Inside Italy’s oldest restaurants and cafes

Historic Trattorias

Some of Italy’s oldest inns, taverns and restaurants date back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. These places, usually off the beaten track and hard to find, are often unknown to tourists. They have a soul and character and often a feeling of being frozen in time. To know the history and the story behind the trattoria you are eating in enhances the cultural experience.

One of the most famous ones is Al Brindisi in the town of Ferrara, a forty minute drive north of Bologna. Located in a narrow alley next to the cathedral, it is the oldest tavern in the world! It already existed in 1435 when it was called “Hostaria del Chiuchiolino”. Nicolo Copernico, a famous Polish scientist, born in the 15th century, graduated from the University of Ferrara and used to stay above the tavern. It is here, one drunken night, that he claimed the sun was at the centre of the universe.

In Venice, Osteria Antico Dolo in the 1400s was a brothel later turned into a traditional bacaro (aperitivo bar). Its specialty has always been tripe with different types of offal.

In Rome, La Campana first opened in the 1500s as a winery and then an inn for travellers and pilgrims coming to see the Pope. Documentation shows that it was registered as a restaurant in 1518 at the same address that it is now. It is the oldest restaurant in the Eternal City with honest Roman cuisine featuring specials that include delicious oxtail stew, saltimbocca and pasta all’amatriciana.

Ristorante, Trattoria, Osteria - what is the difference?

The Taste Atlas Awards 2023/24, based on 271,819 dish ratings and 80,863 food product ratings, announced Italy as the number one country in the world for food. Again. We are in a country that is foodie heaven. Eating is one of the highlights of every day, so it’s helpful to have some basic knowledge of the different kinds of Italian restaurants.

A ristorante is the most formal (and most expensive) eating place in Italy. They can still be cosy and small and will generally have a printed menu with a large selection of courses and dishes.

A trattoria is less formal than a restaurant, but still has good decor and a welcoming ambience. Expect a cosy, homely atmosphere, unpretentious regional dishes made with local ingredients and a good selection of Italian wines. Prices are more affordable than in restaurants. A trattoria is also a family run establishment in most cases.

An osteria was originally an inn offering sleeping quarters and homemade meals to travellers. The modern osteria is no longer an inn, but has preserved most of its original features, including modest decor, a humble atmosphere and low prices. The focus is all on local wine and unassuming traditional food. In a typical osteria, you may not get a printed menu because it will be written on a chalkboard on the wall, or the waiter will tell you what’s available that day.

A pizzeria is of course a restaurant serving pizza made by a pizzaiolo (pizza maker), who usually works with a wood burning oven. In Naples, the birthplace of pizza, there is a week long celebration of pizza held every June. Lungomare Caracciolo, the long promenade hugging Naple’s coastline, is turned into a “Pizza Village” where hundreds of Neapolitan pizzaioli set up their pizza ovens. A really good time to be in Naples!

Sipping coffee with history

The three oldest places in Italy for your morning coffee are rich with history, stories and charm.

It is the oldest Italian cafe that opened in 1720 in Piazza San Marco, where it still stands today. Initially called “Alla Venezia Trionfante”, or “Triumphant Venice”, it soon became known as Florian’s after the name of the cafe’s founder, Floriano Francesconi. Yes, your coffee will be ridiculously expensive, but sometimes it is worth it for the beautiful location, atmosphere, history, stunning interior and the experience.

People from all over the world have been meeting here for over 300 years. Casanova, during the 18th century, used to frequent Caffe Florian, perhaps because it was the only coffee house that allowed women. Later, Lord Byron and Charles Dickens were regular visitors.

Caffe Greco opened in 1760 on Via Condotti and is still there today. Founded by Nicola della Maddalena, it is the oldest cafe in Rome and the second oldest cafe in Italy. Around 300 works of art hang on the burgundy walls together with memorabilia and vintage photographs of the illustrious clientele. Choose to be served by a tuxedoed waiter in any one of the eight opulent rooms, or drink your coffee at the bar which will be significantly cheaper.

Caffe Pedrocchi, Padua

Francesco Pedrocchi, a coffee roaster, started one of Italy’s earliest coffee shops in 1772. His son, Antonio, also a coffee maker, used his father’s money to buy a large building in 1831 which is still standing today. He had a dream of creating the most beautiful cafe on earth. During the demolition process to create more space, the floor beneath street level collapsed. Antonio discovered an ancient church filled with treasures which helped him to create what is considered the greatest cafe of the 19th century. Once upon a time from 1831 to 1916 it was known as the cafe without doors because it never closed and would remain open all day and night.

Babingtons Tea Room

A traditional English tea shop and restaurant sits snugly beside the Spanish Steps. In 1893 two friends embarked on the Grand Tour. Isabel Cargil, daughter of Captain Cargil who was founder of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, and Anna Maria Babington, descendant of Antony Babington hanged in 1586 for conspiring against Elizabeth I, arrived in Rome after visiting Venice and Florence.

They loved Rome and decided to invest their savings of 50 pounds each to open a tea room. It was an enterprising and bold move because not many people drank tea, which was sold only in pharmacies. However, given Italy was the choice of destination for the Grand Tour for the English, the tea room was an immediate success.

Today, Babingtons is run by fourth generation cousins descended from Isabel, Rory Bruce and Chiara Bedini. The fifth generation is standing by.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb