The wonderful world of Italian drinks is vast and varied.
Ask any Italian and they’ll tell you a meal is more enjoyable with a perfectly paired drink, but when it comes to choosing that drink, it can be daunting. Will it be a fragrant espresso? A glass of prosecco or another homegrown wine? A pre-dinner spritz or something stronger made with some of the world’s most unique liqueurs and spirits? Or perhaps, just a simple pint of craft beer?
While I am a certified sommelier (shout-out to all the ladies in wine!), I am no food or drink hall monitor. I firmly believe you should drink what you want, eat what you want, whenever you want. You have heard the myths about cappuccinos after midday and ordering a latte only to receive a glass of milk (latte is the Italian word for milk). You can have a cappuccino at any hour you want, just as long as its not right after a meal besides breakfast. Whether we like it or not, globalization is real and Italy, like the rest of the world, is all too familiar with what we’re sipping overseas.
But if you would like to do (or at least know) as the locals do, read on. This is your guide to ordering drinks in Italy with the tips I’ve picked up over the years of living in the country, as well as a few of my favorite spots to wine and dine in Florence and Bologna.
Curious for more amazing food and wine history, tips and tastes? Check out our Aperitivo Tour (if you’re into craft cocktails) or our Gourmet Wine Window Crawl (if you’re more into wine and history)
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My idea of a perfect morning in Florence ️ Macchiato espresso with butter-laden pastries like crispy puff pastry sfoglia stuffed with ricotta and chocolate, rice pudding tartlets and a sneaky Nutella cookie. From our Historic Food Lover's Crawl!
Morning
In the AM, you’ll find your average Italian lining up, euros in hand, in their favorite local coffee bar. Italians haven’t, until fairly recently, caught on to cafe culture as we know it. Most are unfamiliar with the concept of meeting friends for a coffee or picking a sunny spot to while away the hours with a latte and your laptop. Traditionally in Italy, you drink your coffee at a bar, dropping by multiple times a day to recharge with a quick espresso on your feet before continuing on your way.
Never judge an Italian coffee bar by its decor. Many of them have been around untouched for generations. The best of them still have their original midcentury timber counter with glass-lined display cases showing freshly made tramezzini (sandwiches) and cornetti (the Italian croissant) along with an array of traditional pastries and cookie biscuits. Old friends of mine would often discern the best bars by peeking at the food offered. If the cornetti were made in house and not shipped in frozen, you were in business.
I’m not the caffeine police, so I won’t tell you what to order. But traditionally, cappuccinos are the go-to for breakfast, eaten seated with an aforementioned cornetto, filled with nutella, pistachio cream or jam, or plain and dipped into your coffee. Espresso and macchiato (that’s an espresso with a drop of milk) are usually consumed at the bar and cost anywhere between €1 and €1.50 depending on the city.
Many Italians are, despite the rise of home machines, still convinced the best sip on offer is at a coffee bar. Their reasoning? As the barista is constantly churning out espresso after espresso, their coffee machine stays warm all day and perfectly calibrated to make a cup with the crema you could only dream about brewing at home.
Coffee bars are all day affairs, catering to the breakfast crowd, followed by the espresso drinkers throughout the day, with many pulling out the liquors in the early evening for any patron looking to grab an aperitivo before dinner. They are highly social places, where conversations with strangers and the staff working at the bar are easy and free flowing.
Rest assured you can order a latte and a cappuccino at a city coffee bar with the confidence you will not get a glass of milk/be refused service after midday. If you’re visiting in summer, I suggest mixing it up a bit and ordering a caffe shakerato - a freshly brewed espresso, shaken over ice with sugar and served in a martini glass.
This bar (Italian for where you get coffee, pastries, amari, piatti espressi/quick lunches, aperitivi, smokes, lottery tickets, etc) seemed to share my obsession for pistachio stuffed pastries.
Two of my favorite coffee bars in Florence
Caffè Gilli (Via Roma, 1): Gilli started out almost 300 years ago as "bozzolari"- essentially doughnut sellers! Now they are the gold standard for a cafe macchiato and mini dolci in Florence. I recommend any of their pistachio filled bigne (little choux pastries)
Cibrèo Caffè (Via Andrea del Verrocchio, 5): Hand cut ham sandwiches and freshly baked cornetti at another Florentine institution. I’m a sucker for their budino di chocolate "amaro" (bitter chocolate pudding).
