coffee in the belle époque

Turning the corner from the grand piazza where the San Carlo opera house majestically presides, you will find a cafè, nestled in amongst tall bushes. Tiny round tables outside with beautiful fur-wearing women and men with spectacles seated around them sip espresso, and a sign in elegant lettering says, “Table Service Only.” This isn’t just your average coffee bar, no, it’s the Gran Caffè Gambrinus.

[photo via]

Naples, as you know, is famous for its pizza and desserts, but it’s also the place where you’ll find the most delicious espresso in all of Italy. Denser and creamier than regular espresso, there is a procedure and a machine Neopolitans use that is completely unique and renders a truly special coffee experience. So it is an absolute must, if you find yourself in Naples, to have a coffee at the Gambrinus after lunch.

At the Gran Caffè Gambrinus, time has stood still, and walking inside feels like stepping into 1890, when it was inaugurated. Frescoes, gold details, marble countertops, baristas in suits and elegant cups adorn the central bar. The various halls were once filled with the illustrious clientele of the Belle Époque: Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Jean Paul Sartre and other artists, writers and politicians of the time. You can almost see them writing letters at the wrought iron tables or clinking their porcelain cups against painted saucers. A decadent room just for cakes and pasticceria displays the best of Neopolitan desserts: the baba, sfogliatella, pastiera just to name a few, and wide-eyed tourists wander from room to room, not knowing whether to snap photos or sink their teeth into a piece of rich, Sacher torte on display. 

If you're in Naples, don't miss out on this jewel to have coffee during the Belle Époque! 

{Gran Caffè Gambrinus, in Piazza Trieste e Trento, Naples}