Must-see nightlife in Italy

  • Ventimetriquadri

    Naples

    What was an old printing shop (note the vintage printer-drawer tabletops and bookish wallpaper) is now the city's first speciality-coffee cafe. The…

  • Ba-Bar

    Naples

    Swinging, candlelit Ba-Bar is a solid all-rounder, punctuated with quirky vintage objects and pulling a friendly, mixed crowd. It's a top spot for a pre…

  • Barril

    Naples

    From street level, stairs lead down to this softly lit, buzzing garden bar, where grown-up, fashionable types mingle among birdcage seats and vintage…

  • Café Bistro Thaler Arôme

    Bolzano (Bozen)

    On the top floor of Bolzano's luxe perfumerie and skincare department store, this glamorous bar is a great place to celebrate any time of day, with…

  • Darsenale

    Ravenna

    This 1200-sq-metre brewpub and beer garden is Emilia-Romagna's most ambitious craft-beer undertaking yet. Local brewery Birra Bizantina flipped this long…

  • Don Navarro

    Umbria

    With its industrial-grey decor and youthful energy, this bar provides a burst of modernity on medieval Piazza Bosone. It's named after a legendary rum…

  • Razmataz

    Catania

    The wines by the glass might be average, but this corner institution is a fabulous spot to while away an hour or two, with tables invitingly spread out…

  • Rooftop Spritzeria Monti

    Rome

    Atop the 5th-floor of Condominio Monti hotel, this bijou rooftop is a popular place for an evening spritz...

  • Mad Souls and Spirts, bar in Florence

    Mad Souls & Spirits

    Oltrarno

    At this ubercool bar in San Frediano, cult alchemists Neri Fantechi and Julian Biondi woo a discerning crowd with their expertly crafted cocktails, served…

  • Santarosa Bistrot

    Oltrarno

    The living is easy at this hipster garden-bistro-bar, snug against a chunk of ancient city wall in the flowery Santarosa gardens. Comfy cushioned sofas…

  • Caffè Sant'Eustachio

    Centro Storico

    Always busy, this small and unassuming cafe near the Pantheon serves the best coffee in town. Its secret? Baristas beat the first drops of an espresso…

  • Mag Cafe

    Mag Cafè

    Milan

    Don’t get distracted by the cosy eclectic decor, complete with wingback armchairs, marble-topped tables, a patchwork of Persian rugs and huge lampshades…

  • Outdoor area of Al Bicerin, Piazza della Consolata 5.

    Caffè Al Bicerin

    Turin

    Founded in 1763, with an exquisitely simple boiserie interior dating to the early 1800s, this one-room cafe takes its name from its signature drink, a…

  • Rasputin details.

    Rasputin

    Oltrarno

    The 'secret' speakeasy everyone knows about, it has no sign outside: disguised as a chapel of sorts, look for the tiny entrance with the two-seat wooden…

  • Exterior of BASE arts and cultural space

    BASE

    Milan

    In the former Ansaldo factory complex you’ll find a cultural centre brimming with workshops, markets, film nights and open-air parties (especially over…

  • Marciano Pub Venice

    Marciano Pub

    Venice

    With its wooden bar and gleaming brass beer taps, this Anglo-Venetian hostelry certainly looks authentic. Marciano takes booze seriously, stocking craft…

  • Entrance to Backdoor43

    Backdoor43

    Milan

    One of Milan’s best secrets: a hidden space the size of a walk-in wardrobe that can be rented out as your private bar for 90-minute intervals. With just…

  • Caffè Florian Neo-Baroque splendor & modern art at an iconic 1700s cafe, turning out coffee, cocktails & snacks.

    Caffè Florian

    Venice

    The oldest still-operating cafe in Europe and one of the first to welcome women, Florian maintains rituals (if not prices) established in 1720: besuited…

  • Rome, Antico Caffè Greco: Keats & Byron drank coffee at the marble tables of this celebrated, richly-ornate 18th-century cafe.

    Antico Caffè Greco

    Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

    Casanova, Goethe, Wagner, Keats, Byron, Shelley and Baudelaire were all regulars at Rome's oldest and most elegant cafe, which opened in 1760. Prices…

  • Ai Tre Scalini in Rome is a classic eatery with a warmly decorated interior serving pasta & meat plates, plus a large wine list.

