Carl Brave leads the party in Trastevere.
Rome’s Bar San Calisto, a landmark in the Trastevere quarter, reopened on Thursday evening following the conclusion of renovation works that began six weeks ago.
News of the reopening was announced in advance by the bar’s owner Marcello Forti, who has run San Calisto since 1969, and thousands of people showed up to celebrate.
Many of the revellers followed the call of Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Carl Brave, a loyal San Calisto customer, who earlier on Thursday posted a message on social media: “Don’t make any plans at 6 pm. See you at the usual bar.”
Brave, who wrote a song dedicated to San Calisto last year, was true to his word and arrived armed with a megaphone, performing an impromptu open-air concert that thrilled fans.
The renovations carried out by Forti, known to everyone as “Marcellino”, include new floor tiles and a marble counter, along with some other minor changes required by new regulations, such as the exterior awning being replaced by large umbrellas.
However despite the works, the premises has retained its down-to-earth identity along with its cheap prices: an espresso coffee still costs 90 cents and a large bottle of Peroni beer remains €2.50.
The football memorabilia has also been returned to the interior walls of the bar which has featured in numerous films over the years including Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winner La grande bellezza.
Last month, when the works began, nostalgic regulars rushed to grab pieces of the bar as keepsakes, from fragments of the original counter to the old black and white floor tiles.
Located off the central Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, San Calisto remains a bastion of “romanità” in a district whose bars and restaurants are increasingly being modernised for the tourist market.
Photo Trastevere App – Facebook
