Italian coffee history

Italian coffee history dates back to the 16th century. Since the first coffee was poured in Venice , Italians never ceased to claim their sincere adoration for a beverage that would have later become a real cornerstone of Italian culture. The Serenissima Republic of Venice was in fact one of the first European states to import coffee beans when they reached the Old Continent. Founded in 1720 and located in the outstanding and iconic Piazza San Marco, Cafe Florian, is the most ancient operating coffee house in the world. Many of the most important international people and artists of the past – such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Lord Byron and Giacomo Casanova – habitually stopped by there for coffee, while sharing intellectual conversations. Hosting people of every social class, Caffè Florian would have set a precedent for the social role a coffee house could hold.

 

In 1884 businessman Angelo Moriondo presented a new machine which was able to produce a short and concentrated drink, the so-called espresso, whose name derives from its brewing: it could be prepared appositely for each consumer, since water had to be expressed through the coffee. In 1901, the project was then revised by the engineer Luigi Bezzera, which allowed to spread this preparation system throughout Italy.