The name list of famous men and women spending time in historical places in Italy is very long. All you have to do is sitting in these places, take a coffee or an aperitif and you immediately have the pleasant feeling of jumping back in time, where relics, art works or vintage furniture recall memories of well-known personalities that intertwine with the historical events of our country. Some have become fast food places or boutiques. However, more than 120 still survive, and we would like to tell these places and keep them alive in our memories, as they continue the pages of history and culture of our beloved Italia with honour and bravery.
Caffè del Tasso
In Bergamo, in Piazza Vecchia, within the heart of the higher end of the Lombard county town, one of the oldest historical shops of Italy still survives: the Caffè del Tasso.
Pictures and parchments show its existence already in 1476 as “Locanda delle due Spade”, before turning its name into “Torquato Tasso Caffè e Bottiglieria” in 1681, when actually the statue of the great poet was erected close by. A place that also made the history of the city. In 1859, volunteers of Bergamo lead by Agostino Pasquinelli met there, ready to follow Garibaldi in his famous Expedition of the Thousand to Sicily. In the second half of the 19th century, it was disrobed from its austere medieval style and embellished by refined neoclassical furnishings. Since then – and until now – also the name changed into Caffè del Tasso. By getting in, it seems to be catapulted into history of more than five centuries, in an immortal place, where artists and historical personalities passed through and stopped for a coffee or a drink. From Mariangela Melato, Charlton Heston, to Dennis Hopper, from Helenio Herrera to master Gianadrea Gavazzeni, to architect Le Corbuisier, who described that old “square one of the nicest worldwide”.
Nowadays, Caffè Del Tasso, which has been running by Marcello and Massimo Menalli for 25 years now, has been able to adapt to times and made innovations, even if some signs revealing its historicity and elegance were kept untouched. Besides being a historical café, the place also offers excellent handmade pastries, as well as a refined restaurant proposing a menu including a smart mix of tastes of the typical cuisine of Bergamo along with the Italian one. However, the flagship is the winner cellar, situated in the basement within thick old stonewalls dating back to the late 15th century, which displays an accurate selection of spirits and more than three hundred labels of the most refined wines in the world.
Recommended song for the reading of the present article: One more cup of coffee – The White Stripes
