Meet Brunello Cucinelli: The billionaire building a Universal Library in Italy for the next 1,000 years with free access to humanity's greatest books, inspired by the ancient Library of Alexandria
The story behind Brunello Cucinelli's 1,000-year Universal Library project Inspired by the legendary Library of Alexandria What books will the Universal Library contain? Why Brunello
The story behind Brunello Cucinelli's 1,000-year Universal Library project Inspired by the legendary Library of Alexandria What books will the Universal Library contain? Why Brunello Cucinelli believes books are humanity's greatest companions A library designed to grow for centuries More than a billionaire's dream When most billionaires think about leaving a legacy, they build skyscrapers, museums, or charitable foundations. Italian luxury fashion entrepreneur Brunello Cucinelli has chosen something different: a library. The founder of the cashmere fashion empire is creating the Universal Library of Solomeo, an ambitious cultural project in the medieval Italian village where his company is based. Inspired by the ancient Library of Alexandria, the library aims to preserve humanity's greatest books and make them freely accessible to readers, scholars and future generations. More than a collection of books, Cucinelli envisions it as a living monument to knowledge, beauty and human dignity that will continue growing for the next 1,000 years.For Brunello Cucinelli, the Universal Library is the culmination of a lifelong love affair with books. The idea grew from his belief that literature, philosophy and history have the power to shape better societies. Instead of investing solely in commercial ventures, he has spent decades restoring Solomeo, a medieval hilltop village in Italy's Umbria region, transforming it into a centre for culture, craftsmanship and education.Construction of the library began in late 2021 as part of this broader vision.
Rather than creating a conventional public library, Cucinelli wanted a timeless institution that would preserve the finest ideas produced by humanity. He has described the project as "a gift for the next thousand years", hoping that each generation will continue adding meaningful works to its shelves.Unlike many modern libraries that increasingly focus on digital collections, the Universal Library celebrates the experience of reading physical books. Visitors will be encouraged to browse shelves, sit quietly in reading rooms and spend hours immersed in timeless literature without distraction.The ancient Library of Alexandria, founded more than 2,000 years ago in Egypt, was one of history's greatest centres of learning. It sought to gather knowledge from every known civilisation, attracting scholars from across the ancient world before much of its collection was eventually lost.Cucinelli sees his Universal Library as a modern tribute to that extraordinary institution. While it cannot recreate Alexandria's vast collection, it embraces the same philosophy that knowledge belongs to everyone and should be preserved for future generations.His vision is intentionally global. The collection will not focus only on Italian literature or European thought but will celebrate influential works from different cultures, languages and civilisations that have shaped human history.The Universal Library is being carefully curated around books that have endured through centuries rather than temporary bestsellers.
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