Consider our Historic Food Lover’s Crawl to discover more hidden gem coffee shops and bakeries!
Two of my favorite coffee bars in Bologna
Caffè 14 Luglio (Via degli Orefici, 6): The spot for specialty coffee and whole beans to bring home.
Terzi (various locations): For specialty coffee and artisanal specialties like raviole cookies (think a buttery gourmet fig newton) filled with fruit mostarde.
A Tuscan wine tour is not a five-minute tasting at a roadside wine bar. It’s an immersive experience into the region’s fabric and history, and an opportunity to get out of the city and taste the very best the region has to offer straight at its source, like these white wines.
Noon
Travelers to Italy are often surprised to learn that lunch is traditionally the heaviest meal of the day for locals. Especially during the week. Think a primo (first course) of pasta with a secondo (main) of meat/fish and sides, lovingly prepared at home or enjoyed in a restaurant with no rush whatsoever.
Times are a’ changing, but Italians still like a hearty lunch. Not uncommon to see a glass of wine and a bottle of water. Note the ‘and’ in that sentence. Italians will always order a bottle of water regardless of what else they’re drinking. Bear in mind, it’s never free. Whether you’re drinking still or sparkling, it’s going to be bottled and it’s going to be included in the bill. Italians rarely drink or serve tap water.
While we yankees might be partial to a cocktail or a spritz at our favorite restaurant, it’s not the done thing in Italy at restaurants. It’s can be considered insulting to a chef in Italy if you preferred a spritz alongside their stand-alone fare that they believe only wine could help make shine brighter.
Cocktails and spritzes are the purview of bars, wine and water the go-to choice in traditional restaurants. As a rule, I like to keep things local. If I’m in Tuscany, I’ll order a Tuscan wine. If I’m in Bologna, I’ll go for something special from the Emilia-Romagna. But there is no hard or fast rule and when in doubt, ask the sommelier for a recommendation. They’ll consider what you’ve ordered to recommend something that works across all the courses.
My fierce opinion is that Italians are fervently loyal to their land. They have an emotional connection to it, its cuisine, the wines made there and will defend it all to the death. Thanks to their nonni or parents who spent time farming, gardening, cooking for the family, hunting, etc- the average Italian (of certain generations) knows how to discuss acidity, know what flavors match and have an incredible memory for taste. This is because somewhere along the line, someone in their family or a friend worked the land. They feel the pains of winter and keep track of dry sweltering summers.
And while we’re on the topic, don't rule out the house red and white just because they’re affordable. A caraffa of either will usually cost under €10 for half a liter and can be really good, often sourced from hyper local wine growers and producers. A good rule of thumb to follow is to look at what the locals are ordering – if you see lots of tables with house wine, and you’re not comfortable ordering from the wine list- give the house wine a try. I also like to weigh up the history of the restaurant, its cuisine and my location. If I’m in a small Italian town or somewhere outside of the city in a restaurant that’s been making local and traditional fare for generations, chances are the house wine is a quaffable pick.
As for the kids and non-drinkers in your crowd, freshly squeezed orange juice never disappoints, and you’ll often find it in on the menu. Increasingly I’ve also seen homemade lemonades. Otherwise, Italian soft drinks are always crowd pleasers – try chinotto (a super bittersweet cola), gassosa (lemon-lime soda) and aranciata rossa (blood orange soda) for something different.
A hearty pour of plummy spiced and violet scented polished tannin Sangiovese rich Chianti Classico to marry this crostino piled with tonno del Chianti (an ancient pork confit specialty).
Two of my favorite wine bars in Florence
Vineria Sonora (Via degli Alfani, 39): I could live here. If you are into or at least curious about natural wines, this is the spot. They pour obscure and niche bottles from the tiniest off-beat producers from around Italy and have an impressive variety of Tuscan labels. DJ set evenings and good music are a good draw, too.
Enoteca Sant’Ambrogio (Sant’Ambrogio): If you can look beyond the lack of hipster allure, this is where you can drink a proper martini, a decent glass of champagne for under a tenner or a plethora of caliber Italian wines by the glass. The best tables are outside for people watching (not in the creepy way).
