#27 – Try 10 New Coffee Shops – Part I, the International Edition
When I added this goal to my 15-month bucket list, I thought it would take me longer than 2 months to achieve this goal, but it’s coffee, so I should have known I’d be an over achiever on this one!
I started out strong with two new places on January 1st! After being in Rome on a very demanding scheduled trip for 6 days already, coffee was essential for a 5 am wakeup call to get ready for my daughter’s choir to sing at the Papal Mass. So, first coffee, was at Gran Caffe Santos, right outside of Vatican City, while we waited in the security line to be let into St. Peter’s Square. An unassuming little cafe, that opens early and serves traditional Italian coffee, it was the pick me up we all needed for a long day ahead.
A midafternoon pick-me up was needed and this time it was at Antico Caffe Greco, opened in 1760. This highly ornate cafe has hosted literary geniuses such as Keats and Byron. It can boast that it is the oldest bar in Rome, and the 2nd oldest in Italy. Even Casanova frequented here!
Before leaving Rome, we had to have a decadent coffee at Eataly. Opened in 2012 in Rome, Eataly recently opened an outpost in Rome’s Stazione Termini on December 1, 2023. 32 days later we were here, and it was magnificent! Located on the 2nd floor overlooking the hustle and bustle of the passengers, this open-space outpost serves food, espresso drinks and spirits. We ate lunch here and then had a latte and a maritozzi as we waited for our train to be assigned to a gate.
While there were many other coffees between January 2nd and January 5th which were amazing (I’ve never had a bad coffee in Italy!), the next one I actually remember was at Caffe Florian in Venice. Established in 1720, this is the oldest continuously run coffee house in Italy. Located in Piazza San Marco, it has served as a meeting place for patriots that had a key role in the Venetian Revolution of 1848, and also served as a temporary hospital. Caffe Florian was visited by Byron, Proust and Dickens and was the only coffee house that allowed women, so Casanova also frequented here. We grabbed a light lunch and drinks here and was in wonder of the Neo-Baroque opulence.
Part II of this bucket list blog will focus back on more local finds. Where is the best place you have ever had coffee at?