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Ten Rome baristas who brighten your day

Whether you drink it or not, it’s hard not to succumb to Italy’s coffee culture and the conviviality that comes with it.

Published: 27 October 2014 13:55 CET
Ten Rome baristas who brighten your day
Whether you drink it or not, it’s hard not to succumb to Italy’s coffee culture and the conviviality that comes with it. Photo: Angela Giuffrida

Whatever struggles you endure in Italy, there is usually an atmospheric bar not far away, with a barista who somehow manages to wipe away your troubles, even if just for a few minutes.

It could be the simple pleasantries they exchange with customers, or the dedication they devote to either perfecting your cappuccino or beautifying it with a chocolate-laced design.

Italy's baristas work hard. Not only to they train for two to three years to hone their skills, but they usually start work at 6am and are still working the coffee machines at 9pm.

So The Local felt it was about time they were celebrated, and so we scoured the city to sample not only good coffee, but to find the best baristas.

CLICK HERE to see the top 10 baristas in Rome who made our day.

We're sure to have missed many, so please let us know who your favourite baristas are, wherever they may be in Italy, in the comment section below!

Most of you will be familiar with the rituals governing drinking coffee in Italy, if not then take a look at our guideline.

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ROME

Did you know: Rome wasn’t Italy’s first capital city?

With its prestigious history, famous landmarks and breathtaking art, Rome is known all over the world as Italy's capital. But was it always that way?

Published: 8 March 2024 15:55 CET
Did you know: Rome wasn't Italy's first capital city?

Rome is often one of the first cities to crop up when thinking of European capitals, and it’s easy to see why: its multiple treasures, including the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona, make it one of the most instantly recognisable cities in Europe, if not in the world.

But Rome hasn’t always been Italy’s capital.

In fact, there have been two Italian capitals other than the Eternal City since Italy’s Unification in 1861: Turin and Florence.

Currently the capital of Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, Turin’s tenure as the country’s capital was fairly short-lived.

The northern city first became capital of the Kingdom of Savoy in 1559, it then became the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1713 and eventually it became capital of the Kingdom of Italy on March 17th 1861, the day that marked the country’s unification.

Turin, Italy

A view of the Mole Antonelliana, one of Turin’s most recognisable landmarks. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

By 1865 however, Turin had already lost its capital status to Florence. 

The transition wasn’t exactly smooth though as the local population took to the streets to rebel against the decision on September 21st 1864. What followed is now known as the Turin massacre, in which around 60 civilians were killed.

Florence’s capital status was not long-lived either as in February 1871 – just six years after the transfer to the Tuscan city – Rome formally became the new capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

That’s not all however: a small town in southwestern Sicily claims to have been the first Italian capital as it was supposedly proclaimed so by Giuseppe Garibaldi – an Italian general that was among the leading contributors to Italy’s unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy – on May 14th 1860. The Sicilian town claims to have held the title for a day.

That said, according to history books, there have only been three capital cities in Italy: Turin, Florence and Rome.

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