Sciascia Caffè 1919

Sciascia Caffè 1919 is a historic coffee bar in Prati, the elegant late 19th-century district between the Vatican and the Tiber. The business dates from 1919 and describes itself as a historic brand of Roman coffee, and while fashions have changed over the past century, its focus has remained firmly on coffee. Its flagship bar on Via Fabio Massimo, a residential street a few blocks from the Vatican Museums, is a local favourite and a welcome alternative to the crowded cafés around St Peter's.

The speciality is caffè al cioccolato, espresso poured into a cup lined with melted dark chocolate, so each sip combines bitter coffee and rich chocolate. It is a small, intense drink and one of the most distinctive coffees in the city. The bar also serves a gran caffè, a gran cappuccino and a crema caffè, a whipped, chilled coffee cream, alongside the standard Italian repertoire of espresso, macchiato and cappuccino. Pastries are available for breakfast.

Sciascia sells its own coffee blends, including Crema Bar, Gusto Deciso, Gusto Dolce, Gusto Soft and a decaffeinated blend, as whole beans, ground for moka or in capsules, so you can recreate the taste at home. The Via Fabio Massimo bar is also known locally as a spot for aperitivo in the early evening. The company lists two further addresses in Rome, on Via Sabotino and Piazzale delle Provincie.

Like most Roman bars, Sciascia is a place to drink at the counter. Pay at the till, give your order and receipt to the barista, and take your coffee standing. Opening hours are not published online, so the early morning and the hours around lunch are the safest times to visit. It suits coffee lovers, anyone visiting the Vatican who wants a break away from the main tourist streets, and those curious to try a coffee they will not find elsewhere.

The bar is at Via Fabio Massimo 80/a, about five minutes' walk from Ottaviano station on Metro Line A and around ten minutes from the Vatican Museums entrance on Viale Vaticano. Via Cola di Rienzo, the main shopping street of Prati, is close by, and Castel Sant'Angelo is within a 15-minute walk.