Libro d'Oro

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Il Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana

The Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (Italian: Golden Book), is only a private italian publication containing some biographical data about some noble families, limited to those who pay the entry in the book with the purchase of one, or more, copies.

Following World War II and the fall of Fascism, democratic Italy officially abolished titles and hereditary honours in its republican Constitution. Titles bestowed after 28 October 1922 (i.e. after the rise to power of Fascism) were declared never to have existed. Those families bearing older titles were permitted to use them but as part of their surname. These laws did not apply to the nobility of Rome, insofar as they had been created by the Pope, when he was a sovereign head of state (i.e. until 20 September 1870). In reality, after a period of uncertainty the Italian aristocracy continued to use their titles in the same way as they had in previous centuries.^[1]. One of publications on the book market, along with many others, is "Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana": this book is not an official publication of the Italian state, and should not be confused, as often happens, with the homonym official register of the Italian state, having still legal despite the non-recognition of qualifications noble Italians in Italy. For this reason, in the'30s, the Consulta Araldica forbade the use the title "Libro d'oro della Nobiltà Italiana", declared relevant to the only official register of the State, created in 1869, which has still value in the Courts Italian Republic as regards the protection of family coats of arms recognized a right to a name and "cognomizzazione" of the "predicati" there listed. Nevertheless, and despite this inhibition is still in force, since 1948, approximately, the "Libro d'Oro" taken again to use the name of that official register, creating confusion even among experts from the field.

The Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (Golden Book of the Italian Nobility) is published irregularly, and apparently, by the College Araldico (Rome): the really publisher is, however, Mr. Roberto Colonnello Bertini Frassoni, operates the name of indivudual company "Roberto Colonnello Editore": that does not appear anywhere in the volume but only in the Camera di Commercio (Chamber of Commerce) of Rome.

First published in 1910, it includes some 2,500 families. Included are some (few hundred) listed in the earlier books the "Libro d’Oro della Nobiltà Italiana del Regno d’Italia" and the later "Elenchi Ufficiali Nobiliari" of 1921 and of 1933.In addition to these families in this private italian publication there are other families not listed in the official nobiliary sources above listed. Some families are erased by a year if not to renew the booking volumes. The most recent edition was published in 2006.

There are, in Italy, in the field of noble repertoires, many other publications private, with listings fee or not.