THE SAN CALISTO BAR-RICADE

This entertaining and thought-provoking book is inspired by the famous San Calisto Bar, in the Roman district of Trastevere. As the title suggests, this place is a sort of barricade erected against the ever-present perils of social isolation, anonymity and alienation. Protected by this “bar-ricade” the patrons of the bar have the chance to preserve and cultivate their identities, and to enjoy the reassuring sense of belonging to a local community, with its own time-honoured traditions and rites, so much so that it is now a genuine institution, with a long and chequered history. Reflective and speculative short essays, often tending towards the theoretical and philosophical, alternate with more intimate and humorous chapters describing the colourful characters who frequent the bar and relating some of the amusing events that the author himself has witnessed here over the years.
Although they are arranged in sequence as a coherent series, each of the short chapters in this book are autonomous and self-sufficient, so they can be read separately and in any order, perhaps while seated at the San Calisto Bar itself, for the duration of a cup of coffee or a leisurely beer.

Translated and adapted by Tristram Bruce from the book Banco A Ristoro San Calisto (Teseo Editore, 2022)
Photos By Maria Cristina Cobianchi

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100 pages, 10 photos, 1 Trastevere map
isbn 9788895291192