Caffe Florian

Caffè Florian is a coffee house situated in the Procuratie Nuove of Piazza San Marco, Venice. It was established in 1720, and is a contender for the title of the oldest coffee house in continuous operation.

From 1893, at the prompting of Ricardo Selvatico who had been inspired while dining in the Senate Hall, the Florian became home to the Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Contemporanea (International Exhibition of Contemporary Art), an ever-changing display of work from the artists of the time, known today as the Venice Biennale. The rooms of the Florian have been decorated with the works of artists, sculptors, photographers and cartoonists. In 2003, Irene Andessner added Le Donne Illustri (The Illustrious Women), ten portraits of notable women of Venice, to the Hall of the Illustrious Men. Many of the works of art are part of the Florian's private collection and are loaned to art museums around the world. Music also features at the Florian from April to October.

In recent years, Florian has experimented with branching out of Venice and now has a location on Via del Parione in the center of Florence. Florian has also international branches, namely in Marina Mall, AbuDhabi. Its new flagship outlet has recently opened at the Gate Village, Dubai International Financial Centre.