Caffè Pedrocchi: Padua’s Café Without Doors

For most of the 19th century, you could walk into Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua at any hour of the day or night. Its doors facing the street were kept open around the clock, which earned it the nickname “the café without doors.” Built in the 1830s as a neoclassical temple to coffee, it became a meeting place for students, scientists and patriots, and in 1848 it was caught up in a student revolt against Austrian rule. A bullet hole from that day is still in one of its walls. Today it’s still a working café, famous for a signature drink: hot espresso under a cap of cold mint cream.

Here’s the history of Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua, what to see inside, and how to make its mint coffee at home.

Key takeaways

• Francesco Pedrocchi opened a coffee shop in Padua in 1772; his son Antonio turned it into the grand café completed in 1831 by architect Giuseppe Jappelli.
• It stayed open day and night until 1916, hence “the café without doors.”
• On February 8, 1848, a bullet fired during clashes between students, Paduans and Austrian troops left a hole still visible in the White Room.
• The café has belonged to the city of Padua since 1891, and its signature drink is the Caffè Pedrocchi: espresso topped with cold mint cream.

In this article

1. History of Caffè Pedrocchi
2. Why “the café without doors”?
3. The bullet of 1848
4. The Red, White and Green rooms
5. The Caffè Pedrocchi mint coffee
6. FAQ

History of Caffè Pedrocchi

According to the University of Padua, the story starts in 1772, when Francesco Pedrocchi, originally from Bergamo, opened a coffee shop in the city. Padua was (and is) a university town, and coffee was the fuel of students and professors.

His son Antonio had bigger plans. In the early 1800s he bought up the surrounding block and neighboring buildings to create a complete coffee operation: roasting, storage and service under one roof. The project went to the city authorities in 1826, and the Venetian architect and engineer Giuseppe Jappelli completed the building in 1831. It’s an eclectic neoclassical design that looks more like a public monument than a café.

Two additions followed. In 1839 the neo-Gothic wing known as the Pedrocchino was built to house the pastry shop. In 1842 the elegant upper floor, the piano nobile, was inaugurated during the fourth Congress of Italian Scientists, and it became a venue for balls, meetings and performances.

Why “the café without doors”?

Jappelli’s building opened onto the street on its north and south sides, and those entrances stayed open day and night. The University of Padua says this continued until 1916. In practice, the café never closed: students could study, argue and drink coffee at any hour, and travelers arriving late could always find a warm room. The nickname caffè senza porte stuck long after the hours changed.

The bullet of 1848

In 1848, uprisings spread across Europe, and Padua was then under Austrian rule. On February 8, 1848, students and Paduans clashed with the Austrian army in the streets around the university and the café. According to the University of Padua, a bullet fired that day left a hole still visible in a wall of the White Room. The café, a gathering place for liberal students and patriots, became a symbol of Padua’s part in the Risorgimento, Italy’s movement toward unification.

Today the upper floor houses the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Contemporary Age, so you can follow that story upstairs after your coffee.

The Red, White and Green rooms

The main floor’s three rooms are named after the colors of the Italian flag:

• Red Room: the central room, which still holds the original counter designed by Jappelli.
• White Room: the room with the 1848 bullet hole. The University of Padua also links it to the French novelist Stendhal, one of the café’s famous visitors.
• Green Room: traditionally open to anyone who wants to sit without ordering. The University connects it to the Italian expression essere al verde, “to be in the green,” meaning to be broke. Students without money could still come in, read and keep warm.

Padua’s café belongs to the same family of grand 18th- and 19th-century Italian coffeehouses as Venice’s Caffè Florian, which we cover in Caffè Florian, Venice.

The Caffè Pedrocchi mint coffee

The café’s signature drink shares its name: the Caffè Pedrocchi, hot espresso topped with a cold, sweet mint cream. The contrast of temperatures and the cool mint against bitter coffee is the point. The café keeps its own recipe; here’s a home version.

Ingredients (2 small cups)

Steps

1. Chill a bowl and whisk. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and mint to soft peaks: thick enough to float, still spoonable. A drop of green coloring is optional; many home versions are pale green.
2. Pull the espresso into small glasses or cups and stir in the sugar.
3. Spoon a thick layer of cold mint cream on top. Don’t stir.
4. Dust with cocoa if you like, and drink right away, sipping the hot coffee through the cold cream.

No espresso machine? Use a moka pot. And if you’d like mint in the coffee itself, brew our Mint coffee, a smooth medium roast with a light touch of natural mint flavor, and top it with plain sweetened whipped cream. For a classic Italian-style shot under the cream, Italian Roast gives an intense, smoky espresso with thick crema, and Brazil Santos a smoother, nuttier one.

Visiting Caffè Pedrocchi

• Where: in the historic center of Padua, close to the university.
• What to order: the Caffè Pedrocchi, of course, at the bar or at a table.
• What to look for: the bullet hole in the White Room, Jappelli’s counter in the Red Room, and the Green Room where no order is required.
• Upstairs: the Risorgimento museum on the piano nobile.

Before you go, brush up on café etiquette with our Italian coffee rules.

Caffè Pedrocchi FAQ

Why is Caffè Pedrocchi called the café without doors?

Because its street entrances were kept open day and night, so the café never closed. That continued until 1916.

What is a Caffè Pedrocchi drink?

Hot espresso topped with a cold, sweet mint cream, the café’s signature drink.

Who owns Caffè Pedrocchi?

The building passed to the city of Padua in 1891, according to the University of Padua.

Is the 1848 bullet hole real?

Yes. A hole from a bullet fired on February 8, 1848, is preserved in a wall of the White Room.

When did Caffè Pedrocchi open?

The Pedrocchi family’s coffee shop dates to 1772; the grand building you visit today was completed in 1831.

Sources

1. Caffè Pedrocchi, University of Padua
2. Café Pedrocchi, L’Italo-Americano

Facts checked in October 2026.

Keep reading: Bicerin, Turin · Café Procope, Paris · Coffee blends