The famous people who made the history of Gambrinus

The wording of literary coffee that has always been attributed to Gambrinus has a much deeper meaning than a simple appellation because it contains in itself one of the most precious aspects of the restaurant, what makes it an inestimable asset for the city of Naples. This name, in fact, has to do with history, with that set of events that happen without stopping and that place, little by little, a new piece in its course.

Of this story Gambrinus has lived and still lives a large slice, hosting many famous people who have chosen it and continue to choose it as a fixed stop of their stay in Naples.

List them all is not easy, because they are so many, and even today the venue attracts celebrities from all over the world, but to remember its most beautiful moments of glory we have chosen to present some of them.

The story passes through our rooms

Starting from politics the characters that have followed more closely at Gambrinus are the Presidents of the Republic, who, during their stay at Villa Rosebery, have never given up our breakfast of the year. Among these we mention in particular Francesco Cossiga, Luigi Scalfaro, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Giorgio Napolitano, even if the names of politics do not stop here and include those of the presidents of the Council Romano Prodi and Silvio Berlusconi, as well as that of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel ( the list would be even longer if we went back in time).

In the literary field, however, the first name that comes to mind is that of D’Annunzio, the greatest exponent of Italian Decadentism, whose presence at Gambrinus is linked to an interesting anecdote about the musical history of Naples.

Born in Pescara in 1863, the poet lived in Naples for two years, from 1891 to 1893, and during this period he frequented our restaurant. During one of his coffee breaks he was challenged by his friend Ferdinando Russo to compose a song in the Neapolitan dialect, and D’Annunzio, ready to draw his best weapons to win the bet, wrote the text of “A Vucchella” “on one of the tables of the room. Later the piece was performed by Francesco Paolo Tosti and recorded by Enrico Caruso, until it became a classic of the Neapolitan song.

Next to D’Annunzio there are many famous people who attended our literary salon and each of them helped to write a piece of our history, exponentially increasing its fame and prestige. Among the most important we remember Benedetto Croce, Matilde Serao, Oscar Wilde, Ernst Hamingway, Roberto Bracco, Edoardo Scarfoglio, Totò and the De Filippo brothers.

However, Gambrinus received its greatest honor on March 21, 2015, the day on which Pope Francis visited him, marking a milestone in its history. Today, in fact, we jealously guard the cup with which the Pope has drunk his coffee and we keep it as one of our most precious assets.