Is there anything quite as quintessential as a cup of coffee, part of a culture in Italy as commonplace as the Colosseum in Rome, or Venice’s Grand Canal. Italians certainly didn’t invent the concept of coffee but as coffee houses in Venice started to serve this addictive black drink it soon became popular in other areas of Italy; namely Turin, Verona and Milan. As the 1700’s made way for a new century, elegant coffee houses around Italy become the popular stomping grounds for artists, poets and revolutionaries. 

Nowadays, “prendiamo un caffè” (let’s get a coffee) is still very much ingrained in local life with a recent study showing that over 5.8 million people in Italy preferring a coffee bar to start their morning. A break between meetings, catching up with a friend, fuel before the rest of the day’s adventures after lunch; slinging back a steaming hot espresso standing at the bar is a treat available for all, the most diplomatic of beverages.