The Antico Caffè delle Mura is quintessentially the symbol of the city of Lucca: created to offer refreshment to citizens during walks on the walls of the Tuscan city, it has gone through centuries of transformations, keeping its historical and social importance intact.
What has made this venue famous is precisely its location on the city’s Renaissance walls as well as its neoclassical architecture. In 1840, Duke Carlo Ludovico di Borbone, based on plans by architect Cesare Lazzarini, had an old barracks demolished to build a refined establishment for Lucca’s elite. Its structure, with a central hall for balls and banquets, two side halls and a panoramic terrace, soon became a landmark of the city.
In 1878, the original building was demolished to make way for a square intended for parades (with the monument to Victor Emmanuel II at its center) and then rebuilt a few years later in a position slightly set back from the previous one. Externally, it was ideally joined to the walls, with two iron side gates enclosing the entire rampart, while on either side were the park and gardens once used for meetings of the Café, which since its inception has been drawn as ”a place of delight, of meeting, of resting, of strolls.”
The Café of the Walls soon became an unavoidable stop, offering a pleasant break after a walk, the meeting place of the city’s aristocracy and bourgeoisie. Over the past years, the Antico Caffè delle Mura has undergone several transformations, hosting various restaurants and cafés, as well as headquarters of associations and institutions, but never losing its magnificence, its historical importance and that aura of a place that symbolizes elegance and tradition for the people of Lucca. For example, until 1960, the venue was a city landmark as an elegant bar and eatery, only to go through a long period of decline and abandonment. In 2012, it reopened as a prestige restaurant, transforming in 2020 into the home of a Japanese restaurant, closed permanently in 2021.
Since last year, this ”monument” of Lucca has a new manager: his name is Umberto Costa, owner of the ”Pizzeria da Umberto” in Piazza Napoleone finalist in 2023 of ”Emergente Chef” and winner of the Special Mention for the very successful (and daring) pizza in different variations of red turnip. Umberto is only 32 years old and has lived in Lucca for 31; together with his brother Simone, he had the stubbornness and courage to redeem at auction the management of the Antico Caffè delle Mura and give it a new life, completely transforming it into its functional concept. A renovation operation that repositions this historic place by bringing it closer to pizza as well.
Umberto, what does the Antico Caffè delle Mura represent for Lucca?
It is a symbol of the city and is in the heart of every Lucchese: not just a location but a gathering place that made the history of the city, a place that defined a status and the concept of elegance.
And, for you, who grew up in this city, what is the feeling of being able to manage such a monument?
This is almost unbelievable and fills me with pride. I know I have a big responsibility and that expectations are high but I have a lot of ideas and enthusiasm. The first year, the break-in year, is over; I am clear now about the direction to take.
What were the innovations and the concept that you introduced?
I can say that the people of Lucca have witnessed a total revolution of this place. My goal from the beginning was to freshen it up, to refresh its image but without diminishing its value. The Antico Caffe delle Mura had always been seen as a chic and elegant place, where enough was spent. Based on the assumption that I could not touch the structure, which is protected by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the provinces of Lucca and Massa e Carrara, for the rest I renovated the furnishings, making them modern and essential, to create a refined atmosphere; I reorganized the interior spaces and the outdoor green space, rearranged the terrace from which you can see the whole city. In short, I tried to make it more immediate, fresh in service as well, and definitely more popular, a place suitable for everyone’s pocket, an ideal place for young people but also for families. And, in the next season, we will also experiment with it as a wedding location, thanks to the large park around it.
And how have the people of Lucca experienced this transformation?
Lucca is a city of 90,000 inhabitants, and I can say that this place, because of its special location, belongs to the inhabitants of this city who feel it as their own. Even in this new guise, people, it seems, are comfortable with it, experiencing it in every corner, from aperitif time to after dinner, from the in-house restaurant to events with DJ sets or private parties. I like to observe behaviors and expressions, knowing its past fame and its historical but also architectural monumentality: many people feel intimidated and are literally undecided whether to enter or not, then they realize that it is an experience they can have, even more so when they find out that there is pizza on the menu, something that has never happened before.
There, good, let’s talk about pizza. Did you introduce pizza to this place?
Yes, never served pizza here at Antico Caffè delle Mura-I am the first to bring it and also to make it. Also because I was born as a pizza maker and it was natural for me to bring a pizza offering here as well. Definitely different from my pizzeria that is in the city center. Here pizza can be ordered as an aperitif or for dinner, tasting, sharing. I also had an oven installed outside, in addition to the classic oven inside. Of course, on the menu there are then also other dishes between appetizers, first courses, main courses and final desserts, wine list and two cocktail stations between inside and outside.
Umberto, how is your pizza?
While ”at Umberto’s” I do a Neapolitan style, here I stick to a classic pizza style with biga that gives more crispness, to which we also add a steam pan and gluten-free pizza with lots of dedicated lab. The toppings are simple, straightforward but curated and all with quality raw materials, selected from all over Italy.
What is the most popular pizza and the one you think absolutely must be tasted?
The most popular pizza is ”La Parma,” a red pizza with a San Marzano base, with 18-month prosciutto crudo, burrata di Andria, basil and lemon zest to tone down the fatty part: all outgoing ingredients. And, then, there’s the signature pizza, the one I dedicated to this place and whose name it bears, which I recommend you try: San Marzano tomato base, buffalo, yellow tomatoes from the Vesuvius piennolo, basil pesto and parmesan cheese shavings.
Thus, the unique and elegant atmosphere that Antico Caffè delle Mura carries through the generations is confirmed, and in this vision of Umberto Costa, it meets pizza, outlining an interesting trend to follow, namely the blending of elegant places with pizza, which has always been seen as popular and is now elevated to a dish capable of being good everywhere.
