THE EDITOR – For more than two centuries, the Antico Caffè Greco has been part of the cultural landscape of Rome. Authors and artists, movie stars and princesses — even cowboys — have all made the pilgrimage to Via dei Condotti, at the foot of the Spanish Steps, to soak up the storied atmosphere of the Italian capital’s oldest coffee house.

CNN Travel on 19 November 2025 report that all the stories changed all of sudden only in a month. The cafe, a favorite for Romans and tourists, shut its doors. Portraits of former clientele — including Wild West sharpshooter Buffalo Bill — were stripped from its walls; plush red velvet chairs, seating booths and bar stools removed; gilded porcelain tableware carried away.

The venue, as popular among Rome’s 19th-century bourgeoisie as it was with the 1960s “La Dolce Vita” in-crowd, became an empty shell.

Antico Caffè Greco’s sudden demise was the result of a long-running rent dispute between its proprietors, Carlo Pellegrini and Flavia Iozzi, and their landlord, the Israelite Hospital of Rome. The hospital is a private institution that also provides healthcare to patients through Italy’s national health service.

It began in September 2017 when an 80-year lease expired and the Israelite Hospital raised the monthly rent from 17,000 euros to 120,000 euros — a leap from about $20,000 to $140,000. The move, it said, was in line with other properties on the street, which is home to stores that include Gucci, Versace and Dior.

High commercial rents have pushed many small businesses out of the center of Rome in recent years, especially since the Covid pandemic when lockdowns fueled the rise of home delivery and online shopping.

“We would be ready to pay more rent to keep the café open but not six times the amount we’re paying now,” Pellegrini said when the Antico lease expired eight years ago. “I feel very angry, but we will fight this.”

Casanova’s café ‘tryst’

That fight was dealt a decisive blow in 2024, when the hospital finally won a court battle to remove the café’s occupants. It’s aim is to reopen the venue with a new tenant.

Until last month, portraits on the walls reflected the café’s past, including the day in 1890 when Buffalo Bill took his morning coffee there with some fellow cowboys. It was a favorite haunt of Charles Dickens, Henry James and John Keats in the 19th century. Later, Orson Welles, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren all spent time there.

Notorious 18th-century seducer Giacomo Casanova even mentioned a “tryst” at the café in his memoir. The sofa in the back where it was said to have taken place became popular with lovers over the centuries since.

Despite above-average prices, customers always seemed to think sipping a cappuccino or hot chocolate from the same cups as Pablo Picasso or Princess Diana was worth paying extra.

Pellegrini and Iozzi were formally evicted in October after losing five appeals and retrials.

The café was shuttered with the help of the military police. The locks were changed and the heavy wooden doors closed for the last time. Lawyers for the hospital removed a temporary “closed for vacation” sign that had been taped to the doors since September.

The court stipulated that the hospital must preserve the historical integrity of the property, but departing staff told CNN through their lawyer that they removed the café’s artwork in September, which included portraits, sculptures and memorabilia said to be worth around 8 million euros, fearing damage from a leaking pipe.

Antonio Maria Leozappa, special commissioner for the Israelite Hospital, told CNN the removed works and furnishings have since been seized by authorities and are now being protected by Italy’s Culture Ministry until new tenants can be found. It is unclear whether the hospital will seek backpayment from Pellegrini for an annual 100,000 euros rent shortfall since the legal battle began eight years ago.

“The Israelite Hospital is a public health asset, and the revenue generated by its properties has always been and will always be used by the Israelite Hospital, an institution affiliated with the National Health System, for the sole purpose of improving healthcare,” the hospital said in a statement in 2023 after having won one of many court battles. It said the rent increase was an attempt to improve healthcare “for the benefit of all citizens.”

‘A tragedy’

Leozappa said the café will open again once work is done in the building. “It is a historic café, it is one of the first in Italy, it dates back to the late 18th century,” he told CNN.

The Antico Caffè Greco will “continue to enjoy a long history, respecting tradition and the established regulations, and the historic character of the place will be preserved,” the hospital said in a statement. ”The city, Romans, and tourists will continue to enjoy their coffee at the Antico Caffè Greco for centuries to come.”

Pellegrini isn’t ready to give up the battle just yet. “The matter cannot be closed like this,” his lawyer, Alessandro Ciciarelli, said when the locks were changed.

Whatever happens next, the once-grand space is now an eyesore on one of the most prestigious streets in the city center — one of many empty storefronts, some of which sit vacant for years, that have appeared as a result of soaring commercial and residential prices.

The Antico Caffe Greco’s wooden outdoor terrace now has signs that its empty planters are not garbage bins.” Curious tourists peer through the windows into the empty space. Inside, the lights are on, but no one is making coffee.

