Two bars in Trastevere
San Calisto
Address- Piazza di S. Calisto 3
Phone- +39 06 583 5869
Website- No official website; here is the Instagram page
Hours- Monday-Saturday, 5.30 AM-1.30 AM, Sunday closed
Post its expressing love and anguish over the temporary closing of San Calisto
A Trastevere bar and true institution is San Calisto. It screams old school, cheap and poetic. Described as a ‘dive-y bar’ by Time Out with adjectives such as ‘bohemian’ ‘intellectual’ and ‘local’ used to describe the patrons. This bar does stir grandiose emotions in me and so many other ‘bohemian’ ‘intellectual’ and ‘local’ people. If you can snag a table outside on the terrace, this is ideal. You have to go in to order at the cash register (there is sometimes a line) and then take your receipt over to the bar to collect your drinks. Yes, the bar is notoriously cheap. Head to Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa (described below) for some ‘fancy’ beer; don’t expect it here. I would drink a big bottle of Peroni.
I stopped by one evening, July 1st, 2018, to be precise, to find the bar closed with shutters down. I had friends visiting and could not contain myself. I almost had a panic attack. San Calisto closed?! It can’t be. In fact, upon moving closer to the shuttered doors, there were hundreds of post-it notes, articulating my thoughts exactly. One, in particular, articulated the sentiment perfectly: Se chiudete il Calisto, Non c’e piu vita a Trastevere. (If San Calisto closes, there will be no more life in Trastevere.) It captures the melodrama but real concern. As someone scrawled below: E vero! (It is true!)
Upon doing some research, I was reassured that the closure was temporary. Read more here; however, the scare reminded me of how special this spot is. If you start to frequent ‘Sanca’ you will most likely encounter Marcellino behind the register when you go up to order your drinks. After this most recent closure, his local hero status was highlighted and disseminated thanks to the power of social and digital platforms. You can see him in this video posted on the online version of the popular newspaper, Corriere Della Sera. The title reads: Marcello, the bartender, becomes a star. I have always found him to be so kind and sympathetic, as he takes order after order from ‘friends, Romans, countrymen’, and tourists alike.
Located just around the corner from the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, San Calisto is a gift. It has maintained a vintage charm that is quite anomalous in a neighborhood that is eternally lovely yet embracing modernization. Here is a video from happier times celebrating the bar’s 50th birthday; it was opened in 1969.
Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa
Address- Via Benedetta 25
Phone- +39 06 6456 2046
Website- https://www.football-pub.com/
The front of ‘Ma Che’
Hours- Monday through Sunday, 11 AM- 2 AM
I know I tend to start a lot of entries in this way, but I first went to ‘Ma Che’ as a study abroad student in 2007. This was right at the tipping point when craft beer skyrocketed to popularity in the United States. Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa is one of Rome’s first establishments to feature Italian craft beer. They opened in 2001, but the character has not changed too much, although the popularity has grown. Do not be deterred by the crowds of people around the bar. You will find the featured beers and their descriptions on the opposite wall. You can try a few before you commit as well. Ask for a plastic cup to take the beer outside or sit inside at the few tables upstairs or downstairs. This bar is a great pre or post dinner stop while exploring the Trastevere neighborhood.
Outside of ‘Ma Che’ in 2007; the owners of this entrance in front of the bar have since gated it off to avoid what you see pictured here