The New "FRIENDS" will be Opening this Spring at Piazza del Municipio,11 e 12

The cold winds and rains of winter have held their sway over the Sabine Hills and the Tiber Valley these past months... Recently severe floods have hit our region hard. The Tiber overflowed its banks near Stimigliano and Poggio Mireto Scalo flooding homes and businesses along the main road to Rome. The Eternal City was flooded in places but more severe damage was done in the low lands around Fiumicino, especially Isola Sacra and Ostia. Closer to Casperia there have been some mudslides and roads washed out here and there, but no major, long term damage... And spring and hopefully better weather is just around the corner.

Through the winter we have been hard at work planning, reimagining, designing, building, painting, and furnishing our new "Friends". So much has been accomplished. 

When we open this Spring our customers will be able to enjoy their favourite items from our traditional menu, but there will a range of new menu items added, including new appetizers and a selection of sure to satisfy home-made dishes... But that is not all... From September/October we will have our new pizza oven in operation and so we will be  adding delicious home-made pizza to Friend's menu...

We are not ready to reveal everything yet, but here are a few photos to give you an idea of what it will look like. Allora, entrate! So come on inside! 

The main entrance

The view out the main door...

The vestibule

 

Steps up to the second floor

There is so much more to show... The new Friends will be a combination wine bar, restaurant on three levels that will include a lounge room with comfortable sofas and a fireplace! And as we mentioned earlier, from September we will also be a pizzeria.

 






The new Friends will offer panoramic views of the Sabine hills and the scenic farms and olive groves in the nearby valley from seven windows.

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II

Like our former location, we will be offering al fresco dining in a sheltered outside patio with tables and umbrellas on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. 

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II

Our customers will be able to enjoy coffee and cocktails, lunch and dinner inside and outside as before.  

Lighting installed... Feel the atmosphere!

So stay tuned... We will be posting more as work progresses and as we get closer to the new opening. Again, thank you for all your support and words of encouragement. What would Friends be without our many friends?

Some things change and some things are forever!

  


 

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES — BIG CHANGES FOR FRIENDS CAFE

Hello Friends! The cold rains of autumn are upon us as our regular busy season winds down. This has been a tough year for Italy, what with our ongoing political and economic crises, and a year of great challenge for us here at Friends Café. 

The weather, which so often determines the amount of spontaneous visits we receive from other parts of Europe, was particularly bad this year. But we have survived, thanks to your support. 

So, as our 2013 season comes to a close, we have some big news. After a good run of 10 years, our lease at our current location above the Porta Romana in Casperia has not been renewed. Though we are sad to leave this place which is imbued with so many amazing memories, we must take this news in stride and plan for our future. 

There is an  saying in English, something along the lines of, "When God closes a door, He opens a window".  In Italian we have something similar, and perhaps better: "Quando si chiude una porta, si apre un portone" which translates into "When a door is closed, a larger door is opened." 


So today we close the door of our kitchen at Friends Café on Piazza Umberto I. We will continue to operate the bar for a short while, but very soon we will vacate our former premises and will be working hard to open a bigger and better Friends Café to serve you. This new Friends will be located just a few steps more inside Casperia's centro storico on the Piazza del Municipio.

An old post card showing the Piazza del Municipio prior to our town's name change to Casperia

The New Friends Café will be located just a few doors down from the entrance to the Commune's Municipal Offices. This was the location of my mother's former restaurant which was called "Ristorante A Casa di Anna".

The new Friends Café will have three floors. When you come to see us next year, we will be operating not only our usual Wine-Bar/Ristorante with our tried and true regular menu featuring bruschette with Sabina D.O.P. olive oil, Stringozzi O.M.G., and our signature Negronis, we will also have a pizza oven and make delicious pizzas that you can enjoy here in the restaurant, or have delivered to your door if you live or are staying within the centro storico. 

Last, but not least, for those who want to relax with a glass of Pecorino, Falanghina, or a G&T or a Negroni beside a fireplace, our third floor will be a comfortable lounge. 

So there you have it. Over the course of the winter we will be posting updates on our progress with some sneak previews of how the inside of the new Friends Café is looking and a count down to our Grand Opening in March of 2014, so please stay tuned. 

In the meantime, we would like to thank all of you, our faithful patrons: both local, Italian, and from outside of Italy, for your past patronage, support, and your friendship. Without you, there would be no Friends. Salute!