Andreotti

Andreotti is a family pastry shop and café on Via Ostiense, the main road through the Ostiense district south of the Aventine. Bruno Andreotti and his wife Ada opened the business in 1931, at first as a pizzeria and pastry shop. Bombing in the Ostiense area during the Second World War forced it to close, and it reopened with a reduced range in the years of post-war shortages. From the 1950s onwards the focus moved to pastry, with an expanding range made from traditional recipes, and in 1998 a coffee bar and food counter were added. In 2011 the city of Rome recognised it as a historic shop.

The family still runs Andreotti today, and the counters are filled with Italian pastries made daily: cornetti for breakfast, small pastries and biscuits, tarts and celebration cakes, alongside seasonal specialities. It is the kind of pasticceria where Romans buy a tray of pastries to take to Sunday lunch, and many customers come for takeaway as well as to eat on the spot. The shop also offers catering and cakes for events.

The café serves from breakfast through to aperitivo, so you can stop for a cappuccino and cornetto in the morning, a light lunch from the food counter, or a drink in the early evening. Andreotti opens every day from 6:00 to 22:00, according to its website, which makes it a useful stop at almost any time of day. Pay at the till and order at the counter in the usual Roman way, or take a seat.

It suits anyone exploring the southern districts of the city, families looking for a relaxed breakfast, and food lovers who want to see a neighbourhood institution away from the tourist centre. Prices are those of a local pastry shop rather than a central café. Arrive in the morning for the widest selection.

Andreotti is at Via Ostiense 54, close to Piramide station on Metro Line B and the Porta San Paolo gate with the Pyramid of Cestius. The Protestant Cemetery and Testaccio's market and trattorias are a short walk away, and further south along Via Ostiense lie the Centrale Montemartini museum, where classical sculptures are displayed among the machinery of a former power station, and the street art of the Ostiense district.