The Old-School Bar with a Calcio Connection in the Beating Heart of Rome

In Trastevere, the bohemian heart of Rome, you can hear the buzz of Bar San Calisto before you see it. More than just a bar, it is an institution: gritty, unpolished, and outrageously affordable.

I first stumbled upon it one winter afternoon. Looking straight from 1969 (its founding year), it felt like stepping into old-school Rome, long before the Instagrammable restaurants took over. I walked in and asked what wine they had. The barman looked at me and said with a shrug, “red or white”.

Such is the charm of San Calisto. No frills. No fuss. And that’s just the way the locals like it. So much so that when closing for a refurb ahead of relaunching in February 2026, promises were made that no major changes would be made to the interior.

With no menu or table service, you pay at the till and then hand over your receipt at the bar to redeem your order.

There is rarely a free table. Snagging a spot takes eagle eyes and a little luck. In the morning, hordes of people gather for a cappuccino or espresso, clouds of cigarette smoke hanging above the plastic seating area. As the sun begins to dip, coffee is replaced by bottles of Peroni and plastic cups overflowing with spritzes. Soon, the crowds spill onto the street, everyone wanting to take advantage of the incredibly low prices (a coffee for under a euro and a beer for less than €3). No wonder it’s rammed until closing time at 2am.

This is why it was all the more confusing (and worrying) when in 2018 the shutters didn’t come back up at 6am. And for many days to follow.

The police closed down the venue, citing its role as a “meeting place for clientele with criminal records”. This is shortly after they were slapped with a warning for disturbing the peace late at night after an unauthorised rave thumped on until the early hours, upsetting nearby residents.

The owner, Marcello Forti, known as Marcellì, became even more of an icon after going viral on social media for his response to the accusations, saying: “If someone has a criminal record and has served their sentence, they also have the right to a coffee, don’t they?”

Soon, loyal patrons rallied to protest the closure, with thousands of regulars gathering around the bar.

“Here, politicians and homeless people, students and pensioners, drink at the same table,” said Micol Meghnagi, the organiser of the event on Facebook. “This closure is an outrage to the neighbourhood. Marcello is untouchable.”

Three days later, San Calisto reopened, and it was business as usual. No fuss. No fanfare.

Marcello’s love of the beautiful game is evident as soon as you walk into the small, wooden-clad bar. The walls are plastered with old photographs of teams and players of yesteryear.

Ever the businessman, in 2025 Marcello began selling branded scarves emblazoned with BAR SAN CALISTO on one side and CORE DE ROMA (heart of Rome) on the other, with #CurvaCalisto on their social posts.

With passion and a little marketing ingenuity, it’s easy to see why the bar is celebrating its 56th year.

Bar San Calisto was visited by Stanley Tucci in 2022 for his popular ‘Searching For Italy’ series, with the actor turned foodie sampling Maritozzo con la Panna, a classic Roman sweet brioche bun.

But despite Tucci being a global household name, it was Marcello who stole the show. Such is the appeal of this local icon and his infamous bar.

Address: Piazza di S. Calisto, 3, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Opening hours: 6am to 2am, every day.