Our History
The Story
Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffè is an old wood-fired coffee roaster founded in 1938, from a shop that already existed in 1800 with the name “Caffè e Latte” in Piazza Sant’Eustachio, a stone’s throw from Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.
For its time, the restaurant, built of brick and with ergonomic shapes, was highly innovative: the absence of wooden furnishings and the use of white made it extremely modern. The beautiful building in which it is located is Palazzo Cenci Maccarani, designed in 1500 by the famous architect Giulio Romano, known for Palazzo Tè in Mantua.
Since 1999, the Ricci brothers have owned the café, maintaining the tradition intact with their primary goal of always serving a quality product, using organic and fair-trade coffee from slow food producers, for a premium blend of 100% Arabica coffee imported directly from South America.
The Legend
According to legend, General Placidus lived in Rome during the reign of Trajan. One day, while hunting in the woods, he saw a deer, and a luminous cross appeared between its antlers.
The event understandably shocked the young man, who decided to convert to Christianity and change his name to Eustachio (from the Greek ευ “good” and σταχιυς “ear”: which gives a good harvest).
The emperor later sentenced the young man and his family to death: the sentence included being killed in the Colosseum by lions who, according to legend, stopped before them and saved them. Inspired by the myth, the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio wrote of his own desire for conversion: “I too, like the deer, carry the arrow stuck in my side.”
Saint Eustace is especially venerated in the city of Matera, where he is the patron saint. His name day is celebrated on September 20th.