Rome’s Historic Antico Caffè Greco Shuts Down After 260 Years, Marking The End Of An Era For Intellectual And Artistic Life

Published on October 22, 2025

In an era wherever cafés person agelong been astatine nan bosom of Europe’s taste and intelligence life, nan caller closures of 2 legendary establishments — Antico Caffè Greco successful Rome and Gran Café de Gijón successful Madrid — signify nan extremity of an era. These historical venues were not simply places to bask a cup of coffee; they were havens for immoderate of nan top minds successful art, literature, and politics, serving arsenic gathering spots for visionaries and creatives passim history. Now, some establishments person closed their doors aft hundreds of years of operation, a stark reminder of nan shifting scenery for historical cafés successful nan modern world.

Antico Caffè Greco successful Rome, founded successful 1760, was a favourite of artists and thinkers specified arsenic Sophia Loren, Federico Fellini, Charles Baudelaire, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Meanwhile, Gran Café de Gijón successful Madrid, a taste hub since 1888, was frequented by icons for illustration Pablo Picasso, Sophia Loren, and Ernest Hemingway. These closures are not conscionable nan nonaccomplishment of 2 beloved coffeehouses; they people nan fading of a cherished European tradition, wherever cafés were places of heavy conversation, creator creation, and intelligence discourse.

The End of Antico Caffè Greco: Rome’s Legendary Café Closes After 260+ Years

Antico Caffè Greco, 1 of Rome’s oldest cafés, was founded successful 1760 by a Greek entrepreneur. Over nan years, it became a important gathering constituent for intellectuals, writers, and artists. It witnessed nan emergence of galore celebrated personalities, from Sophia Loren to Federico Fellini and Charles Baudelaire. Situated adjacent Piazza di Spagna, this café was often considered a timeless awesome of Roman elegance and intelligence exchange.

The caller closure was caused by a steep summation successful rent. Initially paying €17,000 per month, nan café faced a €150,000 per month summation successful rent erstwhile its lease expired successful 2017. After prolonged ineligible battles, nan tribunal yet ruled successful favour of eviction, sealing nan café’s doors for nan last time. Despite nan closure, nan café’s head remains hopeful, vowing to reopen nan establishment, moreover if it requires further ineligible action.

Key Facts:

• Location: Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy
• Founded: 1760
• Famous Visitors: Sophia Loren, Federico Fellini, Charles Baudelaire
• Reason for Closure: Increased rent and ineligible challenges
• Future Plans: Possible reopening aft ineligible action

Madrid’s Gran Café de Gijón: A Cultural Landmark Closes After 137 Years

Similarly, Gran Café de Gijón successful Madrid, a café steeped successful history, has now closed aft 137 years. Since its opening successful 1888, it was nan gathering spot for Spain’s taste elite. The café’s iconic marble tables, red velvet curtains, and mirrors exuded nan charm of nan precocious 19th century, becoming nan bosom of Madrid’s literate and creator circles. Notable figures specified arsenic Pablo Picasso, Sophia Loren, and Ernest Hemingway were known to predominant nan café, contributing to its estimation arsenic 1 of Spain’s astir cherished taste institutions.

The closure followed nan acquisition of nan café by Cappuccino, a Spanish café chain. Cappuccino plans to reopen nan iconic location successful 2026 nether a caller name. While nan institution has promised to sphere nan café’s essence, concerns stay that modernizing nan interior could erase nan historical ambiance that made Gran Café de Gijón specified a beloved constitution for complete a century.

Key Facts:

• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Founded: 1888
• Famous Visitors: Pablo Picasso, Sophia Loren, Ernest Hemingway
• Reason for Closure: Acquisition by Cappuccino café chain
• Future Plans: Reopening nether a caller sanction successful 2026

The Fading of Europe’s Café Heritage

The closures of Antico Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón are much than conscionable nan shuttering of 2 coffeehouses. They symbolize nan broader taste shifts taking spot crossed Europe. Cafés for illustration these were erstwhile nan heartbeat of intelligence and creator life, wherever ideas were exchanged, and nan foundations of modern art, literature, and authorities were often laid. Today, arsenic cities modernize and rents rise, these historical establishments are progressively becoming casualties of change.

For many, nan nonaccomplishment of these cafés is simply a poignant reminder of a clip erstwhile Rome and Madrid were hubs of productivity and intelligence vibrancy. In a quickly changing world, these cafés represented timeless spaces wherever history, art, and regular life came together successful a measurement that nary different venue could replicate. The closures of Antico Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón are not conscionable nan nonaccomplishment of 2 coffeehouses—they people nan extremity of an era for Europe’s café culture.

The Cultural Legacy of Europe’s Historic Cafés

Cafés person agelong played an basal domiciled successful nan taste cloth of Europe. From Paris to Vienna and Madrid to Rome, these iconic establishments person served arsenic gathering points for revolutionaries, artists, writers, and philosophers. In Rome, Antico Caffè Greco was nan gathering spot for 19th-century artists and intellectuals, while successful Madrid, Gran Café de Gijón was a taste awesome of early 20th-century Spain.

These spaces were not conscionable places to portion coffee; they were venues wherever imaginative minds converged to debate, discuss, and inspire. As these historical cafés close, they time off down a void that tin ne'er genuinely beryllium filled. They were much than conscionable businesses; they were captious to nan societal and taste cloth of their cities.

Future of Historic Cafés successful Modern Cities

While Antico Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón whitethorn beryllium closed, nan thought of preserving taste practice remains important. Many cities, particularly successful Europe, are moving to protect their historical landmarks, including cafés. However, balancing preservation pinch nan realities of modern existent property markets is simply a difficult challenge.

Café enthusiasts, travelers, and historians dream that these closures will spark discussions connected really to protect specified taste icons while adapting to nan changing municipality landscape. For now, nan bequest of Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón will unrecorded connected successful nan stories told astir them, successful nan memories of those who visited, and successful nan pages of history.

Conclusion: The End of an Era for Europe’s Iconic Cafés

The closures of Antico Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón people nan extremity of an era for Europe’s café heritage. These legendary establishments were much than conscionable places to bask coffee—they were taste landmarks that hosted immoderate of nan astir influential thinkers and artists successful history. As nan modern world continues to evolve, it is basal to retrieve and observe nan domiciled that these cafés played successful shaping European culture.

While these closures whitethorn awesome nan fading of a definite type of taste gathering place, they besides supply an opportunity to bespeak connected nan value of preserving history while embracing nan future. The nonaccomplishment of these historical cafés is felt deeply, but their power will proceed to resonate successful nan hearts of those who cherished their unsocial charm and rich | taste legacies.

Key Takeaways:

• Antico Caffè Greco and Gran Café de Gijón are 2 legendary cafés successful Rome and Madrid that person closed their doors aft hundreds of years of operation.
• Antico Caffè Greco, founded successful 1760, was a hub for artists and intellectuals successful Rome, while Gran Café de Gijón, founded successful 1888, became a taste icon successful Madrid.
• The closures are portion of a broader inclination wherever modern improvement and rising rents frighten Europe’s historical cafés.
• The nonaccomplishment of these iconic venues highlights nan fading of Europe’s café heritage, erstwhile cardinal to imaginative and intelligence life.
• Future discussions connected preserving taste practice successful municipality settings whitethorn thief protect akin institutions from nan pressures of modern existent estate.