{"id":5266,"date":"2020-02-10T18:28:06","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T17:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apartmentspadova.it\/the-pedrocchi-cafe-what-a-story\/"},"modified":"2021-09-22T19:52:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T17:52:47","slug":"the-pedrocchi-cafe-what-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apartmentspadova.it\/en\/the-pedrocchi-cafe-what-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pedrocchi Caf\u00e9: what a story!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you find yourselves in Padua, visiting the Pedrocchi Caf\u00e9 is a must. Because the Pedrocchi Caf\u00e9 in Padua isn\u2019t just any caf\u00e9, and it\u2019s not even just one of Italy\u2019s historical caf\u00e9s: it\u2019s part of the history and identity of the city, like Prato della Valle<\/a> and the Basilica of Saint Anthony, belonging to the memory of every person that\u2019s been here.<\/p>\n

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In the heart of Padua, the \u201ccaf\u00e9 without doors\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

The history of the Pedrocchi Caf\u00e9 started with Francesco Pedrocchi<\/strong> of Bergamo who in 1772 opened a \u201csmall coffee shop\u201d in a not very strategic place in the city to say the least: not far from the University, the City Hall, markets, main squares, theatre and the post office and the Noli Square (today Garibaldi Square) from which at the time the coaches and carriages left. <\/p>\n\n

His son Antonio<\/strong>, inheriting his father\u2019s thriving business in 1800, immediately showed entrepreneurial skills, deciding to invest the profits by buying the adjacent businesses. <\/p>\n\n

So in 20 years he owned the entire block: an area that was roughly triangular bordered on the east by Via della Garzeria (today Via VIII Febbraio), on the west by Via della Pescheria Vecchia (today an alley called Vicolo Pedrocchi) and on the north with a chapel called Oratorio di San Giobbe (now a little square called Piazzetta Pedrocchi). <\/p>\n\n

To make the new business he put the engineer and architect Giuseppe Jappelli<\/strong> in charge, who designed an eclectic building mixing Neoclassic and Gothic Venetian styles, with exotic Egyptian and Chinese touches that were very fashionable at the time.<\/p>\n\n

The caf\u00e9 in Padua that is open day and night<\/h2>\n\n

Antonio Pedrocchi chose to split the space into two areas: the \u201cRidotto\u201d, dedicated to welcoming high society, formal balls and elite cultural meetings; the \u201cCaff\u00e9\u201d, that hosted anyone who came and was open day and night. The 24\/7 opening hours were adopted until 1916. That\u2019s why even today Pedrocchi is known as the \u201ccaf\u00e9 without doors\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

Pedrocchi Jr. had a truly unique way of treating with his clientele. According to his own morals, in fact, no one should ever be denied \u201ca glass of water, a pinch of tabacco, a needle and thread to mend a dress and an umbrella\u201d<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n

Everyone could sit at a table without ordering something and reading the books and newspapers available around the caf\u00e9. Women were offered flowers as gifts and, in cases of sudden rain, customers were leant umbrellas. Customer service doesn\u2019t get much better than that\u2026<\/p>\n\n

A cultured and refined clientele<\/h2>\n\n

In the 19th century the Pedrocchi Caf\u00e9 was the go-to place for meetings among intellectuals, writers, artists, directors, journalists, students, university professors and politicians.<\/p>\n\n