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| Carnival Revelers at Caffè Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy)
Caffè Florian has always been the place to be and be seen during the Venice Carnival. Thousands of people all over the world expressed their love and concern about the plight of
Caffè Florian when images of the flooded cafè spread across social media after the November 12
aqua granda in Venice. The situation seemed bleak.
Happily, life goes on: I am glad to report that
Carnival revelers have once again flocked to the beloved coffeehouse
decked out in all their Carnevale regalia, as they have done for centuries.
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| Carnival Revelers at Caffè Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The word "coffee" comes from the Venetian word "caveé." Venetians were introduced to coffee through their trade with the Islamic world, importing the exotic brew from the East.
The first coffeehouses appeared in Venice between 1629 and 1645, and became gathering places for writers, intellectuals and artists.
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| Carnival Revelers at Caffè Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer |
Caffè Florian was established in Piazza San Marco in 1720
and celebrates its 300th anniversary this year. It is the
world's oldest coffeehouse in continuous operation.
It was the
only coffeehouse that served women, making it one of
Casanova's favorite hunting grounds. The Venetian playwright
Carlo Goldoni was a regular.
Since its early years, it has attracted everybody who is anybody --
Lord Byron, Goethe, Marcel Proust,
Charles Dickens,
Richard Wagner and
D'Annunzio were some of the notable clientele.
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| Carnival Revelers at Caffè Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer |
Caffè Florian's original name was "Venezia Trionfante," or "Triumphant Venice," but it soon became known as Caffè Florian, after its owner
Floriano Francesconi. It was a place
where history was written. Inside its rooms, plots were devised to overthrow French and Austrian rule after the Napoleonic conquest of the Republic of Venice in 1797.
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| Carnival Revelers at Caffè Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer |
The idea for the very first Venice Art Biennale was hatched at the Florian. In 1893, Riccardo Selvatico, the mayor of Venice, together
with a group of artists and intellectuals, decided to hold an
illustrious art exhibition in honor of the silver anniversary of King
Umberto and Margherita of Savoy. Beneath the paintings of
The Age of Enlightenment and
Civilization Educating the Nations in the Senate Room, the
first international art festival in the world was born.
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| Through the window of Caffè Florian - Venice Carnival - Photo: Cat Bauer |
Throughout the years, celebrating the Carnival of Venice inside the rooms of Caffè Florian became a staunch tradition. To this day, revelers wearing elaborate costumes walk through the door and into another dimension, sipping hot chocolate and dreaming up adventures along with the spirits of Carnevale past.
Those who do not love life do not deserve it.
---Giacomo Casanova
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
Thousands of people all over the world expressed their love and concern about the plight of Caffè Florian when images of the flooded cafè spread across social media after the November 12 aqua granda in Venice. Life goes on: I am happy to report that Carnival revelers have once again flocked to the beloved coffeehouse decked out in splendid Carnevale regalia.
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