A year later, Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned off the coast of Tuscany. The house is now a small museum crammed with memorabilia relating to the two poets and their colleagues Mary Shelley and Lord Byron. It now contains one of the finest libraries of Romantic literature in the world as well as a unique collection of manuscripts, paintings and memorabilia. In addition to being a Museum and Library the House plays an important part in the cultural life of Rome organising lectures, poetry recitals and gala events.