The Turin Cafe Steeped in Sweet, Rich History and Loved by the A-List

What do Susan Sarandon, Giovanni Agnelli, Umberto Eco, Mario Soldati, Friedrich Nietzsche and Giacomo Puccini have in common?

The answer is not a what, but a where. Specifically the Caffe’ Al Bicerin, one of Turin’s oldest and most famous cafes.

Located in Piazza della Consolata on the northern edge of the city’s Quadrilatero Romano area, the cafe first opened in 1763, as a small shop in the building facing the entrance to the Sanctuary of the Consolata.

In 1856, the cafe moved next door to what has been its home ever since. Out went the modest wooden tables and benches that had furnished the shop for the previous nine decades, in came the elegant features that you can still today.

Walk into Caffe’ Al Bicerin and you will be welcomed by wooden panels on the walls, round white marble tables, the wooden and marble counter and the shelves for the iconic confetti jars, a legacy of when the cafe used to operate as confectionery shop in the 19th century.

But instantly recognisable as the interior design, and what really sets the Caffe’ Al Bicerin aside, is the eponymous drink, which takes its name from the local Piedmontese word for ‘small glass’.

A symbol of Turin’s aristocratic history and its love for chocolate, the bicerin is a shot of espresso serving as a buffer between thick hot chocolate at the bottom and a layer of heavy cream at the top.

Rather than invention, the bicerin is an evolution of the 18th century bavareisa, a fashionable drink at the time that was served in large glasses and made using coffee, chocolate, milk and syrup. 

It is why the three ingredients in the bicerin were originally served separately, but as early as the 19th century they were poured into a single glass.

The debate over whether the layers should be mixed together and consumed separately continues today, so don’t be surprised if locals shot you quizzical looks when you consume yours.

The drink and the venue have become part of Turinese lore and that is largely down to the illustrious clientele that has filtered through the doors over the years.

Agnelli, the former president of Juventus and FIAT, and his younger brother Umberto, who served as the club’s chairman, would regularly head to Caffe’ Al Bicerin, perhaps discussing the Bianconeri as they sipped on a coffee.

Philosopher Nietzsche and composer Puccini probably had other things on their mind when they popped in, while writer Eco set part of his novel The Prague Cemetery in the cafe.

Hollywood star Sarandon visited when Turin host the Winter Olympics in 2006, but arguably the most intriguing client of all was Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour.

One of the leading figures in Italian unification, he served as the first Prime Minister of Italy and legend has it he would duck into the cafe while members of the Savoy royal family attended the nearby Consolata Sanctuary.

Like elsewhere in the centre of Turin, one is never far from walking in the footsteps of history. The Quadrilatero Romano area which is home to Caffe’ Al Bicerin is the city’s oldest and one of its most atmospheric neighbourhoods, its maze of narrow, cobblestone streets providing a striking contrast with the19th-century-style boulevards that characterise other parts of the city.

At the eastern edge of the Quadrilatero, the Porta Palatina, one of the best-preserved first-century Roman gates in the world, still stands, while a few streets north the Mercato Generale is awash with vibrant colours and flavours from Turin’s African diaspora in the city.

The Quadrilatero has now become synonym with modernity, its cafes and small squares providing the heart of Turin’s vibrant aperitivo scene.

But through it all, the Caffe’ Al Bicerin has stood the test of time, much like Turin itself.

Caffe’ Al Bicerin – Piazza della Consolata, 5, 10122 Torino

Open every day from 9am to 7:15pm, except Wednesdays.