Bar Italia - our local bar at Ponte a Serraglio
Bars in Italy are quite different from what we recognise as a bar in Australia. Alcohol is served, but it is not the main focus . You can go there for breakfast, and I recommend that you do this. Coffee and a pastry will cost next to nothing and will be delicious. Light lunch is usually available and later in the day go for an aperitivo and perhaps party into the night. Even the tiniest village in Italy is likely to have a bar.
In the late afternoon many bars will have a delicious selection of free snacks to have with you aperitivo.
snacks on the bar
An Italian bar can be difficult to navigate for a novice, especially a city bar. It is usual to pay the person at the cash register first, so decide which pastry and coffee you want, pay the cashier and go with the docket you will receive to the barista to ask for your order.
You may be offered your pastry in a paper serviette. This is normal. It is also normal to have your coffee and pastry standing at the bar. In fact, you will pay more to sit at a table in most bars in larger towns and cities. This is not the case in small villages like Ponte a Serraglio. The protocol is more relaxed and you are free to sit at tables at no extra cost.
Once you get the hang of bar rules it is fun to part of life in an Italian bar. The coffee is good, the pastries are good and the company is bound to be interesting. If you are lucky enough to be staying for a while in Italy, find a local bar you like the look of, and become a regular. All you need is a “Buongiorno” and a smile to fit in. It won’t be long before the barista knows how you like your coffee and you will get to know some locals.
one of my favourite bars in Lucca
When I first went to Ponte a Serraglio I spent lots of time in Bar Italia. This is where I met the people who have become my friends and I learned many valuable lessons about life in my adopted country.
A couple of extra tips – If you ask for a latte, you will get a glass of warm milk. It is called a cafe latte. A flat white is a cappuccino senza schiuma – without foam – or do what the locals do and have an espresso.
the other bar we love at the Ponte - Il Monaco
My favourite bar in Florence, and quite possibly the world is Giacosa.
delicious things to eat at Giacosa - my favourite bar In Florence
the good looking bar - and barista at Giacosa
Giacosa is owned by Roberto Cavalli and is situated at behind his shop in Via Tornabuone in the heart of Florence. The coffee is great and there snacks are delicious. They also do a very good light lunch and they sell chocolates in beautiful Roberto Cavalli designed boxes.