Pedrocchi Café, Historic coffeehouse in Padua, Italy
Pedrocchi Café is a neoclassical coffeehouse with Doric arcades and four stone lions at the entrance facing Piazza Cavour in central Padua. The facade shows eclectic elements, while the interior unfolds across two floors connected by staircases and passages.
Giuseppe Jappelli designed the building in the 1820s, and it opened its doors in 1831 as a project funded by the Pedrocchi family. During the 1848 uprisings, gatherings against Austrian rule took place here, and the rooms later kept their role as meeting points for politically engaged individuals.
The name Pedrocchi comes from Antonio Pedrocchi, an innkeeper whose family funded the project and left the city a lasting meeting place. The three ground-floor halls have carried the names of their wall colors since their creation and still serve as gathering spots for students and locals in conversation.
The entrance sits directly on central Piazza Cavour, so visitors can reach the coffeehouse easily on foot. The ground floor offers public access for coffee and pastries, while the upper floor is reserved for private events and is not normally accessible.
Between 1831 and 1916, the establishment remained open continuously day and night, which led Paduans to call it the café without doors. This unbroken operation made it a constantly accessible meeting point for the entire city community.
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