Antico Caffè Greco-Rome | Icon Since 1760 in the Exclusive Via Condotti.

Antico Caffè Greco is a very distinguished symbol of Rome, an icon since 1760 in the exclusive street Via Condotti, that emblematic Roman artery situated in the core of the Italian capital, a splendid and a great hallway leading to the stunning square Piazza di Spagna, a superb highlight of the several magnificent Baroque marvels developed in the city centre highlighted by that emblematic, famous monumental fountain well known as Barcaccia, a sublime work ended in 1629 commissioned by Pope Urban VIII and executed  by the Master Pietro Bernini supported by his illustrious son Gian Lorenzo.

That artistic masterpiece completed a stunning Roman scenery below the emblematic Spanish Steps, one of the most captivating corners of the Eternal city at the foot of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti Church, a divine former Gothic wonder dated the 15th century transformed later in a refined late-Renaissance diamond in the picturesque and fascinating district called Rione di Campo Marzio, a big urban area well developed since the times of the Emperor Augustus when it was called Campus Martius.

 

For its unique and charming monumental frame that magic environment packed by superb beauties in a unique and incomparable corner of the major metropolis of Italy offers the visitors a divine and fascinating atmosphere and Via Condotti or Via dei Condotti as it is also named so close to that sumptuous complex boasting a refined secular artistic profile is undoubtedly protagonist with its own eternal lively spirit and everlasting fascination.

That emblematic walkway is well known because characterised special times linked to the "Dolce Vita linked to that renowned comedy film directed by Federico Fellini in 1960 which highlighted  that trendy desire of Roman dream holidays of many travellers continuing a romantic boom spread the 50's becoming one of the liveliest meeting points of the legendary Imperial city of the seven hills.

    

Along that street since a long time ago there is a very special, marked essence created by the luxury, design, classy and exclusive trend of the most celebrated Prêt-à-porter with some ateliers of the most famed fashion designers who opened their branches in the Cittá Eterna which transformed it in an indisputable emblem of the most glamorous Rome.

Packed by Top Class boutiques, queues of tourists every day, locals often there to discover the latest trendiest fashionable articles, curious people looking at around searching famous faces and VIPs, paparazzi always ready to immortalise some of them in sensational scoops to publish in the most relevant gossip magazines, models and celebrities strolling that stylish passageway emanating glamour showing their notoriety, that famed site has always represented in its kind a hub and epicentre of a beloved destination of the most celebrated International Jet set.

Via Condotti is all that but much more, many generations of artists, stars and notorious figures walked along that renowned street, old and new faces with millions of ordinary people coming and going during decades and decades but who is always there as distinctive, iconic and immortal landmark, elevated as a sacred icon since 1760 is the famous and legendary Antico Caffè  Greco established along that busy and famed shopping urban axis which despite those over two centuries and half of age it never lost its charm and appealing image.

Considered one of the most elegant, classic, charming and artistic literary Cafes all time, its history conquered the World for many reasons because at its tables sat the highest international nomenclature which highlighted the lively cultural life of Rome in that unique establishment opened by an Italian-Greek Gentleman called Nicola della Maddalena, probably a Levantine descendant of an Italian colonist born in Turkey during the times of the former Byzantine Empire and in a short time since its inception it became the most famous and regarded Cafe of the Italian Capital.

Its superb position at short distance from the majestic Piazza Navona, the glitzy Via del Babuino, the charming Piazza Barberini with that inspiring, cool and  magic air surrounding the monumental metropolitan heart so loved for all what of magnificent was erected in every street and most remote alley undoubtedly played an important role to have an immediate popularity.

A queue of prominent customers after an enjoyable walk delighted by the endless marvels of that incomparable city reached with immense pleasure that chic and stylish Cafe to have a more than pleasant break, nothing better for them to fill a beautiful day with a great chat.

The desire for a multitude of thinkers and talented characters was that to sit in one of those stunning lounges enjoying the magic atmosphere of a place born to donate great feelings between a cup of warm aromatic coffee and a glass of fine Brandy or Cognac accompanied by the most varied and ample conversations regarding several themes mainly focused on art, culture, politics, pure creativity and deepest philosophical inspirations. 

All together those topics highlighted those times characterised by new and innovative concepts to create, narrate and say with the aim to bewitch, surprise and conquer the hearts and imagination of many people and that joie de vivre found in that establishment an ideal habitat which become soon one of the most celebrated Cafes in the Italic Peninsula and Europe with a fame and prestige which reached several borders all around the globe. 

