It’s no accident that there are few if any Starbucks in Italy. Arguably, Italy (in our humble opinion) invented the concept that Starbucks shoots for. In Italy there often are two or three bars per city block, staffed by a skilled “barista” who knows their customer personally and serves even the quickest, cheapest coffee with manners and panache. Bringing a Starbucks to Italy is truly like bringing coals to Newcastle.
The American in Italia Blog says it this way, “Italian bars are a three-minute social club. All day long strangers and regular customers meet and chat. People treat bar-mates as long-lost friends, no alcohol necessary. Italian bartenders are like intimate versions of those in American-style bars. They know their clients. They banter. They talk soccer. They rest on Sunday (more than a third of all Italian bars are closed on Sunday). Italian espresso is the best kind of cheap hit: 70 cents a cup, sipped while standing at the counter. It’s a hit-and-run ritual.”
Here’s a few things to know about coffee and bar etiquette in Italy:
- Think of an Italian bar as a café, where you can also buy a beer or cocktail, and the regulars stand. In addition, and in contrast to many bars in the US, an Italian bar is as likely to be patronized by old and young all day long. For those of us who have thought of a bar as a dimly lit, nightlife establishment, a bit risqué…we’re surprised to see grandma and kiddies in a bar at 10 am (while grandma has her coffee.)
- In Italy, the bar is the center of social life, not a place to consume large amounts of alcohol. Italians may visit their local bar several times in the morning for coffee, and again in the early evening for an aperitivo or cocktail before dinner.
- Forming a line is NOT a well-developed concept in Italy, and even less likely in a bar. There are busy times of the day when there are lots of folks waiting at the bar to be served. Many experienced bar-servers have developed a pretty good idea of who’s been waiting, and who’s to be served. That clump of people milling around in no particular order to your eye looks quite different to the barista who knows their clients. Stifle you inner control freak that wants everyone to line up. Let it happen. You may even want to sit down the first few times you have coffee….and watch how it’s done.
- Bars usually (but not always) charge extra for sitting down, sometimes per table and sometimes per person.
- Most waiters speak a little bit of “coffee” English. Throw in some Italian words every once in a while. Don’t be afraid to talk with hands and feet and don’t forget to smile…and you’ll be surprised how well it goes.
- Don’t order cappuccino after lunch unless you want to be identified as a tourist. Opinions vary as to why Italian don’t order it later in the day, but, for whatever reason, they don’t. So as one author puts it: “If you see a bunch of people sitting around drinking cappuccini at three in the afternoon, congratulations, you’ve found the tourist bar.”
Bonus culture clue tomorrow: What coffee to order. The nomenclature is quite different and ordering a latte there will most likely NOT get you what you’d receive in the US.