Is Antico Caffè Greco Still Open? The Story of Rome's Oldest Café

For more than 260 years, Antico Caffè Greco on Rome’s Via Condotti served espresso under gilt frames and portraits of its famous customers. So, is Antico Caffè Greco still open? Not as the café people knew. On 8 October 2025, after an eviction battle that began when its lease expired in 2017, police sealed the doors, and the owners of the building have said their priority is to reopen it with a new tenant. Check current news before you plan a visit.

Here is the story of Rome’s oldest café, who drank there, why it closed and what might come next.

Key takeaways

• The café opened in 1760, founded by Nicola della Maddalena, a member of Rome’s Greek community, near the Spanish Steps.
• It is considered Italy’s second-oldest coffee house after Caffè Florian in Venice (1720).
• Its walls held more than 300 artworks and objects, many linked to artists who drank there.
• After the lease ended in 2017, the building’s owner sought to raise the rent from about €17,000–18,000 to €120,000 a month; the tenants lost in court and the café closed on 8 October 2025.

In this article

1. A café born in 1760
2. Who drank at Caffè Greco
3. Why it closed
4. Is Antico Caffè Greco still open?
5. Timeline
6. FAQ

A café born in 1760

Antico Caffè Greco opened in 1760 at Via Condotti 86, a few steps from the Spanish Steps. Its founder, Nicola della Maddalena (also spelled di Madalena), belonged to Rome’s Greek community. Greco simply means Greek. The café is Rome’s oldest coffee house and, after Venice’s Caffè Florian, the second oldest in Italy.

Over time the café became a gallery as much as a bar. Its rooms filled with more than 300 paintings, drawings, sculptures and pieces of memorabilia, some donated, some commissioned from artists who were regulars, displayed across nine rooms, much of it in its original positions. Its furnishings included plush red velvet chairs, booths and gilded porcelain.

Who drank at Caffè Greco

The guest list reads like a syllabus of European culture. Among the names associated with the café:

A sofa in a back room is even linked to an encounter Casanova mentioned in his memoirs. For more on how coffeehouses fueled literary life, see our guide to writers’ coffee habits and Paris’s Café Procope.

Why Antico Caffè Greco closed

The building belongs to Rome’s Israelite Hospital. The café’s operators, Carlo Pellegrini and Flavia Iozzi, held an 80-year lease that expired in September 2017. The hospital sought to raise the monthly rent from roughly €17,000–18,000 to €120,000, saying that matched other properties on Via Condotti, one of Rome’s most expensive shopping streets. The tenants said they would pay more, but not around six times as much.

The dispute went through the courts for years. In early 2025, Italy’s Culture Ministry offered to help mediate, but the owner prevailed, and Italy’s Court of Cassation upheld the end of the lease. On 8 October 2025, a bailiff and Carabinieri officers changed the locks.

The fate of the artworks

Before the closure, staff removed the collection, citing fears of damage from a leaking pipe. Prosecutors alleged the removal violated heritage law, and the Carabinieri’s cultural heritage unit seized around 300 items, reportedly worth about €8 million, from a warehouse. As of November 2025, the hospital’s special commissioner said the Culture Ministry was protecting the works until a new tenant was found, and a court had required the owner to preserve the property’s historic character.

Is Antico Caffè Greco still open?

As of our last check, we could not confirm that the café has reopened. In late 2025 the hospital’s commissioner, Antonio Maria Leozappa, called reopening Caffè Greco the absolute priority and said it would reopen after building work, with its historic character preserved. Italian press also reported interest from neighboring shops, and the former operators’ lawyer said the matter was not closed. If you are planning a trip to Rome, check recent local news before you go.

Meanwhile, Rome still has plenty of standing-bar coffee culture. Our guide to Italian coffee rules explains how to order like a local.

Antico Caffè Greco timeline

An Italian espresso at home

You cannot sit on Caffè Greco’s red velvet right now, but you can make a proper Roman-style espresso in your kitchen. Our Italian Roast is our darkest roast, a slow-roasted Arabica and Robusta blend with smoky, dark chocolate notes and thick crema. For a slightly livelier cup, African Espresso is a medium-dark blend with red fruit and chocolate. Both are roasted 1–5 days before delivery. Browse all our blends.

Antico Caffè Greco FAQ

When did Antico Caffè Greco open?

In 1760, on Via Condotti near the Spanish Steps.

Why is it called Caffè Greco?

Greco means Greek in Italian, and its founder, Nicola della Maddalena, belonged to Rome’s Greek community.

Is Antico Caffè Greco the oldest café in Italy?

No. It is the oldest in Rome; Caffè Florian in Venice, opened in 1720, is older.

Why did Antico Caffè Greco close?

Its lease expired in 2017 and the building’s owner sought a much higher rent. After years of litigation, the eviction was upheld and the café was sealed on 8 October 2025.

Where is the art collection now?

Around 300 items were seized by Italy’s heritage police and, as of late 2025, were being protected under the Culture Ministry until a new tenant takes over.

What should I order in a historic Roman café?

The classic is simply “un caffè,” a single espresso, drunk standing at the bar. A cappuccino is a morning drink in Italian custom, and ordering at the counter is usually cheaper than sitting at a table with waiter service.

Sources

1. Antico Caffè Greco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026.
2. Rome’s Caffè Greco closes its doors after long eviction battle, Wanted in Rome, 2025.
3. Rome’s oldest coffee house was an ornate treasure. A bitter legal dispute has turned it into an empty eyesore, CNN via KRDO, 2025.

Facts checked in October 2026.

Keep reading: Caffè Florian, Venice · Trieste, Italy’s coffee capital · Blend