|
Three Centuries of History |
|
The sign of Antico
Martini: |
The
restaurant Antico Martini (on the left) |
Housed in an old historical palace, once the residence of Admiral Vettor Pisani and other celebrated Venetian families, the Antico Martini was first established in 1720 under the name of Caffè San Fantin. After the opening of the Fenice Opera House in 1792, it became the favourite meeting place of artists, intellectuals, singers and conductors who patronized the coffee-house for their after-theatre revelries. Afterwards the name changed to "Martini", from the surname of the owner who ran it from 1863 to 1884, and since 1921 it has belonged to the Baldi family, now at its third generation, who has launched it as a deluxe restaurant, the favourite not only of dedicated gourmets, but also of famous names in the jet-set and exponents of the world of politics, art and Venetian and international culture. Antico Martini was the favourite place of Wagner, Lord Byron, Casanova, Goethe, Balzac, Goldoni, Guardi, Voltaire, Rousseau, Verdi, Dickens, Proust, D'Annunzio, Ibsen, De Chirico, Le Courbousier, Hemingway, Sartre, Stravinsky, Rubinstein, Cocteau, Ungaretti, Montale, Marinetti, princess Margaret, Bernstein, Laurence Olivier and all the Venetian and Italian aristocracy.
The restaurant Antico Martini in 1922
PHOTO OF MR. CHARLIE CHAPLIN DINING AT ANTICO MARTINI
PHOTO OF MR. IGOR STRAVINSKY DINING AT ANTICO MARTINI
PHOTO OF A PARTY AT ANTICO MARTINI IN THE TWENTIES
PHOTO OF THE "CELEBRITY PARTY" BY MR. EARL BLACKWELL AT ANTICO MARTINI IN 1953
Reservations: click here - e-mail: info@anticomartini.com -
