The Caffè dell'Ussero was founded in 1775 in Pisa and is the third oldest café in Italy. It is located in one of the most beautiful buildings along the Pisan Arno, Palazzo Agostini, and, between the late 18th and mid-19th century, it was one of the places where Italian Enlightenment and Risorgimento ideas began.Over time, the Café was given various names such as Caffè dell'Unione (Union Café), because it hosted the meetings of the first Italian Congress of Scientists in 1839: still today, on its walls, it is possible to relive the memories of its illustrious patrons, such as the poet Giosuè Carducci or Giuseppe Mazzini.

Any visit should include a stop for a coffee and pastry at Caffè dell’Ussero, one of Italy’s oldest literary cafe-bars, doing a brisk business since 1775 from the ground floor of riverside Palazzo Agostini, Lungarno Pacinotti 27 (tel. 050/581100). For pizza or cecina (a flatbread made of garbanzo-bean flour and served warm), stop in at Il Montino, in the historic center a block or so west of Borgo Stretto at Vicolo del Monte (tel. 050/598695). At the end of Borgo Stretto, at number 11 in the riverside Piazza Garibaldi, is Pisa’s best gelato shop, Bottega del Gelato (tel. 050/575467).

Don’t miss the historic Caffé dell’Ussero, on Lungarno Pacinotti, which since 1794 has been the main meeting place of scholars in Pisa. Not up for too much?. You can always just find a place to sit back, relax and sip on a cocktail or a glass of Chianti and mix with the locals.

Caffe dell’Ussero – The Caffe dell’Ussero is located right on the river, and has been popular with artists and writers since it opened in 1820. It is a great place for a coffee or light meal in Pisa.