Caffè Meletti – Ascoli Piceno

Description

Caffè Meletti is located in the town of Ascoli Piceno and is one of Italy’s 150 most historic cafes.

The establishment looks out over the town’s main piazza, Piazza del Popolo, which sits next to Palazzo dei Capitani.

The café opened in the early 20th century and has been known for its sophisticated and elegant attention to detail ever since. It was once considered the local haunt of the more distinguished townspeople, and a hub of culture and for the elite. To this day the building retains the charm of its liberty style. The dominant colour of the exterior, dusty pink, sets it apart and makes it stand out from all the historic buildings in the town. The front façade of the building, with its neoclassical style, stands tall above a covered walkway, the arches and ceiling of which are decorated with frescoes by Giovanni Picca, an Italian theatre decorator from the second half of the 19th century. The motifs were uncovered during restoration works carried out in 1998.

On the first floor are five windows set into arches featuring the same Renaissance decorations as the others in Piazza del Popolo. On the top floor is a large closed balcony with a light-coloured railing.

The atmosphere inside and the aesthetics of the Caffè Meletti are in the classic liberty style. To this day the café has retained its original engraved wooden finishings. There are also large mirrors on the walls, sofas upholstered in green velvet, and small round tables with Carrara marble tops and heavy cast iron bases.

The ceiling of the hall on the ground floor was painted by Pio Nardini using the fresco technique between 1906 and 1907. The artist made anisette the central motif of his work, depicting cupids sitting in the branches of aniseed trees.

The Café has also served as a set for a number of films. In 1960 it was used by Francesco Maselli to film scenes from the film Silver Spoon Set, and in 1971 by Pietro Germi for scenes for Alfredo Alfredo.

Position on map