Babington's tea room, established in 1893, is a traditional English tea shop at the foot of the

Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps () in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairway of 135 steps is linked with the Trinit� ...

in the

Piazza di Spagna The Piazza di Spagna is a square in the centre of Rome, the capital of Italy. It lies at the foot of the Spanish Steps and owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. The Column of the Immaculate Con ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The tea room was founded by two young women, one from New Zealand and one from England, who arrived in Rome in 1893. They were Isabel Cargill, daughter of William Cargill, founder of the city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in New Zealand and Anna Maria Babington, descendant of

Anthony Babington Anthony Babington (24 October 156120 September 1586) was an English gentleman convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, for which he was hanged, drawn and quartered ...

who was hanged in 1586 for conspiring against Elizabeth I. The women decided to invest their savings (100 pounds) by opening a tea and reading room in the capital for the Anglo-Saxon community. The venture at the time involved considerable risks, above all because in Italy it was not common to drink tea, which was sold only in pharmacies. Babington's tea room was an immediate success, both because Italy was the destination of the Grand Tour for the English and because it was part of a Rome that celebrated the Jubilee and the silver wedding of the royals Umberto and Margherita. Originally the tea room was on Via dei Due Macelli, a sideroad of the Piazza di Spagna, but the establishment's success encouraged the owners to relocate to the Piazza di Spagna 23. It is located on the ground floor of an 18th-century building from which one can see the Spanish Steps, the staircase of the

Trinità dei Monti The Church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called simply Trinità dei Monti (French: ''La Trinité-des-Monts''), is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church, part of a monastery complex in Rome. It is best known for its positio ...

church. These buildings are the original stables of the 18th century palazzo designed by

Francesco De Sanctis Francesco de Sanctis (28 March 1817 – 29 December 1883) was an Italian literary critic, scholar and politician, leading critic and historian of Italian language and literature during the 19th century. Biography De Sanctis was born in the so ...

, architect of the Spanish Steps. The new tea room on the Piazza di Spagna was furnished elegantly and became, according to the English language ''Roman Herald,'' a favoured meeting place "where ladies or gentlemen, hard at work sightseeing could go to refresh themselves with a comforting cup of tea." During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Rome society plunged into depression but the tea room survived. Cargill's sister Annie invested her life's savings to give the premises a complete renovation. Anna Maria Babington moved to Switzerland because of her failing health, and died of a heart attack in 1929. Despite the anti-English policy of Mussolini, throughout the fascist period and even during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Babington's remained open, with its very clear sign in English and solid bronze characters on a Roman travertine plaque. During the 1950s and 1960s, with the success of

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constru ...

, film stars and other celebrities frequented the tea room, some even as regulars, including

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

and

Liz Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

, Robert Taylor,

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

and filmmaker

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

. The Babington's staff had a regular cat guest, Mascherino, who was a stray Roman cat adopted in the late 1950s and became the tearoom's mascot. Babington's staff still serve Victoria Afternoon Tea in uniform. One of the tea blenders is Melania Francis Lopez, who created the Royal Wedding blend. Babington's survived two World Wars, the advent of

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

and various economic crises, to become a Roman institution and tourist attraction. The tea room is run by the fourth generation descendant of Isabel Cargill.

References

External links

The official site
Restaurants in Rome Tea houses Restaurants established in 1893 1893 establishments in Italy Rome R. IV Campo Marzio Cargill family (New Zealand) {{Restaurants in Italy Babington family British diaspora in Italy