125 YEARS OF BABINGTONS
Beniamino Placido
Beniamino Placido
The company at the time involved considerable risks, above all because in Italy it was not common to drink tea, sold at the time only in pharmacies.
Initially Babingtons was opened in Via Due Macelli and a year after its opening it was moved to Piazza di Spagna, in the so-called "English ghetto", inside the prestigious eighteenth century building adjacent to the Spanish Steps and near what is now the Keats and Shelley Memorial House.
Those that were the palace stables, this one too, like the Scalinata by Francesco De Sanctis, were renovated and decorated according to the tastes of the time and soon, as The Roman Herald published, Babingtons Tea Room became the meeting point where "the ladies and gentlemen, tired after the visit or occupied for personal reasons in the city center could, in a welcoming and pleasant environment, refresh themselves with a consoling cup of tea ... "
It was also thought to close the tea room, but Isabel's sister, Annie, took the situation in hand and, investing all her capital, decided to make radical changes to the room. Thus the furnishings, curtains and cushions were renewed and, under the guidance of Dorothy, the tea room was filled again.
And in this living room in the center of the city, royal families and celebrities from the world of culture and entertainment have gathered together since then, sure to be received with discretion, as if they were at home.
The menu today offers a rich selection of sweet and savory dishes, respecting the English tradition, from the light meal to Victorian tea.
The new challenge is to maintain the Victorian and more than one hundred years old culture of the room, combined with the taste of meat and fish dishes, the delicacy of the proposals with eggs and the colors of the pastry shop. From scones loved by Queen Victoria, to today's decorated desserts, to "embroidered" cakes. Keeping the teapot on the table, with curry rice, club sandwiches, salads or a slice of chocolate cake.
Because tea harmoniously enhances the taste of each proposal, both savory and sweet, complements the mood, accompanies a conversation and strengthens friendships. Beyond every culture, every time and every age.
Who knows what Isabel and Anna Maria would think of it ...