Caffè Fiorio
The Caffè Fiorio is a historic café at via Po 8, in Turin, opened around 1780 in the contrada di Po and taken over in the early nineteenth century by the Fiorio brothers, from whom it took its name.[1][2]
The café of the «codini»
During the Restoration years it was a meeting place for intellectuals, aristocrats, officers and diplomats: it is said that King Carlo Alberto would open his audiences by asking «What are they saying at Caffè Fiorio?».[1] Among conservative patrons it was known as the café of the «codini», the «machiavelli» or «Radetzky», in contrast to the patriots of the Caffè Calosso on via Dora Grossa.[1] In the nineteenth century Cavour, Cesare Balbo and Massimo d'Azeglio would meet there; the «Whist room» commemorates the first meeting of the club of the same name, held by Cavour in 1841.[2][1]
In 1845 the premises were renovated with red velvet sofas, mirrors, frescoes and sculptures by Francesco Gonin and Giuseppe Bogliani; in 1850 it took the name «Caffè della Confederazione italiana», and the nobility only began frequenting it again at the end of the century.[1] The oil-painted sign is preserved at the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Madama, and a copy hangs in the Whist room.[1]
The twentieth century and ice cream
At the start of the twentieth century the entrance from via Bogino was opened; around 1920, probably when the Sodano family began producing ice cream, the entrance hall was created, and in the following decade the ballroom and the current street-facing window were added.[1] The semicircular counter in yellow Siena marble, designed by G. Salvini, dates from the second decade of the century.[1] In the 1930s the Fiorio brought the ice cream cone to Turin, launched with a campaign featuring girls eating it as they strolled; in those years antifascist meetings were held in the room known as the «Vagoncino di Cavour».[2][1]
Today
On 18 June 2021 the café reopened after months of closure due to the pandemic; that year the entrepreneur Nicola Cesaro took over the premises.[3][4] In October 2026 the rooms on via Po were closed for maintenance and restoration, with reopening planned for mid-November.[4]
Related articles: Via Po
Pages linking here
- Caffè San Carlo
- Chiusura del Caffè Fiorio e cambio di insegne nel centro di Torino (ottobre 2026)
- Primo Levi
- Via Po
Sources
- MuseoTorino
- Città di Torino, Compravicino
- TorinoToday — 18 June 2021
- Torino Cronaca — 3 October 2026