Shopping mall in central Rome touted as site for new Starbucks but for now location remains a secret.

The American multinational coffee chain Starbucks is preparing to open in the centre of Rome, according to reports in the Italian media, possibly in the Galleria Alberto Sordi on Via del Corso.

Although rumours of Starbucks opening at the prestigious site have circulated for months, an advert in recent days has refuelled speculation that the coffee giant will launch at the prime location, currently undergoing renovation works.

"Starbucks continues to grow and one of its next stops will be in Rome, where we will soon open a new welcoming store in the centre", reads the advert by Percassi, the sole licensee partner with Starbucks in Italy.

Starbucks is seeking baristas and managers for both the new outlet in the city centre as well as at its first outlet in the greater Rome area, at the Castel Romano shopping mall, where it launched in April 2022.

Galleria Alberto Sordi

Formerly known as Galleria Colonna, the shopping mall was renamed after the much-loved Roman actor Alberto Sordi following his death in 2003.

The building, designed in the Art Nouveau style, was inaugurated in 1922 and finally completed in 1940. It was built on the site of the late 16th-century Palazzo Piombino which was demolished in 1889.

The once bustling Galleria Alberto Sordi in the centre of #Rome pic.twitter.com/5qnZgSXLRK

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) November 14, 2022

The mall, which remains open to passersby despite all of its shops being shut, recently made news headlines after the closure of its landmark Feltrinelli bookshop.

In September La Repubblica newspaper reported that Starbucks was planning to open a 600-m outlet near Rome's Termini station, with an eye on the tourists and pilgrims set to arrive in Rome for the Vatican's Jubilee Year in 2025.

The chain had intended to launch near the Vatican in 2020, at the former Maraldi bookshop on Via dei Bastioni di Michelangelo, however this plan was reportedly abandoned due to the covid pandemic.

• The history of coffee culture in Italy

Then there were rumours that Starbucks would open in Rome's central Piazza S. Silvestro - another high-density tourist area - in the Palazzo Marignoli building that houses the new flagship Apple store. That too appears to have come to nothing.

Starbucks launched in Italy in 2018, opening at Piazza Cordusio in Milan, and in October 2021 it announced plans to open more than 20 new stores in Italy by the end of 2023.

Photo credit: Harun Ozmen / Shutterstock.com.