The literary academy of Arcadia and Queen Christina

In 1690, the literary academy of Arcadia was founded in Rome, under the patronage of Queen Christina of Sweden, by Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina and Giovanni Mario Crescimbeni. The Academy, one of the greatest literary expressions of Neoclassicism in Italy, had Pietro Metastasio among its most representative poets. Currently the book and archival heritage of the Arcadia is kept in the Angelica Library in Rome, where the Academy is located. Among the preserved 18th century manuscripts, many collect a large number of letters exchanged between the academics. Other letters are kept in the Academy's Archive. The treatment of this material is very complicated: the letters in fact often contain the first draft of poetic texts subsequently edited. A heritage that the Academy wants to enhance today cataloging in the manuscripts catalog of the Italian State: the database "Manus Online". What is the best way to organize the catalog's data? How to relate the letters owned by the Academy of Arcadia and those kept in other institutions, not only libraries but also archives? Can the full digitization support the knowledge and study of this material? The cataloging treatment of the letters of the Arcadia Academy and the poetic texts contained in them constitutes an interesting “study case” for a theoretical reflection on the cataloging of this “border material”.