Caffe Florian: The Oldest Coffee Shop in the World

Walking Tours of Venice

Caffè Florian

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Caffè Florian, which is located on the south side of Piazza San Marco, has been serving coffee since 1720, which makes it the oldest coffee shop in the world.

The cafe was opened on December 29th, 1720, by Floriano Francesconi, who called it Alla Venezia Trionfante (Venice Triumphant), but it was soon renamed Caffe Florian in honour of its owner. 

Caffe Florian quickly grew in popularity, possibly because it admitted both men and women, at a time when all the other coffee shops in Venice restricted access solely to men.

In 1858 the architect Ludovico Cadorin fashioned the interior of the cafe into four rooms, each designed to resemble a drawing room and named after its décor. During the course of later restorations further rooms were added.