Italian Billionaire’s Vision: A Universal Library for the Next 1,000 Years

Luxury entrepreneur Brunello Cucinelli is building a free Universal Library in Italy to preserve humanity’s greatest books and inspire readers for the next 1,000 years.
on Jul 21, 2026

Brunello Cucinelli Planning to Construct Free Library Containing Man’s Best Books

Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian entrepreneur who makes luxurious and fashionable clothing brands, wants to build something that is not going to be his company. Rather than adding one more profit-making enterprise to his portfolio, he plans on constructing the Universal Library of Solomeo, which is supposed to be an institute to ensure that all the most important books written by mankind remain preserved and available to everyone free of cost forevermore.

Knowledge House in the Heart of Italy

The building itself will reside within Solomeo, the revived Italian village that is the headquarters for Cucinelli’s clothing label. Built within an 18th-century villa set in public gardens, the area is designed to function not only as a place where knowledge is stored. People will be able to learn, read, think, and appreciate the surrounding area at this cultural facility.

Inspiration Drawn from the Ancient Library of Alexandria

The Universal Library draws its inspiration from one of the most celebrated ancient centers of knowledge – the library of Alexandria. In the same way as the historic library, the Universal Library seeks to amass books which have stood the test of time and symbolize the intellectual accomplishments of various civilizations throughout the world.

Unlike a digital repository, books in the library shall be on shelves for study purposes.

Collection Contents

Universal Library will grow slowly over the centuries, with experts adding important pieces to the collection in disciplines including:

Philosophy
Literature
Architecture
Poetry
History
Arts & Craftsmanship

According to Cucinelli, the library will be universal rather than emphasizing a particular culture, as the whole of human culture is one.

Designed to Last for Centuries

While most projects are created with the aim of achieving instant impact, the Universal Library was conceived to be built to last a very long time. The hope of Cucinelli is that his future generations will continue adding more to the collection of the library in the coming thousand years.

A Living Institution

The Universal Library is meant to be a living institution where scholars, artists, and other thinkers could converge so that they would continue being inspired even after the current generation is gone.

More Than Fashion Designer

A worldwide famous designer of luxury cashmere fashion brand with the philosophy of “humanistic capitalism,” Brunello Cucinelli sees books as great companions of humanity and knowledge as the greatest gift to be left to the future generations by the society.