Thanks to the great import and distribution of coffee, in Europe of the eighteenth century, meeting and socialization places are created. In spite of the local citizens crowded by the various social classes, especially when the coffee and chocolate drink becomes famous, the aristocracy creates its own spaces in their residences.
In this regard, wealthy people built buildings used for this service in their gardens, sometimes necessary to receive guests in a more sober form far from the classic formalities imposed by a ceremonial. And so the famous Coffee House, Kaffehaus or “Casino del Caffè” came to create. Despite buildings to taste a cup of coffee or chocolate between friends, these were real masterpieces of Rococo architecture.
One of the most beautiful examples of Kaffehaus is located in the Boboli garden in Florence, wanted by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo. Eliminated the various agricultural crops, it was built under the direction of the architect of the royal factories, the Florentine Zanobi del Rosso. The construction is affected by the influences that was breathed to the Habsburg Court, that is, the fashion of the “Turkias” and the eastern world, which we can see from the onion -shaped dome.
The construction started in 1774 was completed the following year, it was equipped with different levels and lateral mezzanines served by stairs, around the large room, small rooms open, seats for more private intimacy so much so that they were called “retreat”. The interiors were painted by three painters in vogue at the time for their decoration of illusionistic views. Giuseppe Del Moro, Giuliano Traballesi and Pasquale Micheli.
And since the building was inside the famous garden, it was chosen to create prospects from hypothetical balconies or pergolas from which it is possible to see gardens and fountains with angels, a tribute to Boboli. The harmonious whole of architecture and paintings make everything a small pearl of the Rococo style in Florence.
