Eating Coffee with a SpoonMemories of Bar Latour in Rome

Caffè con la panna
Espresso with whipped cream

Déjà-vu
Yesterday, while getting ready to order coffee at Demel's,
I felt all of a sudden taken back in time, to another place,
to Rome, to a long gone beautiful Art Nouveau coffee bar
in Via Cola di Rienzo, the unforgettable Café Latour.
My friend Silvia and I used to sneak out of the house
and head to Latour for coffee with whipped cream.

The barista would brew dark hot espresso
into a cup big enough to hold the panna.
He'd put it in front of us
on the counter and we added sugar
to our heart's content.
Only then would he pull the bowl of whipped cream
from under the counter and top the espresso with
a big dollop of the best whipped cream
I have ever tasted.
Slowly savouring coffee and cream,
spoonful by spoonful,
we'd talk about
cosa faremo quando saremo grandi.

Yesterday, I let go of my usual coffee melange,
and ordered espresso with whipped cream instead.
I spooned coffee and cream out of my cup,
and with each spoonful, more memories of the past
would continue to fill the room.

Images and Text © by Merisi
First published 2012