Florian's, 1994
(Photo by RR, 1994)
Caffè Florian

since 1720



The center of Venice
The world's drawing room

Linger over your coffee
Watch the world go by

There is no doubt that Caffè Florian is a tourist attraction. There is even less doubt that they charge hefty prices for coffee, wine, or snacks. The minute you sit down, you incur a surcharge for the music. Still, you would be ill advised to pass this place by.

Our visit was in September of 1994. We had walked all the way to St. Mark's Square from our pension across the Grand Canal. It was not quite dusk, and there were few patrons.

A waiter attired in a splendid white jacket appeared and took our order for a pot of Caffè a Latte. It took a few minutes to prepare, but arrived on a silver tray. There was a pot of hot strong coffee and another one of hot milk. The bill came to over $13.00, but we received much in return. First of all no one spooked us about ordering. We sat there for the better part of two hours, and although they were alert in case we wanted something, there was no effort to prod us into ordering. Two orchestras took turns so there was almost constant music. There was a stream of passers by to watch, plus the panorama of St. Marks Square. As we sip our refreshments, we reflected upon the visitors who had preceded us: Byron, Proust, Casanova, Wagner, and others dating back 280 years.

There was close to a full moon, and as dark descended on the square, the man-made illuminations emerged. The perspective in Piazza San Marco is unique. I noticed some of our neighboring patrons simply sitting there, entranced by the view. Legend has it that if you stay long enough, everyone you know will eventually walk by. Perhaps so.

See you there next time.  Ciao!

RR, NR
(Revised 8/25/04)

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