Papini, Soffici and Palazzeschi debated here in 1914 in favour of intervention against Austria; Cesare Battisti dropped in to cheers from the crowd, Prezzolini used to meet with the staff of the Voce, and Salvemini came in a loden coat with piping. Dino Campana brashly sold his “Orphic Songs” here and Montale was a regular from 1929 to ’38, when he ran the Gabinetto Viesseux. Rosai used to draw in hushed silence. Then came Bilenchi, Bigongiari, Luzi and all the cultural world through to the present day. In 1941 it changed from the ‘Liberty’ to the Art Deco style; very elegant, with majestic interiors and exteriors, and the ‘caffè concerto’ on the square. A listed building since 1991.