    Ai Tre Scalini

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    A firm favourite since 1895, the 'Three Steps' is inevitably packed with young patrons spilling out of its two-room interior and into the street. Its a…

  • Opulent cafe opening onto St Mark's Square, dating from 1638, serving coffee, martinis & snacks.

    Grancaffè Quadri

    Venice

    Powdered wigs seem appropriate inside this baroque bar-cafe that's been serving happy hours since 1638. During Carnevale, costumed Quadri revellers party…

  • Open Baladin in Rome bar

    Open Baladin

    Centro Storico

    This modern pub near Campo de’ Fiori has long been a leading light in Rome’s craft-beer scene, and with 40 beers on tap and up to 100 bottled brews (many…

  • The entrance to the tiny Malvasia all'Adriatico Mar

    Malvasia all'Adriatico Mar

    Venice

    Wine lovers should stake out a place in this small, upmarket and extremely welcoming bar and let owner Francesco guide them through the range of naturally…

  • Entrance to Fonderie Milanesi

    Fonderie Milanesi

    Milan

    Hard-to-find Fonderie Milanesi, a former metal foundry, is tucked down the bottom of an industrial yard off Via Giovenale. Locals love it for its stripped…

  • Ditta Artigianale

    Oltrarno

    The second branch of Florence's premier coffee roaster treats its faithful hipster clientele to full-blown dining in a 1950s-styled interior alongside its…

  • Bugan Coffee Lab

    Bergamo

    Challenging the hegemony of Lavazza and Illy, Bugan was Italy’s first coffee ‘laboratory’ when it opened in 2014. Headquartered in this Città Bassa…

  • La Tartana Club

    Stromboli

    Rub elbows with the likes of Dolce and Gabbana and the president of Italy at this chic resto-bar, a long-standing favourite of Stromboli's beautiful…

  • Il Santino

    Oltrarno

    Kid sister to top-notch restaurant Il Santo Bevitore two doors down the same street, this intimate wine bar with exposed stone walls and marble bar is a…

  • Bottega Vera

    Orvieto

    This stylish gourmet deli and wine shop has been pouring the good stuff since 1938, when it was started by grandmother of current host Cesare, who will…

  • Gatsby Café

    Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

    There's good reason why the friendly bartenders here all wear flat caps, feather-trimmed trilbys and other traditional gents' hats: this fabulous 1950s…

  • Bar Cavour

    Turin

    Named for its most famous barfly, the ubiquitous Count Cavour, this beautiful historical room combines a magical, mirrored setting with a great collection…

  • Jamón

    Naples

    Great for a piazza-side graze, this savvy little deli–wine bar sits at the top of sweeping Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. Offerings include niche and…

  • Malkovich

    Genoa

    Tucked under the bar Groove, Malkovich is one of Genoa's most atmospheric and secretive drinking dens. To get in, you'll have to provide the password …

  • Roscioli Caffè

    Centro Storico

    In Rome, the Roscioli name is a guarantee of good things to come: the family runs one of Rome's most celebrated delis and a hugely popular bakery, and…

  • Caffè San Pietro

    Agrigento

    This hip cafe serves excellent coffee, Sicilian wines and evening aperitivi, but what really sets it apart is the adjacent 18th-century San Pietro church,…

  • Farmacia Del Cambio

    Turin

    Cambio Corner – home to one of Turin's best restaurants, not to mention bars – also has this 'informal' but glamorous all-day space, set within an old…

  • Umami Beer

    Assisi

    A far cry from the medieval-styled wine bars up the road in Assisi, this modern roadside outfit is all about the uncomplicated pleasures of beer and…

  • Bar Torino

    Ancona

    Slinging cocktails since 1860, this righteously retro bar is one of Ancona's liveliest aperitivo haunts. The Americano and Negroni Marchigiano (with the…

  • Archer

    Modena

    Though she has no formal certification, renegade wine expert Marina Bersani has been slinging juice since the age of 15. Archer – named after The Portrait…

  • La Casa del Caffè Tazza d’Oro

    Centro Storico

    A busy cafe with burnished 1940s fittings, this is one of Rome's best coffee houses. Its position near the Pantheon makes it touristy but its coffees are…

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