Historic bar in Rome has been serving customers since 1760.
Antico Caffè Greco, Rome’s oldest coffee house, faces imminent closure after more than 260 years in business following a long-running row over rent.
The legal dispute dates back to 2017 when the lease ended, but the current tenants – the Antico Caffè Greco company – have so far resisted attempts to have them evicted.
Cultural landmark
The landmark bar, which first opened its doors in 1760, sits in a prime location at the Spanish Steps end of Via dei Condotti, an exclusive shopping street home to the world’s top fashion brands.
Over the centuries, Caffè Greco has provided refuge for a host of illustrious cultural figures including Hans Christian Anderson, Lord Byron, Baudelaire, Buffalo Bill, Casanova, Goethe, Gogol, Ibsen, Henry James, Keats, Sophia Loren, Pasolini, Shelley, Stendhal, Mark Twain and Orson Welles.
Founded by Nicola della Maddalena, Caffè Greco is the second-oldest coffee house in Italy, after Caffè Florian which opened in Venice in 1720.
Rent hike
The owner of the property, Rome’s Israelite Hospital, is reportedly seeking to drastically increase the rent, in line with the lucrative rental fees paid by the bar’s high-fashion neighbours.
In 2019, Rome newspaper Il Messaggero reported that the Israelite Hospital was seeking to hike the bar’s monthly rental bill from €17,000 to a whopping €180,000.
Two years ago, Corriere della Sera reported that the bar’s licence holders – Flavia Iozzi and her lawyer husband Carlo Pellegrini – were willing to pay double the monthly rent (€35,000) and even to purchase the property.
However the dispute has rolled on in a tug-of-war, involving appeals from cultural associations and interventions from Italy’s culture ministry.
Eviction attempts
Previous eviction attempts in recent months were postponed by the state attorney’s office, due to the historic value of the establishment and in the hope of finding a solution.
However mediation was not reached and a new eviction order – upheld by the court of cassation – is scheduled for 1 September.
“Next Monday we will have to leave, at least temporarily and as a precautionary measure,” Pellegrini told La Repubblica newspaper on Thursday.
Pellegrino noted that Caffè Greco is protected by two restrictions, one established in 1953 by President Antonio Segni and one in 2024.
“Legislative Decree 219 establishes that the building and its furnishings constitute a single entity” – Pellegrini said – “As established by the supreme court ruling, the restriction does not imply an obligation to operate or continue the business, but rather, it prohibits any use incompatible with the material preservation of the property.”
Precious furnishings
Caffè Greco is currently closed for a summer break and its precious furnishings – paintings, sculptures, memorabilia and antique furniture reportedly valued at €8 million – have been removed.
The bar’s managers moved the contents to two storage facilities in Rome but were reported by the cultural heritage unit of the Carabinieri – La Repubblica reports – due to a restriction on the bar’s furnishings.
Pellegrini said the valuable objects were removed as a precaution due to “overheating problems with the electrical system”, adding: “They are all our property; if the Israelite Hospital wants to purchase them, we’ll see if we’re willing to sell them.”
Uncertain future
Asked what would happen if the legal case ends in a definitive eviction on Monday, Pellegrini told Corriere della Sera: “We are entrepreneurs. We’d like Caffè Greco to remain on Via Condotti, but we’re looking elsewhere.”
Photo credit: Pen_85 / Shutterstock.com.