“I came here every day for almost 15 years,” Manuel Capponi, an elderly local who lives at the top of the Spanish Steps, told CNN. “It is a tragedy that it had to close this way, the fights, the anger. But this café — and this city — have weathered worse storms. There will be another café and I’m sure the prices will reflect the higher rent.”

THE EDITOR – For decades, Somalia’s name has been shorthand for conflict, piracy and danger. Since the country’s civil war began in the 1990s, the country has had relatively few Western visitors. Yet, against the odds, the East African nation is now seeing a quiet rise in foreign tourists.

About 10,000 tourists visited Somalia in 2024, according to the country’s Department of Tourism — a 50% increase on the previous year. That’s despite most Western governments still advising against all travel.

James Willcox, founder of the adventure tour company Untamed Borders, told CNN Travel on Monday (17/11/2025) that demand is growing fast. His company organized a record 13 group trips to Mogadishu this year, compared with just two in 2023.

On September 1, 2025, Somalia launched a new eVisa system aimed at simplifying entry procedures and boosting visitor numbers. But optimism around the program has been undercut by the country’s internal divisions. The autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland have both said they won’t recognize the new visas — underscoring the limits of Somalia’s central authority even as it tries to project stability.

“Mogadishu is dangerous. You feel it as soon as you land,” said Karin Sinniger, a Swiss traveler who visited in 2020. “You have to sleep within the secure perimeter or ‘Green Zone.’ Even there, there’s been bombings.”

Leaving that area, she told CNN Travel, means traveling in armed convoys with police and military protection. “Still,” she added, “walking on the beach felt safe.”

‘Threat of kidnap’

Somalia retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous destinations. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warns of a “high threat of kidnap.” The US Department of State classifies Somalia as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” citing “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy and lack of availability of routine consular services.”

Those warnings are far from theoretical. Al Shabab militants continue to operate across Somalia, including in Mogadishu, where the group carried out several deadly attacks in early 2025.

So why does anyone want to travel there?

For Sinniger, the trip was part of a personal challenge: an attempt to visit all 193 UN-recognized countries and scuba dive in each one. When her gear was lost in transit, a local lobster diver on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach lent her a makeshift “hookah system” — a long hose attached to an air compressor — so she could complete her dive.

Willcox said many of his clients are also on “country counting” missions or are travelers seeking extreme destinations. “Mogadishu is the most high-risk destination Untamed Borders operates in,” he said, adding that he’s guided and organized tours to Mogadishu for over a decade without incidents. “The risk of attacks is real. All of the limited places where international guests can stay are potential targets. You can’t go off radar in Mogadishu.”

Still, he added, the fierce fighting of previous decades has drastically declined. Among those taking advantage of that relative stability was Peter Bullock, a retired sewage engineer from the United Kingdom who visited Somalia in November 2024 with Untamed Borders as part of a personal quest to visit all 52 African countries.

‘Pleasant experience’

Accompanied by armed guards, Bullock toured the city’s fish market, waterfront, and ruined cathedral. “I must admit, it was a totally different travel experience from anything I had previously experienced,” he told CNN. “But as I enjoy travelling to destinations on the edge, I never at any time felt unsafe,” he added. “Airport security on leaving the country was impressive. It flowed smoothly. A much more pleasant experience than going through London Heathrow.”

The country’s humanitarian challenges remain stark. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), conflict, political tension and climate-related disasters displaced more than 550,000 people across Somalia in 2024, adding to nearly 3 million already internally displaced. Piracy, while reduced, is still considered a threat in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

“Some parts of Somalia are incredibly dangerous,” said Willcox. “There are places where it would be incredibly foolish for an international person to go.”

To the northwest, the self-declared republic of Somaliland — functioning autonomously since 1991 — offers a very different experience. With its own armed forces, democratically elected government and currency, it’s long been viewed as the “safest” way to visit the greater Somalia region.

“People have a lot of misconceptions about Somaliland, because the country gets mistaken for Somalia,” said Deke Hassan Abdi, one of Somaliland’s first female tour guides. She wants visitors to understand that her “country” is very different from Somalia. “Some people think it is not safe, which isn’t true, so tourism is a great way to help distinguish between the two.”

She wants Somaliland to gain international recognition, and believes tourism can help put the region on the map. “Somaliland offers a rewarding experience for travelers seeking something different,” she said. Ancient rock art, nomadic culture and pristine beaches are among her recommended highlights. “My favourite place to take tourists is the local downtown market in Hargeisa. I love engaging them with local people. They see how welcoming my people are, and how safe it is to walk around the city, where you don’t need a guard.”