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Antico Caffè Greco Rome’s
1760 answer to all the famed literary cafés of Paris. Just off the
Spanish Steps on the busiest shopping street in town, it is an elegant
holdover from yesteryear, its tiny tables tucked into a series of
genteel, cosy rooms plastered with photos, prints and other memorabilia
from the 19th-century Grand Tour era. The A-list of past customers runs
from Goethe to Byron, Casanova to Wagner . Caffé Sant’Eustachio Rome’s most coveted cappuccini
come from behind a chrome-plated shield that hides the coffee machine
from view so no one can discover the skilled owner’s secret formula. All
that is known is that the water comes from an ancient aqueduct and the
brew is pre-sweetened. Always crowded .
San Crispino Navigate the glut of inferior ice cream parlours infesting the Trevi neighbourhood to reach this elegantly simple little gelateria.
The signature ice cream contains honey but there are other velvety
varieties made with fresh fruit or nuts and sinful delights laced with
liqueurs.
Tre Scalini This café’s claim to fame is Rome’s most decadent tartufo
(truffle) ice cream ball, which is almost always packaged in other
outlets. Dark chocolate shavings cover the outer layer of chocolate ice
cream, with a heart of fudge and cherries.
Giolitti This 19th-century café is the best known of Rome’s gelaterie. Touristy but excellent .
Giolitti
Giolitti
Gran Caffè Doney Still
the top café on the famous Via Veneto, but long past its prime as the
heartbeat of Rome’s 1950s heyday (along with rival Café de Paris across
the road) – when celebrities in sunglasses hobnobbed with starlets
draped over the outdoor tables. The lifestyle was documented in (and in
part created by) Fellini’s seminal film La Dolce Vita , whose shutterbug character Paparazzo lent a name to his profession of bloodhound photographers . Caffè Rosati The
older, more left-wing of Piazza del Popolo’s rival cafés (the other is
Caffè Canova) was founded by two of the Rosati brothers (a third
continued to manage the family’s original Via Veneto café). It sports a
1922 Art Nouveau decor and its patrons park their newest Ferrari or
Lotus convertibles out front . Caffè Novecento Exuding
a cosy, 19th-century teahouse charm, this café contains a series of
parlour-like nooks accessorized with antique furniture and serves
delicate sweets or light salads, tarts and quiche. Gelateria della Palma Modern ice cream parlour with more than 100 flavours of gelato plus semifreddi
(half-frozen mousse) and frozen yoghurt. It’s open late and constantly
thronged with Rome’s young and beautiful. Mere steps from the Pantheon .
La Tazza d’Oro Strictly
the highest quality Brazilian beans go into the coffee here. There’s
nothing fancy in this unassuming place and no touristy gimmicks (despite
being just off the Pantheon’s piazza). Just a long, undulating bar
counter where regulars enjoy a heavenly espresso that, amazingly, manages to be both among the best and the cheapest in Rome .
La Tazza d’Oro
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