Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette made a much-celebrated stop at the James Pharmacy building in Old Saybrook in 1824. Picture his surprise if he were to wander in today and see the chic Italian coffee house now situated in it.

The building’s latest incarnation as Caffe Marche (and its sister business, the James Pharmacy Bed & Breakfast) adds another chapter to its long history. Among the highlights, the building served as the home and workplace of Anna Louise James, Connecticut's first black female pharmacist; Harlem Renaissance writer Ann Petry was born there; and Ms. Katharine Hepburn frequented the place when it was a soda fountain during her tenure as a Saybrook resident.

And yet, Italian marble, modern tableware, and gold-chrome-eagle-topped cappuccino machine blend seamlessly into the building’s circa-1790 bones. The clean lines and elegant simplicity signal the nature of the cuisine patrons can expect.

The caffe’s menu will tell you that its breakfast and lunch items are made with the “simplest, freshest ingredients,” using recipes from the Marche region of Italy. The menu has expanded a bit in recent months, but quality still rules over quantity of items. Many of those ingredients are either sourced from Connecticut vendors or imported directly from Italy whenever possible — and you will taste the difference.

For example, when we sampled the Panino di Prosciutto ($14), we learned that not all prosciutto is created equal. Served on crusty, amazingly flavorful bread from Howard’s bakery with a smattering of arugula, the prosciutto is so tender, it’s almost like a savory, buttery spread, the perfect saltiness of which makes the other components that much more delicious. Truly, simplicity at its best. It was even better with a cup of the soup of the day ($5), an item termed “Cock-a-Leekie” soup for its base of chicken stock and chopped leeks. More than a simple broth, small pieces of chicken and farro make for a hearty starter, ideal for winter weather.

The Caffe Marche Salad ($16) achieves similar symphonic balance. All of the salad’s ingredients were individually tasty and super fresh — from the organic arugula, chickpeas, fennel, and heirloom cherry tomatoes to the fresh Luizzi mozzarella, croutons, and shaved hard cheese. Taken together, with a boost from excellent extra virgin olive oil, the ingredients combine to make an excellent, deeply satisfying and refreshing dish. Read: You will cease to feel guilt for spending $16 on a salad.

The house-made gnocchi, however, at $18, should bring no such conflict. My serving was enough for two people and offered outstanding freshness and flavor. If you order a pasta dish at Caffe Marche, you’ll have your choice of sauces to put upon it. On a recent visit, I could not pass up the asparagus and sausage sauce option. I’d never tasted such a thing, and I will order it again and again whenever possible. While the sauce is fairly buttery, the green zip of the chopped asparagus and the crumbly, earthy sausage lighten the overall load on the palate. The asparagus took on an almost citrus-y note in this preparation, and the sausage brought a great pop of black pepper. We finished every last little dumpling on the plate and would do so again in a hot minute.

When sweeter treats are in order, the caffe’s homemade pastries and gelato selection will find fans across most palates. The dessert options go far beyond the standards of most Italian bakeries. Consider the Bocconoto ($4), or what I’m calling a cannoli in a cup, in which the cup is a slightly sweet Italian-style pastry. Within the cup is a mascarpone and ricotta cheese filling wisely dotted with chocolate chips. Like the best cannoli fillings, the bocconoto filling is neither too sweet nor too tangy from the cheeses, and the chocolate chips add a deep counter-note to the creamy, custard-like filling. It may look like a small confection, but remember what they say about good things and small packages. Pair it with the excellent cappuccino ($3.50 for an 8-ounce; $5.50 for 12-ounce), and you will have a breakfast of champions. (Of course, frittata slices and fruit and veggie smoothies are available for those who prefer more substantial breakfasts.)

And if you see what looks like a croissant in the treat case, that would be a cornetto ($3), and it will be delicious. While they are moist and airy like their French peers, cornettos are less flakey, with less butter in the recipe. When they are heated, they become doughy and soul satisfying. They are excellent companions to coffee, especially if you manage to grab one of the fruit-filled flavors that are often available alongside the plain variety. Our apricot-filled cornetto was fabulous, with the none-too-sweet fruit taking the proper supporting role to the excellent pastry.

As for the gelato, Caffe Marche typically offers a few flavors, made in-house, daily ($3.50 for a small; $4.50 for medium; and $5.50 for a large). With flavors like gianduia (a chocolate hazelnut concoction) and stracciatella (vanilla with shavings of chocolate), please be assured the gelato is as delightful as it sounds. It is creamy, silky, and made with excellent ingredients — even the chocolate shavings in the stracciatella were notably flavorful.

It would seem the Marche region offers an astonishingly delicious menu, and we are left wanting to learn more about it. So, if you can’t get over there anytime soon, the folks at Caffe Marche will deliver fare worthy of its namesake region.

Caffe Marche

2 Pennywise Lane, Old Saybrook

(860) 581-3878, Caffemarche.com

Cuisine: Breakfast and lunch items inspired by the Marche region of Italy. Think homemade pasta, salads, antipasto, and soups made with locally sourced ingredients and/or imports direct from Italy. Also: gelato, coffee bar, smoothies, and sweet treats.

Service: We received a warm welcome from the very pleasant innkeeper; our server was very nice and accommodating, but she could have used some backup, as she had to keep dashing behind the coffee counter to serve walk-ins looking for a cuppa. Water requests either went unfilled or had to re-requested.

Hours: Tuesday-Friday and Sunday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Breakfast is served from 8 to 10:30 a.m., and lunch goes from noon to 2:30 p.m. Dinners are semi-annual or invitation-only events.

Atmosphere: Fantastic setup in a historic building that's part coffee counter and part spacious café. Elements of the building's past merge beautifully with mod updates from Italy.

Prices: Not a cheap lunch. The very good but not very large Caffe Marche Salad is $16; a fresh pasta dish will run you $18. Pastries are quite reasonable at $3 or $4 apiece, and coffee prices are comparable to most at other dedicated coffee bars.

Credit cards: Accepted

Reservations: Yes

Handicapped access: Some stairs to enter, no visible ramp. Interior of the caffe is relatively spacious.