https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The very Italian custom of drinking coffee quickly at the counter is still banned under the country’s coronavirus restrictions - but bar owners say the tradition is their “lifeblood” and must be restored. https://www.thelocal.it/20210504/an-attack-on-tradition-italian-bar-owners-protest-rule-against-drinking-coffee-at-the-counter Tue, 04 May 2021 18:14:22 +0200 an-attack-on-tradition-italian-bar-owners-protest-rule-against-drinking-coffee-at-the-counter Italy's coffee bars have been hit by closures and restrictons due to the pandemic - but how much are habits changing? Verona-based writer Richard Hough gives us a tour of his city's cafes as he looks at the impact on Italian coffee culture. https://www.thelocal.it/20210309/how-has-the-coronavirus-crisis-changed-italys-coffee-culture Tue, 09 Mar 2021 18:48:39 +0100 how-has-the-coronavirus-crisis-changed-italys-coffee-culture Need to get to grips with your moka? Here are some expert tips on making the perfect at-home Italian coffee every time. https://www.thelocal.it/20181108/how-to-make-the-perfect-italian-moka-coffee-at-home Thu, 08 Nov 2018 17:32:16 +0100 how-to-make-the-perfect-italian-moka-coffee-at-home The Italian government has applied for traditional Italian espresso coffee to be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. But not everyone is convinced it's a good idea. https://www.thelocal.it/20191212/why-italy-wants-its-coffee-to-get-unesco-heritage-status Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:03:52 +0100 why-italy-wants-its-coffee-to-get-unesco-heritage-status OK, we expect you already know this particular Italian word. But here's a closer look at its history, plus a quick intro to Italy's coffee culture. https://www.thelocal.it/20190828/italian-word-of-the-day-cappuccino Wed, 28 Aug 2019 13:26:07 +0200 italian-word-of-the-day-cappuccino Coffee empire opens two more branches in Milan and plans up to 15 coffee shops a year across Italy https://www.thelocal.it/20181122/starbucks-announces-plan-to-expand-its-coffee-empire-across-italy Thu, 22 Nov 2018 17:27:42 +0100 starbucks-announces-plan-to-expand-its-coffee-empire-across-italy The classic coffee pot may disappear from Italian kitchens as Bialetti, the historic company that invented the moka in the 1930s, warns of impending bankruptcy. https://www.thelocal.it/20181029/italys-classic-moka-coffee-pots-at-risk-of-extinction Mon, 29 Oct 2018 11:35:33 +0100 italys-classic-moka-coffee-pots-at-risk-of-extinction Starbucks claims its Milan branch, which opens to the public this week, is "the world's most beautiful". So what does it look like? https://www.thelocal.it/20180906/in-photos-italy-first-starbucks-milan Thu, 06 Sep 2018 11:50:30 +0200 in-photos-italy-first-starbucks-milan US coffee giant Starbucks opens its first branch in Italy on Thursday, with the sprawling Milan 'roastery' at the vanguard of an ambitious plan to conquer the spiritual home of espresso. https://www.thelocal.it/20180906/italy-first-starbucks-opens-in-milan Thu, 06 Sep 2018 10:54:17 +0200 italy-first-starbucks-opens-in-milan Whether you took a stand for Italian espresso or were jonesing for a pumpkin spice latte, the news that Starbucks will open its first branch in Italy this year got The Local's readers talking like few things before. https://www.thelocal.it/20180509/its-like-opening-taco-bell-in-mexico-your-reactions-to-starbucks-coming-to-italy Wed, 09 May 2018 18:42:54 +0200 its-like-opening-taco-bell-in-mexico-your-reactions-to-starbucks-coming-to-italy Starbucks will make its first foray into the home of espresso, with the coffee shop chain announcing on Monday that it will open its first Italian branch in September. https://www.thelocal.it/20180507/starbucks-is-coming-to-italy-milan Mon, 07 May 2018 19:48:55 +0200 starbucks-is-coming-to-italy-milan Jailbirds in northern Italy will soon be able to offer judges a sweetener -- though serving up an extra smooth cappuccino is unlikely to be enough to get time off their sentences. https://www.thelocal.it/20171004/italian-city-offers-prisoners-jobs-serving-coffee-to-judges-and-lawyers Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:43:57 +0200 italian-city-offers-prisoners-jobs-serving-coffee-to-judges-and-lawyers No matter where you go in Italy, Italians are passionate about their coffee. But some pay a higher price for their passion than others. Find out where to get you bargain macchiato and where to expressly avoid espressi. https://www.thelocal.it/20170626/where-to-get-the-cheapest-and-most-extortionate-coffee Mon, 26 Jun 2017 14:58:35 +0200 where-to-get-the-cheapest-and-most-extortionate-coffee The price of coffee in Rome will rise by ten to 20 cents by the end of the summer, the city's bar authority said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20170315/coffee-is-about-to-get-more-expensive-in-rome Wed, 15 Mar 2017 09:56:21 +0100 coffee-is-about-to-get-more-expensive-in-rome In good news for Americans and tourists seeking home comforts in Italy - but not so good news for those who take the country's coffee culture seriously - Starbucks announced on Thursday that it planned to open between 200 and 300 stores in Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20170216/starbucks-prepares-to-open-up-to-300-stores-in-italy Thu, 16 Feb 2017 13:09:35 +0100 starbucks-prepares-to-open-up-to-300-stores-in-italy A groundbreaking study carried out in coffee-mad Italy has helped identify a gene scientists say could regulate our appetite for espressos and cappuccinos. https://www.thelocal.it/20160829/italian-study-finds-new-gene-controlling-coffee-consumption Mon, 29 Aug 2016 14:40:07 +0200 italian-study-finds-new-gene-controlling-coffee-consumption American journalist John Henderson went from despising the taste of coffee to loving it. And all because he moved to Rome. In his latest column for The Local, he explains the transition. https://www.thelocal.it/20160817/why-coffee-in-italy-is-a-culture-you-must-taste-to-understand Wed, 17 Aug 2016 14:20:31 +0200 why-coffee-in-italy-is-a-culture-you-must-taste-to-understand It was Italy, and more pertinently, the country’s coffee culture, that inspired Howard Shultz to start his Starbucks empire 33 years ago. https://www.thelocal.it/20160229/frothing-up-italy-starbucks-is-on-its-way-to-milan Mon, 29 Feb 2016 10:24:42 +0100 frothing-up-italy-starbucks-is-on-its-way-to-milan A €1 New Year's Eve price hike at an ice cream parlour and café has provoked backlash on social media in Italy. https://www.thelocal.it/20160104/outrage-over-festive-supplement-on-coffee-in-turin Mon, 04 Jan 2016 11:15:56 +0100 outrage-over-festive-supplement-on-coffee-in-turin Italy already has a cat café and now a coffee shop where people can chat about dying over their cappuccino is set to open in Bologna. What on earth is that? Read on to find out. https://www.thelocal.it/20151027/dying-for-a-coffee-then-head-to-bologna Tue, 27 Oct 2015 10:16:57 +0100 dying-for-a-coffee-then-head-to-bologna