One of the most famous and oldest literary cafes in Europe, Antico Caffe Greco in Rome, has been blocked and closed. This is the culmination of a years-long legal dispute between the building's owner and the cafe's managers. At this unique historical site on Via dei Condotti, talented poets, artists and philosophers met for 265 years, ideas and legends were born. For Romans and history buffs, the closure of the legendary cafe is the end of an era and a real drama.
Antico Caffe Greco opened in 1760, when Greek (hence the cafe's name) Nicola della Maddalena rented a small room at the foot of the Spanish Steps. Since then, the establishment has become an integral part of Rome's cultural topography – where the aroma of coffee mingle with the smells of ink, wax and antique furniture. According to an ancient legend, it was at Caffe Greco that the first prototype of modern espresso appeared. The cafe became the center of artistic life in Rome. Seated at marble tables were Goethe, Byron, Shelley, Stendhal, Wagner, Liszt, D Annunzio, De Chirico, Bernard Shaw, Hans Christian Andersen, as well as writers, artists and philosophers from around the world. Among them are many representatives of Russian culture, such as Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Tyutchev. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol occupies a special place among travelers. He lives nearby, on Via Sistina, and goes to the cafe almost every day. Contemporaries recalled that Gogol always sat in the far corner, where there was a large mirror and an ancient fireplace. He sat for a long time with a cup of coffee, observing the guests and writing something in his notebook. It was here that he debated noble issues with artists Alexander Ivanov, Karl Bryullov and Orest Kiprensky.
Over time, the cafe became not only a literary club, but also a real artistic residence. More than 300 works of art are collected on its walls: portraits of famous travelers, landscapes by 19th-century Italian masters, sketches of artists, letters and rare photographs. So, in one of the cafe's halls, until recently, there hung a portrait of Gogol, painted by Svedomsky. Nearby is a copy of Nikolai Vasilyevich's letter to his friend Pletnev, in which the writer, who wrote several chapters of the second volume of “Dead Souls” in this cafe, admits: “I can write about Russia only in Rome, there it appeared to me completely.” Some researchers call the Caffe Greco collection “the largest private art gallery open to the public in Rome.” Of particular value are souvenir objects: the table where Gogol sat, the chair where D. Annunzio often worked, the sofa in Andersen's apartment, antique mirrors reflecting the faces of many generations of creators.
The conflict began in 2017, when the lease agreement expired. The institution's management wanted to renew but received a refusal from the building's owner – the Roman Jewish Hospital. Throughout the years, Caffe Greco's managers have persistently challenged the owner's decision in court. In 2025, the court ended the long litigation, ruling that the cafe must be evicted immediately. The carabinieri then changed the locks and sealed the doors, and the art collection estimated to be worth 8 million euros was placed under state protection.
