Another Milan institution is the Cova, in via Montenapoleone, one of the city's most exclusive lounge bars which, in the past, was a meeting place for Italian patriots. Puccini, Verdi and Toscanini were all regular clients and the cafe was depicted by Boccioni in his famous Brawl in the Galleria. A number of important pages of Italian history were written by the men who habitually met in the Caffè Zucca ( an elegant art nouveau style cafe beneath the arches of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. In the 19th century, the cafes of Milan became stages for intense cultural and political debate. Today Caffè Pedrocchi has not only renewed its original vocation as important cultural meeting place but has also become one of the finest restaurants in the whole of the Veneto region. Padua is another Italian city famous for its coffee culture, the maximum expression of which is the legendary Caffè Pedrocchi ( the cafe which Stendhal declared 'the best in Italy'. Each year, during the festive season, the Vie del Caffè is organized: an event which comprises concerts and theatrical shows performed in the city's principal cafes. Illy has funded numerous initiatives promoting the culture of coffee, including the creation of a University of Coffee open to both professionals and coffee aficionados ( When paying a visit to properties of distinctly Mittel-European charm, such as the Caffè degli Specchi ( the Caffè Tommaseo ( and the Caffè San Marco, it is easy to see why having a coffee amongst friends in Trieste has become such an institution, enthusiastically upheld by both the young and old. Like Turin, Trieste too has a long standing relationship with coffee and is home to both some of Italy's finest historic cafes and the world famous Illy coffee company. Caffè San Carlo, hastily closed in 1837 due to its association with subversive activists, was the first Italian establishment to use gas light.

The décor of the Caffetteria Baratti & Milano ( is equally impressive, featuring the finest marble, and luxurious wood paneling reminders of former famous patrons, who included the members of Royal Family of the House of Savoy. This is true of Al Bicerin ( with its interiors characterized by immense mirrors and lush velvet upholstery, it is as resplendent now as in the time when it was patronized by Cavour. Turin has a large number of these historic cafes establishments which today still retain the atmosphere of centuries past, and of the times when they functioned as vibrant theatres of the city's political life. Here, any number of 'caffetterie' were opened to cater for an ever growing clientele comprised of high-flying politicians, writers, and philosophers, but also for ordinary business men. From Venice, the fashion of drinking 'boiling black water' spread to all the principal cities of Italy.

Also located in the famous square are the Caffè Lavena ( the haunt of renowned musicians, including Wagner and Liszt, and the Gran Caffè Quadri ( which was much loved by Lord Byron. Founded in 1720 and considered to be the oldest coffee house in Europe, Venice's legendary Caffè Florian ( in St Mark's Square, was frequented by clients such as Goldoni and Casanova. Venice was, in fact, the first Italian city to experience the taste of coffee and, soon became the undisputed realm of the Botteghe del Caffè. An undying love affair which began back in 1615, the year in which coffee, imported from the East by the merchants of Venice, was first introduced to Europe.

Caffe italia