Gran Caffè Margherita

The Gran Caffè Margherita is one of the most representative buildings of the Viareggio beachfront promenade, capable of creating a sort of aesthetic shock, far away from the typical seaside resort image.

It is a refined and sublime place, and, like all the buildings on the avenue, it runs along the sea, creating a suggestive atmosphere for anyone strolling in the area.

A perfect example of Italian Liberty style, enriched with Arabian features,  characterized by two symmetrical turrets that streamline its structure. The decoration, made with green and yellow ceramics, adds a fascinating scaly tone to the blue of the sky.

Surely at the time of construction, Tito Chini, great-grandson of the well-known Galileo, was inspired by the oriental world that he had the opportunity to visit and re-propose once he returned to Tuscany. The artist at the time was  really famous, to the point that he was commissioned by the king of Siam to build the imperial palace in Bangkok.

The terrace decorated with small columns overlooks the triumphal entrance leading to the cafeteria, currently converted into a restaurant  next to the Mondadori bookshop.

It still preserves the original furniture: the only changes were made to  adapt each area to its current function in particular the marble floor and the chandeliers. So once you cross the doorstep, time seems to have stopped  in  the elegance and refined  intellectual salon of the past.  Arcades of the  portico outside ,  while  inside the rooms are embellished with paintings and frescoes that evoke the nineteenth-century Viareggio atmosphere, integrating perfectly with the arabesques and balconies.