As the notorious Cafe Florian in Venice opened four decades before (I wrote a post about it if you are interested),also the Antico Caffè Greco shows as the Venetian all its shining splendour and captivating image delighting the most exigent and demanding visitors also in terms of aesthetic tastes, immediaterly delighting the lovers of the pure and classical beauty recognizable including in every smallest detail and offering since its inception a more than attentive and careful customer service loyal to the finest refined code of hospitality.

Two cities, Venice and Rome, two different realities with their diverse spirits, protagonists of centuries of captivating history and both with those two iconic cafes which had and have a superb appeal and charm always able to attract a myriad of clients offering them a divine place to enjoy unforgettable breaks in their welcoming and comfortable stylish rooms.

Antico Caffè Greco boasts an incomparable interior highlighted by the presence of fine violet tapestries, elegant velvet seats, stylish framed doors, outstanding architectural elements as great stuccoes, marked outlines  partially reminiscent a bit a glitzy Belle Époque Parisienne Bistro but with a refined unmistakable Italian style  visible all around the the interior with magnificent decorations.

That icon of the Roman hospitality is one of those special place in which is simple divine to sit and admire how all was selected with an outstanding accurate taste, class and criteria starting from its dark brown wooden tables perfectly matching with comfortable splendid chairs, taking a look to the  the walls on which were fixed several superb paintings placed in strategic positions to show the guests the grandeur of the finest art in an environment able to conquer everybody at first sight.

What is simply great is that everything is assembled in perfect harmony with furniture and a stunning choice of the arrangement of the layout surrounded by a more than captivating artistic aura, sometimes happened that someone first impact  considered  Antico Caffè Greco sophisticated, a bit ostentatious or perhaps in something too pompous but one thing is certain, the opinion in just some minutes changes and it fascinates everybody in a while.

Immediately looking around in those magic lounges you will notice how the elegant decorated mirrors find a perfect tuning with stylish and superb crystal chandeliers emitting a right, soft intensity of light on refined red damask backdrops transmitting a luminosity which never distracts the human eye and also that is a very pleasant feeling.

That establishment could represent with its sumptuous aspect and image a sort of an Imperial Hall or also Presidential Palace lounge and the presence of fine marble combined with marvellous selected furniture is a further attractive detail next to great aesthetic and perfect perspective of the spaces of the layout.

The environment of that Cafe many times captures the deepest imagination of the guest simply thinking how it was appreciated in the past with the presence of the highest cultural exponents of the most celebrated artistic movements.and much more when we think we are sitting in the same place were sat acclaimed philosophers or composers.

At the same time once you are there, you will have a  feeling coming as a message transmitting that all what you see it is not real but a trip to dreamland but the reality is that Cafe since its inception until today launched that signal to everyone who spent times at its tables and perhaps it is that a special secret which makes that place  unique and simply magnificent in its kind.

The famous and unforgettable Master painter Giorgio De Chirico often guest of that inimitable and fabulous establishment strongly suggested many of the arrangements regarding the choice of matching furniture, he brilliantly managed the style of the decorations and when you immediately visit that sort of museum the first impact is really impressive, noticing in a while the hand of that unforgettable artist.

In just two minutes or maybe less you will have the confirmation, so visible and evident that all around you there is the talented touch by a prominent figure as was well known that superb  character famous for his surrealist influences to new generations of artists and furthermore eminent exponent of the Metaphysical movement but also strongly inspired by the Neoclassical and Baroque architectural styles.

The eclectic talent of that man played an important role and oriented the choice of the owner to permit to that iconic genius the study and creation of an extremely shining setting leaving an indelible artistic imprint in the Cafe still alive nowadays.

.Antico Caffè Greco is developed on a long narrow vertical environment articulated with some rooms having special and unique names such as Venice Rome, Omnibus or Rossa (Red) distinctive denominations which with the deepest imagination give that site a very intriguing and captivating additional charm.

That great Cafe apart that famed painter born in Volos, Greece was also in different times a meeting point of many other famous characters. One of them was the notorious Venetian Latin lover Giacomo Casanova who just like the previously mentioned Cafe Florian in his native city frequented the establishment during his Roman trips and holidays and in addition he mentioned it in his memories.

Also the most relevant German artistic Elite nomenclature during their stays in the Italian Capital fell totally in love with that site and constantly enjoyed the eclectic, stunning atmosphere and fascination of its halls which were for them also a sort of endless source of inspiration for their unforgettable and most representative works.

It is enough to mention Johan Wolfgang von Goethe but also Arthur Schopenhauer, Johann Heinze, Karl Moritz, Ernst Theodore Amadeus Hoffmann, Friedrich Nietzsche and many others who chose that prestigious Cafe in the exclusive Via Condotti as their literary haven and furthermore often frequented by further men of art from Germany as the composers Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn and the painter Carl Philipp Fohr among others.

