Caffè Florian c.1720 ~ One of the oldest coffee houses in the world

Caffè Florian c.1720 ~ One of the oldest coffee houses in the world

Caffè Florian is a name renowned all over the world, with over three centuries of history!

Caffè Florian opened with two simply furnished rooms on 29th December 1720, in the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

It is the oldest coffee house in continuous operation in Italy, and one of the oldest in the world!

The Caffè was patronised in its early days by notable people including that scoundrel Casanova ~ who was no doubt attracted by the fact that Caffè Florian was the only coffee house that allowed women!

Later Lord Byron, Marcel Proust and Charles Dickens, were frequent visitors.

A popular destination for artists, intellectuals, historians and fortune hunters, the Florian has literally seen the history of Venice flowing between its elegant tables.

It’s a true institution, one of the few places where you can still feel the dreamy atmospheres of the cafés of the last century.

Many cult movies have been shot here, including “Summertime” with Katherine Hepburn and “The Talented Mr Ripley” with Gwyneth Paltrow.

The impressive book of signatures testifies the passage of characters such as Jorge Luis Borges, Thomas Mann, Goethe, Lord Byron, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Oscar Wilde, Ernst Hemingway, Amedeo Modigliani, Gina Lollobrigida, Marcello Mastroianni, Giorgio De Chirico, Paul Newman , Grace Kelly, Charlie Chaplin, Andy Warhol, Coco Chanel, Clint Eastwood and many others.

Anyone for coffee?

If you get there before me, i will have a Caramel Macchiato