay tribute to the act of visual representation, the Treccani is inaugurating this collection of the greatest art works from every period along with the places everlastingly associated with them.
The volumes contain an extraordinary panorama of images, each one an immediate document of the text and itself source of information.
Drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture bear triumphant witness to different artists’ personalities, their conceptions of life and feelings, their sense of beauty and their religious faith.
Throughout these books readers are invited to use their imagination, since the image itself transcends any critical appreciation of it. Only this way can we re-experience the past and the evolution of civilization.
A collection of great works and small art objects, essential architecture and places whose very names are evocative of artistic creation. A collection destined to become nothing less than a precious “object” itself, not only because of its contents, but also because its sumptuous binding and printing make it a prize for the finest libraries.

For further information, please write to infotreccani@treccani.it