That emblematic place hosted a very long list probably infinite  but worth to mentioned some of them such as Lord Byron, Marie-Henri Beyle alias Stendhal, Orson Welles, Buffalo Bill, Henrik Ibsen, Pablo Picasso, Montesquieu, François-René de Chateaubriand, Hans Christian Andersen, Franz Liszt, Gabriele D´Annunzio, Georges Bizet, Charles Baudelaire, Gioachino Rossini, Mark Twain, Arturo Toscanini, Silvio Pellico, James Joyce, Edvard Grieg, Bertel Thorvaldsen and King Louis I among others.

Including the Vatican is represented by the distinctive figure of Pope Leo XIII well known to have reigned until the age of 93 could not resist to the fascination of those velvet armchairs, relaxing suffused and soft lights emitted by fashionable chandeliers which probably bewitched him tasting a cup of aromatic coffee, loyal guest of that iconic Cafe just like the previously mentioned notorious personalities.

In the Omnibus room you can admire plaques, medallions, miniatures, pictures depicting all those famous characters as in a gallery, a sort of exhibition remembering many of them as regarded guests.

Some famed painters including immortalised it their works the Cafe as Renato Guttuso, pioneer and leader of the Neo-Realism in Italian art and another was the Austrian Ludwig Passini, a talented watercolourist from Vienna who lived many years in Venice where he died. 

There are in addition legendary philosphical quotes with protagonist that place as one by Charles Louis de Secondat, alias Baron de Montesquieu Brède simply known as Montesquieu who said about Antico Caffè Greco :"It's a privilege to sit in this cafe all day and night too, among people of all walks of life, it is the only place where conversation creates reality, where there are born gigantic plans, dreams and utopian anarchist conspiracies without you need to leave the chair.."

Words by a unique artist and genius considered for his high intelligence, perspicacity, immense talent and fine tastes over the average human media, able to describe with a superb acuteness a sort of chronological life with marked  intellectual shades and lights of that charismatic establishment. That citation dated the 18th century is filled by personal feelings and deep sensations but all that in its kind explains what transmitted that Cafe once you read word for word that famous philosophical concept  by such distinguished mind.

Thanks to its prestige, fame and its celebrated name so known all around the world in 1953 the Italian Ministry of Education declared that Cafe as a Monument of historical National interest,  undoubtedly a considerable award which elevated furthermore the image and glory of that site which could be also considered a legend in its kind. 

The establishment is owned by the heirs of the family Gubinelli Grimaldi who run it since 1873 continuing that everlasting glorious tradition which will never die representing with prestigious years of activity the highest level of the most iconic Hospitality & Catering Industry in Rome.

A delicious Cappuccino, a Macchiato, Espresso, Corretto, a warm cup of tea or a delectable Hot Chocolate are some of the masny specialities of the house great if accompanied by any portion of tastefully cake as a superb Tiramisu while the Paradisi consisting in a refreshing drink made with lemon and orange also became part of the history in the list of that site which obviously serves the finest, selected liquors and brandies.

The Cafe is closed 10 days in August and it is opened from 09.00 am to 07.00 pm daily, visiting that place is highly suggested to enjoy an image absolutely inimitable appreciating the quality and service, perfect stop to have a break for every tourist in a key point of the city, simply great for who is planning a trip to Rome and naturally excellent for who is working in that kind of industry admiring a sort of symbol.

Today the Cafe is a beloved place which conquered the hearts of several Japanese visitors who do not miss the chance to immortalise in a lot of pictures that icon since 1760 which delighted the eyes and the palates of all the world and it is great to notice as its popularity gained an immense admiration and veneration by several citizens of that important Nation of the Far East.

With its emblematic glorious past, the Antico Caffè Greco through two centuries and more of intense emblematic life kept its charm and reputation still plenty of class, elegance, style and an attentive, fine customer service. 

That Cafe certainly represents a landmark of Rome and undoubtedly worth a visit if you are thinking to spend a short break with an unforgettable stay having the stunning chance to admire the superb and fascinating endless list of beauties all around the everlasting magic Cittá Eterna".

Francesco Mari

Antico Caffè Greco

Via Condotti,86

00186 Roma

Tube Stop Station : Spagna

Useful links

www.anticocaffegreco.eu
www.afar.com/places/antico-caffe-greco-rome
www.cool-cities.com/antico-caffe-greco-5628/
www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/art-and-history/romes-historic-cafes.html