Loading...In warmer months crowds sit outside of Caffe Florian to drink their 6€ coffees or 10€ “corrected” coffee (coffee with a shot of grappa) with an added 9€ charge just for sitting at the table. In the evenings an orchestra plays Vivaldi. People waltz in the square, there is another cafe across the square with it’s own orchestra, they duel. Apparently the whole thing is magical.
In February you drink your expensive caffeinated beverages inside and you don’t pay the extra table charge. I imagine most tourists who have been to Caffe Florian haven’t been through the doors. What a shame. On the inside, Caffe Florian, which was established in 1720, is beautifully ornate. The cafe is made up of several small rooms with different themes. I’m not sure what was the theme of our room, but the walls were covered in what seemed like painted glass in green and gold with romantic figures.
Caffe Florian is tucked into one of the arcades near the Campaniel. We went there after seeing the mosaics of BdSM. Caffe Florian is one of those places that sparks debate amongst “tourists” and “travelers.” Read any travel forum and you’ll get an eyeful of rants about why “travelers” don’t go to places like this. I’m not too interested in these debates. I like going places with literary history, romantic and beautifully decorated time machines from the past. I try and ignore the Germans across from me and pretend instead it’s Lord Byron writing on a napkin with a stubby pencil. I know it’s expensive for a cup of coffee, but I’m glad we went.
Byron, Proust, Goethe, Casanova (he’s everywhere), Rousseau, Stravinsky, Dickens, and us. Florian’s is one of those mythical places graced by luminaries. But really, if you’re around for 300 years you’re bound to get a few stars. It’s like corporate America, the guy on top is usually the one who’s been around the longest.
The best way to view the pictures (in my opinion) is to click on the first one which opens a larger view, then click Next in that new window. This way you can also read the captions.
