The Libro d'Oro (English: The Golden Book), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (English: The Golden Book of Italian Nobility), a privately published directory of the nobility of Italy. The book lists some of Italy's noble families and their cadet branches. History Venetian Libro d'oro In the oligarchic Republic of Venice the series of restrictions to eligibility for membership in the Great Council that began in 1297 with the decreed Serrata del Maggior Consiglio, or closing of the Great Council, resulted in 1315 in the compiling of a directory of members of eligible families, the Libro d'Oro or "Golden Book". The book was permanently closed in 1797, with the fall of the Venetian Republic. 19th century In 1896 the Libro d'oro was founded. Its members were families who had obtained decrees granting, renewing or confirming a title of nobility by the king or royal decrees or ministerial recognition of a noble title. It was intended to avoid abuses and usurpations in the maintenance of existing titles in the pre-unification states and was responsible for keeping a "record of noble titles" in which membership was compulsory for the public use the titles. In 1889 a list of families who had obtained decrees granting or recognition of titles of nobility after the unification of Italy was drawn up, as were 14 regional lists, where families were already recorded in the official lists of states pre-unification. It was initially an official register kept in the State Central State in Rome compiled by the heraldry consultants of the Kingdom of Italy, a government body established in 1869 at the Ministry of the Interior. Early 20th century First published in its current form in 1910, it includes some 2,500 families, and may not be considered exhaustive. Included are those listed in the earlier register of the Libro d’Oro della Consulta Araldica del Regno d’Italia and the later Elenchi Ufficiali Nobiliari of 1921 and of 1933. In 1921 it was decreed as the “Official list of noble and titled families of the Kingdom of Italy". The list included all family members already in the regional registers, but it marked with an asterisk those who had obtained title by royal or ministerial decree. In 1933 a second '"Official List of the