Two of my favorite wine bars in Bologna
Enoteca Faccioli (Via Altabella, 15): For an extensive range of natural, organic and biodynamic wines (Italian and international), as well as champagne, this is ultimate wine bar for natural wine enthusiasts and charcuterie lovers. the tagliere (charcuterie) plates are a must, composed of artisan cheeses and local cured-meat specialties, including artisanal mortadella.
Gran Bar (Via d'Azeglio, 8): Super low key where locals go, great wines by the glass and craft spirits for simple aperitivo drinks. They specialize in Champagne and sparkling wine, so be sure to order a quality-driven glass of Lambrusco (a sparkling red wine from the Emilia-Romagna region).
I very much miss the Florian bar in Florence and hope they one day come back...
Night
As the sun sets, it’s time for an aperitivo. A spritz is the perennial favorite. They vary in price and quality, so do your research before jumping in. Other popular predinner drinks include a negroni (gin, vermouth and Campari) and negroni sbagliato (swap the gin for prosecco), a Campari and soda and my current favorite, a Hugo (prosecco, elderflower syrup, seltzer and mint). Like wines, there is some sense in keeping it local. All these aperitivos are ubiquitous, but the best are tied to their cities of origin – Florence, Milan, Novara and South Tyrol. Or you could keep it classy and just order a prosecco.
Some compare aperitivo to happy hour- it is not just one hour and there are not discounted drinks and food. In sum, its the ritual of having a snack and an appetite stimulating drink or light alcoholic drink before the events of a meal are about to ensue.
There are some very cool wine bars and bar bars experimenting with different spirits, homemade cordials and artisan mixers and then there are the purists that haven’t changed their recipes in generations. In the latter, you can expect the standard aperitivo fare – olives, taralli, chips and nuts – it's a snack, not dinner after all.
For non-alcoholic options, I wouldn’t recommend a virgin cocktail unless you’re in a dedicated cocktail bar. My mum ordered one recently at your stock standard piazza bar and received a glass full of every juice they had at the bar mixed together. Instead opt for the quintessential non-alcoholic Italian aperitivo – crodino – a complex herbal tonic with a rooty bitterness and faint vanilla flavor.
Now when it comes to beers, there are a few schools of thought. In summer, beers are popular at lunch and throughout the day. At most establishments, you’ll get a few on tap – usually Peroni, Moretti and increasingly Menabrea, a fan favorite from Piemonte.
Beer is a less common choice at dinner, unless, that is, you’re enjoying a pizza. As Italians are infamously concerned about their digestion, the only beverage suitable with such a heavy meal, is a carbonated beverage, la birra. And while we’re on the topic, never go to a pizzeria at lunch. It’s a tourist red flag. Pizza ovens are very expensive to fuel and operate and Italians only eat pizza at dinner, so if you want to eat like the local, eat pizza for dinner.
While we might associate Italy with wine, it has a thriving craft beer scene. The first craft breweries making birra artigianale in the country opened in the ‘90s and the industry has been growing ever since with a Slow Beer Guide now part of the Slow Food umbrella. Many craft breweries in Italy source local ingredients, such as hops, barley malt, fruit, and spices. Loverbeer’s Birra Brugna and Birra Nazionale by Birra Baladin are two great examples of the local craft beer scene.
Santa Firenze Cocktail Club in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Florence, is a fav for the location, snacks and service. Convenient gem!
Two of my favorite breweries in Florence and Bologna
Madama Beerstro (Via S. Vitale, 31b, Bologna): Beer lovers should make a stop at this contemporary pub. Beyond the selection of craft beers, there are also natural wines and modern cocktails made with ingredients like hop infusions and homemade shrubs.
Archea Brewery (Via dei Serragli, Florence): A nice microbrewery with four craft brews made in house (well south of Rome actually) as well as a vast selection of beers from around the world.
Two of my favorite cocktail spots in Florence and Bologna
Ruggine (Vicolo Alemagna, 2, Bologna): Tucked into a hard-to-find alley, Ruggine, formerly a bike workshop, is part vintage craft cocktail bar, part pub. The food is decent, but come for the drinks in one of Bologna’s artsy enclaves.
Manifattura (Piazza di S. Pancrazio, 1, Florence): Manifattura is a homage and a reminder of Italy’s legacy with alcoholic goods. Every spirit here is Made in Italy. My top picks are their classic drinks like Negronis and bellinis, and riffs on cocktails like the Sazerac.
