Italy’s favourite pass time is stylishly done in the Eternal City…
Coffee for coffee’s sake: For the best tasting coffee there is no better place than St. Eustachio il caffe near the Pantheon. Inside take your coffee Italian style at the counter, small and cramped but moves along, or try outside at the few tables with wait service though the availability is limited. This Roman institution is always bustling. Try their secret recipe “Gran Caffe” made behind a partition so you can’t see what makes it so special, it is like a frothy espresso, an amazing cup of coffee.
Coffee with that Italian piazza background: The neighbourhood of Monti has become the trendy place to go. Local laid back lifestyle with pretty views and not far from the coliseum have made it a new favourite with the central meeting point being the small Piazza Madonna dei Monti named so because of the church it is in front of. Picturesque with tumbling greenery and fountain, there is a pretty little cafe right on the piazza overlooking it all. La Bottega del Caffe is the best place to sit and watch people stop for a random chat as they bump into each other on the street and observe every day Roman life while you sit sipping a coffee. In the summer months their iced caffe shakerato is stellar!
Coffee with history: For a fashionable place to rest your feet between shopping, Antico Caffe Greco on Via dei Condotti is just the place. And what an address, next door to Prada and in by the Spanish Steps. Rome’s oldest cafe with dark red walls and mahogany trim has been the meeting place for grand literary and artistic greats since the 18th century. Today posh Romans have a coffee at the counter while tourists sit in the salon and chat over their cappuccinos as they take in the historical surroundings of the cafe and the city,
Coffee for a local feel: Trastevere has a village feel to it. A bit of calm in the middle of the city’s storm. Tumbling ivy coming down the houses, small little piazzas and many street cafes and restaurants make it an idea place to eat and socialise. And one that has become a local hangout is a small unassuming bar cafe a stone’s throw from Santa Maria Trastevere church. Bar Calisto is a true Italian cafe with simple, nothing fancy yet completely authentic surroundings. Popular counter community where everyone congregates to exchange news or have a quick chat. Outside the tables have Peroni beer labels painted on for that retro feel, and is a perfect place to chat with friends and have a glass of wine.
The Travel Cocktail 