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Gran Caffé Doney or Doney's was a cafeteria in Florence established at the end of the 19th century. It was originally located in the Palazzina Reale in the Cascine Park (19th century), then moved on Via Tornabuoni, near the British Consulate. The Doney was favoured by aristocracy and upper middle-class, particularly by British citizens living in Florence.
When Benito Mussolini attacked Abyssinia (presently Ethiopia), the British expressed their public disapproval. This led to some outbreaks of Fascist violence at the Gran Caffé Doney in 1935–36.
The most famous customers of Gran Caffé Doney were socialite Violet Trefusis who was an acquaintance of Mussolini himself, and a group of elderly English ladies called The Scorpioni who resided in Florence between the World Wars.
The cafeteria closed down in 1986.
Gran Caffé Doney is also one of the main settings in Franco Zeffirelli's autobiographical film, Tea with Mussolini.
See also