The Birthplace of the Negroni Reopens in Florence

Florence is the birthplace of many things: the Renaissance, bistecca fiorentina, Gucci, and the negroni. Caffè Giacosa dates to the 1800s when the Giacosa brothers started their business, and it quickly became the gathering place for Grand Tour travellers and a particular Count Camillo Luigi Manfredo Maria Negroni. When the count ordered “his” cocktail, an americano made with gin in place of the usual soda water, the negroni, as we know it, was invented. The former Giacosa closed its doors in 2017 when fashion designer Roberto Cavalli called it quits on the locale.

Now Gruppo Valenza, whose patriarch, Marco Valenza, owns Caffè Gilli, Caffè Paszkowski, and Move On, has acquired the spot with the intention “to bring back to life an important page of Florentine history.” The new Giacosa opened earlier this year, and lead barman Lucca Manni is dedicated to making the finest cocktails. As the bar is a contemporary representation of its past, expect a series of twists on the classic negroni, including a shaken negroni and the negroni spritz.

With Giacosa, a bar of understated elegance, la dolce vita has been rekindled in Florence.