Trieste, the old "capital" of coffee
A wonderful port at the end of the Adriatic, with a rich history, many monuments and lots and lots of coffee!
The region of Trieste has been inhabited since at least 2000 BC, while the city itself was founded as a Roman province, before becoming part of the Roman Republic. Due to its strategic location, its natural port and its distance from the main body of the Italian peninsula, Trieste has always been an apple of contention between state entities in the region and throughout Europe. Somehow, it ended up being the important port of Austria-Hungary, belonging to the Hapsburg crown for over 500 years, until it was reunited with the rest of Italy after the First World War.
Today, it is a city of 200,000 inhabitants, in which the arts, tourism and scientific research, as well as industry, flourish. At the same time, relevant measurements rank it among the European cities with the best quality of life, while many describe it as the "capital of coffee", stealing the title from other important cities for coffee, such as Naples.
A Brief History of Coffee in Trieste.
Coffee was introduced to Italy at the end of the 16th century, through the then state port of Venice, and despite initial reactions, it quickly conquered the aristocracy of the city, but also of the rest of Italy. The passion for coffee creates the need to import larger quantities of coffee, while demand is also beginning to grow in central Europe.
In this context, at the beginning of the 18th century, the Austro-Hungarian authorities declared the port of Trieste "tax-free", making it the most important coffee gateway for Europe. Vienna's luxury cafes are sourced from Trieste, and the same is true of Italian cities. The port of Trieste is becoming even richer, while the city is declared secular, something that makes it a center of businessmen and workers from all over Europe. The coffee trade is directly benefiting from this move, and is growing even bigger.
Luxurious cafés flourish in the city, such as the intricately decorated Caffe Tomaso and its beautifully decorated rooms dating back to 1830, the Bomboniera patisserie specializing in Viennese desserts, or the Caffe San Marco, which opened in the early 20's and is still open. with copper, vintage espresso machines and the ceiling is covered with an impressive ceiling with brown leaves. Coffee has now become a second nature of the city, a strong element of its identity.
The coffee culture in Trieste
It is known that although coffee, and especially espresso, is a cohesive element of the whole of Italy, each city has its own, separate coffee culture, something that is reflected in the recipes, blending, roasting, but also the way the locals enjoy their coffee. Trieste could not be an exception to this, because of its history, which is inextricably linked to coffee.
Several studies show that the people of Trieste are the most avid coffee drinkers in all of Italy, consuming up to twice the amount of coffee per year from some other parts of Italy, while the average annual consumption per person reaches 10 kg. Coffee has its own vocabulary in the city: instead of a "caffe" the locals order a "nero", while the popular cappuccino is called "caffelatte" here.
The most important difference has to do with the way the people of Trieste enjoy coffee. Unlike the espresso bars of the Italian South, where espresso is drunk in a few sips, standing up, here things are more laid back, as the locals are used to sitting at the tables for hours, enjoying the light, the sea and the beautiful climate of Trieste, a habit quite reminiscent of the corresponding Greek. After all, the city itself invites you to act accordingly - Piazza Unita is probably the largest beach square in the whole world!
Struck by the Coronavirus, the annual Trieste Coffee Festival has been taking place since October 2019, but the locals are optimistic and have renewed their appointment for Autumn 2022 - after all, Trieste is home to some of the most important brands. of the whole planet!
If you have an appetite for a trip to Italy, Trieste is waiting for you - and its enchanting cafes too!
