Home to the largest coffee port in the Mediterranean and one of the most important coffee brands in Italy, Trieste is a caffeine-based city. In every Italian city, the rhythm of the day begins in the cafeteria. For many centuries, in the Adriatic (and therefore in the Mediterranean) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was the transit center for precious fabrics, rare spices and exclusive products. When Vienna starts drinking coffee (the official year of publication is 168), Trieste becomes the nerve center of the journey of raw beans coming first from Africa and then from the New World.
Even today, the Friulian city is one of the first European ports because of the quantities of coffee traveled. In addition to being an important importing city, Trieste is home to important coffee roasters, historic cafés such as the Tommaseo from 1830, the San Marco from 1914 (frequented by Svevo and Saba) and the degli Specchi from 1839 and a coffee university founded by the famous producer Illy. Coffee has a long history in Italy. Venice was one of the first European ports to import coffee beans in the 16th century, and in the 19th century, men with bowls met in the cafeterias of Turin to plan the unification of the country.
While coffee isn't actually grown in Italy, the county is famous for its roasting and blending of coffee and for its coffee culture. Coffee was first introduced in Italy in the 16th century. Over the centuries, Italy has developed a deeply rooted coffee culture with a series of rituals and traditions, and is sometimes referred to as the “spiritual home of coffee”. Always in search of the best of the best, Gambero Rosso, the publisher of prestigious guides on the best of Italian gastronomic culture and drink, recently published a list of the best bars on the peninsula with more than 1300 addresses in its 19th guide and 44 places with the maximum number of votes or chicchi (coffee bean) possible.
A great way to learn more about Italian coffee and get an introduction to the city with a local guide. The Lombard capital is, therefore, the first Italian city that has hosted foreign coffee brands and has hosted international coffee events. If you're a fan of the 1990s TV series “Friends”, this is the restaurant where Monica her partner takes Monica for Italian food in episode 18 of the third season (“The One with the Hypnosis Tape”). And while Italians may be furious at the intrusion, it seems likely that Starbucks will succeed in a city where an increasingly multi-ethnic and hyperconnected population needs a place to rest, read, work and go to the bathroom while traveling.
Contemporary Italians experience a similar sense of disorientation when they walk into a New York coffee shop.
