Between the end of the 1700s and the beginning of the 1800s, cafés were a place for intellectuals, middle class, aristocrats and the penniless to mingle. Regardless of their status, everyone came in looking for something to eat or drink, a shelter from the cold, or – in the case of artists and writers – a place where ideas could be exchanged and inspiration found. Some of these venues have been kept intact over the years, and now exude historical charm in an age of quick coffees grabbed between meetings.

Here is our guide to where, all across Italy, you might walk into one of the cafés where intellectuals of the past spent their time, sipping a hot drink and, perhaps, creating some of their most famous work. At least once in your lifetime, we hope you have the chance to sit down and take in the atmosphere, surrounded by mirrors, vintage velvet and amazing stories.