This story is part of the Register’s special issue on coffee. Read more articles here.
When you are in the Eternal City … and need some coffee:
Latteria Giuliani: 100 Years of Memories
The neighborhood around the Vatican is called the Borgo, which comes from the German word burg, meaning “village.” This is because the Saxon king camped there on pilgrimage — in fact, there is a church and a hospital called Santo Spirito in Sassia, meaning “Holy Spirit in the Saxons.”
This neighborhood is one of Rome’s oldest districts, where in years past tables would be set up in the streets and neighbors would gather together for Sunday meals. This was especially true along Borgo Pio, a street that is now solely for pedestrians which runs from Porta Sant’Anna, one of the entrances to Vatican City State, toward Castel Sant’Angelo.
And, in the center of this street, one landmark for caffè (coffee) seekers has stood for more than a century: the Giuliani café and dairy, known as “La Latteria.”
Like many Roman cafés, La Latteria was once primarily dedicated to the sale of milk (latteria literally means “dairy”).
To this day, the establishment has retained its marble tables, a customary feature in early 20th-century Rome.
Here you will also find other hallmarks of Roman tradition: fresh cream always available, free of charge, to add to your coffee or cappuccino at will; a glass of water also offered for free; the relatively sparse number of tables to choose from.
The coffee is strong and appropriately black, with a bold flavor that helps you wake up. It is served in cups inscribed with “MCMXII,” the Roman numerals for 1912, the year La Latteria first opened. It’s a favorite spot for members of the Curia to have breakfast, their first coffee of the morning, or even a casual chat with a guest.
After all, the café’s central location makes it a perfect place for curial prelates to meet, whether they’re commuting from the Castel Sant’Angelo side of Borgo Pio or the Vatican side. This is because Borgo Pio is just a couple streets over from many of the curial offices that flank Via della Conciliazione, the thoroughfare that leads to St. Peter’s Basilica.
If you go between 8 and 8:30 in the morning, in the hour between the first Mass and the start of work in the Curia, you can expect to encounter prelates, Vatican employees and even cardinals meeting there for their first coffee of the day.
For instance, shortly before the 2025 conclave, two cardinals came in for coffee and (reportedly) gelato and found themselves surrounded by patrons asking for a blessing.
You may even find La Latteria’s owner at the episcopal ordination of some monsignor who had once been a loyal customer at the start of his Vatican career. Ultimately, to understand Vatican culture, you have to start with coffee. | Andrea Gagliarducci
My Go-To Spot for Morning Coffee
Via dei Penitenzieri, 16
Rome
The environs of the Vatican are rife with places to eat and drink, but many are tourist traps, offering indifferent service and worse food at inflated prices. A noble exception is the cozy Wine Bar De’ Penitenzieri, my go-to spot in Rome for morning coffee.
Located about 350 yards from St. Peter’s Square on a narrow medieval side street, the Via dei Penitenzieri, the bar (like the street) takes its name from a nearby 15th-century palace that once housed penitentiaries — priests authorized to absolve especially grave sins and thus provide an essential service to pilgrims. That building, also known as Palazzo delle Rovere, now houses the headquarters of the Grand Magisterium of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
But enough about history. The bar, my personal favorite in Rome, is the kind of place where you become a regular after a few visits and they know your order before you say it. I generally prefer, when alone, to have a cappuccino and a horn-shaped cornetto pastry standing up at the bar, but the adjacent dining room is a perfect spot for conversation.
If these walls could speak, they would probably slur their words, since they are lined with examples of the establishment’s extensive wine list, but their testimony would include much entertaining Vatican gossip and some real insights from the prelates, priests and journalists who regularly huddle there. The building itself is part of a complex that houses the worldwide headquarters of the Society of Jesus.
Come for the coffee or the aperitivo, stay for a meal. For the last 10 years, the bar has featured a full-service kitchen operating continuously from noon to 10 p.m. — a rare convenience among decent restaurants in Italy. The reasonably priced menu is traditionally Roman, featuring classics such as Tonnarelli alla Carbonara and Carciofo alla Giudia (fried artichoke). My Italian wife, who has impossibly high standards in these matters, has nothing but praise for the gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce. | Francis X. Rocca
Where the Baristas Know Your Name
For coffee aficionados, many travel guides in Rome will point to Sant’Eustachio Caffè, located around the corner from the Pantheon and across the piazza from the minor basilica of the same name. Although the lines are long and filled with tourists, its reputation is earned, especially (in my opinion) for its cappuccinos. Aside from the quality of the coffee itself, its striking logo — a cross between the antlers of a noble stag — is an effective conversation starter (especially when traveling with non-Catholics unfamiliar with the history) about one of the early Church’s more dramatic stories. According to legend, St. Eustachio (Eustace in English) was a Roman general who converted to Christianity after receiving a vision of a cross between the antlers of a stag. He would eventually be martyred under Emperor Hadrian.
That said, my favorite coffee bars in Rome were always the ones attended predominantly by the locals, especially when they remember your order after just a few visits. There is Caffetteria La Maddalena, up the road from my old apartment in Monteverde Vecchio, where — at least when I was a regular — it was the grumpiest barista who made the best cappuccinos. Matata Caffè, despite being near the Vatican, is visited predominantly by local Italians living in the neighborhood. And finally, there is Wine Bar De’ Penitenzieri, a frequent haunt of Vatican journalists, which a few colleagues and I affectionally referred to as “HQ AM.” My litmus test for the best coffee in Rome, however, isn’t whether it’s made with the finest beans, has the best view of the city, or enjoys the most prestigious clientele. It’s when, after just a few days of stopping by for your morning coffee, the barista takes one look at you and says: “Cappuccino?” | Ann Schneible
Cappuccino and Cornetto
There is just something so special about sitting in a small coffee shop or the local pasticceria, as they’re called, in Rome or anywhere else in Italy, and enjoying a wonderful cappuccino, along with a freshly baked cornetto, and watching the world go by.
The simple, delicious combination of the morning coffee drink along with the horn-shaped pastry is the breakfast of champions in Italy. The shot of espresso in the cappuccino along with the carbohydrates in the Italian version of the croissant offer just enough goodness to start the day. And if dolce, or sweets, are your thing, you can always grab one of the amazing treats filled with pistachio cream, chocolate or a fruit preserve.
If you really want to experience la dolce vita (“the sweet life”), even just a slice of it, leave your American morning expectations, including the eggs and bacon, behind. Italian hotels realized a long time ago that Americans wouldn’t settle for what they see as simply a roll and a coffee, but the cappuccino-and-cornetto combination is so much more. So, step outside the dining room of your hotel and your comfort zone and find that pasticceria. These delightful places offer more than their delicious baked goods, which, by the way, are normally created by talented pastry chefs. These are the spots where friends gather. They are an integral part of daily Italian life. You won’t find customers on their laptops. You may find Italians bellying up to the counter to grab a quick espresso on the way to the office, another Italian ritual. But, here, outsiders can get a sneak peek into the local culture and a true taste of Bella Italia.
Who knew a “coffee and a roll” could pack such a powerful punch? Buona giornata! | Teresa Tomeo
