Bar della Pace is Closed

Bar della Pace was one of those places you agree to meet.

A classic stand by.

classic Italian bar in Rome

Gilded mirrors, marble top tables, and velvet seats.

bar della pace

Bar della Pace was always famous for its outdoor seating.

At a small round table, you could sip a drink beside the ivy-covered facade.

It was almost guaranteed that someone you knew would walk by.

Inside bar della pace

But I always loved the interior.

Bar della Pace Rome

Bar della Pace (officially “Antico Caffè Della Pace”) has been mired in a legal battle over their right to stay in the location for years.

The bar opened in 1891 and has been operated by the Serafini family for more than 5 decades.

However, the owner of the building, Pontifical Teutonic Institute of Santa Maria dell’Anima, have been trying to evict the historic cafe for years.

Bar della Pace Rome-4

35,000 people rallied behind the bar, signing a petition to keep the doors open.

Bar della Pace Rome-3

Of course, the bar was touristy. It was steps from Piazza Navona and frequently featured in films.

But I still welcomed the familiar, warm, interior with friendly staff.

Bar della Pace Rome-5

Pontifical Teutonic Institute of Santa Maria dell’Anima has finally succeeded and the doors to Bar della Pace were closed for the last time on Thursday.

It is going to be a hotel.

Just what the city needed.

 

 

11 thoughts on “Bar della Pace is Closed

  1. Gail says:

    NO!!! Always a stop on every trip to Rome. I will be there in 2 weeks for a week with my extended family and was sooo looking forward to stopping for a drink, or several stops…

    • Natalie says:

      So sorry to be the bearer of the news! Totally bummed. Would highly recommend you pop into Chiostro Bramante for a coffee. Not the same, but a beautiful setting in a different way on the very same street.

  2. Terri in Cali says:

    Natalie, my most favorite spot to hang out and so many memories there. Was there meeting a girlfriend in April and even though I knew of the battle, and had already signed the petition, I just thought (prayed) that there was so much outcry against that it would always be there. But, very sadly, when in Rome in September, walked by to see with my own eyes and almost cried. Ughhh! Crushed ??

    • Natalie says:

      I totally miss it too! I walked by just today and the entire place is still under terrible scaffolding. Such a shame that it will just become another hotel…

  3. Mary Connolly says:

    Oh, NO! I stumbled across this as I was preparing to recommend it to a friend who is visiting Rome soon with her boyfriend. It was here I first tried fragolino wine!

  4. JoAnna says:

    From JoAnna

    Just so sad that a bar that has 5 generations of one family is closing. The history, the food, the comrades , and drinks have made this bar/ restaurant a welcome trattoria !!
    Shame on the owners… history is what this place was about. All was taken away!! So sad!!!

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