Cafeography
Rome · Monti & Celio

Cafés in Monti & Celio

Rome's Rione I, from Via Urbana and Via dei Serpenti to the Celio hill beside the Colosseum.

Photo: Mark Thomas, Pexels License

Monti is Rione I, the first of the city's numbered districts, filling the slopes between Via Nazionale, Via Cavour and the Colosseum.1 In ancient Rome its lower part was the Suburra, crowded, poor and known for its brothels; the name Monti comes from the medieval li monti, the thinly settled hills of the Esquilino, Viminale and part of the Quirinale.12

Its evenings center on the small Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, around a fountain that Giacomo Della Porta designed in 1588.23 South of the Colosseum, the Celio is quieter: a hilltop park at Villa Celimontana and, below it, the layered basilica of San Clemente.

Local tip: For a quieter coffee break near the Colosseum, walk up the Celio to Villa Celimontana, a public park since 1926, entered near Piazza della Navicella.6

At a glance

57Cafés listed
4With opening hours
05:30Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Er Caffettiere, from 05:30 (Mon–Sat 05:30–21:30).
  • Closes latest: Drink Kong, until 02:00 (Daily 18:30–02:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (25%), indoor seating (14%), wi-fi (7%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Rome.

Getting there: Cavour, Colosseo and the new Line C

Cavour station on Line B is the stop for the upper streets, and Colosseo, on the same line, serves the lower end and the Celio.2 Since 16 December 2025 Line C has also ended at Colosseo, coming in from Monte Compatri-Pantano in the east, with a change to Line A at San Giovanni and to Line B at Colosseo.4

Via Cavour has the most cafés of any street in the area, among them Caffè Cavour at numbers 202–204, Venezia at 207 and Il Galeone at 152.

Via Urbana, Via dei Serpenti and Via degli Zingari

Via Urbana follows the ancient Vicus Patricius and takes its name from Pope Urban VIII, and the streets between Via Nazionale and Via Cavour still look much as they did in the 19th century.2 Er Caffettiere, at Via Urbana 72–73, opens at 05:30 Monday to Saturday, the earliest start in Monti, and closes at 21:30.

Antico Caffè del Brasile, on Via dei Serpenti, opened in 1908; Il Giornale reported in 2006 that Pope John Paul II used to buy its blend to take home to Poland, and the house named a miscela del Papa after him.5 Via degli Zingari has a small cluster, with Libreria Caffè Bohemien at number 36 and Civico 4 at number 5.

Around the Madonna dei Monti and the Colosseum

La Bottega del Caffè, at Piazza della Madonna dei Monti 5, sets its tables out on the square, and Il Faraone is at number 7. Drink Kong, on Piazza di San Martino ai Monti, opens only in the evening, 18:30–02:00.

Closer to the Colosseum, Oppio Caffè at Via delle Terme di Tito 72 has Wi-Fi, air conditioning and a terrace, and Caffè della Studente, on the same street at number 95, has outdoor tables. Techi Bubble Tea, on Via Leonina, is open daily 10:00–22:00.

The Celio: a park and three layers of church

Villa Celimontana, on the summit of the Caelian Hill, was turned into the Mattei family's villa from 1580 and has been a public park since 1926; the main gate is near Piazza della Navicella.6 Gavi, at Via Celimontana 6, and Celio, at Via Claudia 14, are on the streets below it.

San Clemente, at the foot of the hill, stacks a 12th-century basilica on top of a 4th-century church, which in turn sits above a Mithraeum from about AD 200.7

Sources

  1. Monti (rione of Rome), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Monti (rione di Roma), Wikipedia (Italian), accessed October 2026
  3. Fontana di piazza della Madonna dei Monti, Wikipedia (Italian), accessed October 2026
  4. Line C (Rome Metro), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Torrefazioni, una tazzina piena di tradizione (Chiara Cirillo), Il Giornale (October 23, 2006), accessed October 2026
  6. Villa Celimontana, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Basilica of San Clemente, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Monti & Celio, also browse: Outdoor seating Open by 6am Open late Wi-Fi

FAQ

Monti & Celio cafés: questions

Which metro stations serve the Monti neighborhood in Rome?

Cavour on Line B serves the upper streets of Monti, and Colosseo serves the lower end and the Celio. Since 16 December 2025 Colosseo has also been the end of Line C, with a change to Line B in the same station and to Line A at San Giovanni.

When did Antico Caffè del Brasile open in Rome's Monti district?

Antico Caffè del Brasile, on Via dei Serpenti, opened in 1908. Pope John Paul II used to buy its blend to take to Poland, and the house named a blend after him, the miscela del Papa. Via dei Serpenti runs down from Via Nazionale toward Via Cavour.

Which café opens earliest in Rome's Monti district?

Er Caffettiere, at Via Urbana 72–73, opens at 05:30 Monday to Saturday and closes at 21:30. Via Urbana follows the ancient Vicus Patricius and is named after Pope Urban VIII. Cavour station on Line B is a few minutes away.

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