Gran Caffè by Petra Leusmann

The view of the Grand Caffé Quadri on St Mark's Square, in Venice, shows a completely different atmosphere in the early morning than during the day.
It's a bit like the calm before the (tourist) storm and you have almost the whole square to yourself. At most, there are a few Venetians getting ready for work.

The Caffè Quadri in Venice can still be found in St Mark's Square. It carries the tradition of this extraordinary city.

The café was opened in 1638 under the name "Il Rimedio". On 28 May 1775, Giorgio Quadri came to Venice from Corfu. He had the idea of investing the family fortune in a space where "boiling water", coffee, was sold, which was becoming increasingly popular in cosmopolitan Venice .
In the city, coffee beans, which the Turks called "khavè", were very widespread: in 1683, the first shop selling the bean had already opened under the Procuratie Nuove in Piazza San Marco. At the time the Quadri was inaugurated, there were 208 rooms, 24 of which were only in the Piazza.
Giorgio Quadri and his wife then bought the then Remedy under the Procuratie Vecchie.
Thus began the story of the Grancaffè Quadri, which was to have another decisive breakthrough in 1830, when management passed to the Vaerini brothers.
The two new owners restructured the interior and added the Quadri restaurant on the upper floor.
The ground floor was decorated with pastel stucco work, predominantly in green and yellow, and completed with views and scenes of Venetian life.

Today the decor is light, bright and elegant, with clear colours and charming stucco and frescoes.
The outdoor dining area gives a magnificent view over the piazza.

It's the perfect place to enjoy your drink or a coffee and gaze out over St Mark's Square while an orchestra plays.