Ciao there! It’s time to embark on a caffeinated adventure with our newest issue of The Red Eye! Fasten your seatbelts and let your wanderlust soar! ✨🌍

Today’s blockbuster issue is full of travel + coffee tips we think you’ll love, especially if Italy is on your radar for an upcoming trip.

Here’s our travel itinerary for today:

• Why are Italy’s bars buzzing with more than just an espresso kick?
  

• 15 questions Italy travelers can't help asking…and we answer.
  

• 3 Italian gems that a travel guru would visit on a first trip.
  

• Lucky Draw, redux!

So brew up some hot Java (we’re AeroPress-ing some Milan Italian roast for the trip) and join us on our caffeinated Italian adventure!

Italian Bar Culture. 

Why is coffee so huge in Italy?

Once you hop off your Red Eye flight and drop into Italy for the first time, you'll want to do a bee-line for coffee. Italy is intense and you'll need a shot of espresso to fire up your brain.

But where's a weary traveler to go for coffee in Italy? There's no Starbucks, no Peet's... so where do you go?

Hit the local bar.

Coffee in Italy is molto importante. Espresso is woven deeply into the fabric of Italian daily life. Italians take their coffee throughout the day, heading to the local bar to get their coffee fix.

Italian "bars" are different from the typical bars in the States. In Italy, a bar is where locals congregate to grab a morning cappuccino or espresso while chomping on a jam-filled cornetto (an Italian croissant) or maybe a salami and cheese panini.

Sure, you can get a little nip of vino or liquor at an Italian bar, but in Italy the bar is where the coffee action is.

Podcast: The inside scoop on Italian coffee bars.

Our vagabond roaster Michael Horne and Italy travel guru Katy Clarke dive into Italy's vibrant bar culture on the wildly entertaining Untold Italy podcast. We’re spilling the beans with insider secrets for finding Italy’s top-notch coffee bars, how to order like a local, making new lifelong friends on your trip, and fascinating tales of Italian coffee history.

Have a listen, your Italian adventure is waiting!

FAQ: Italy’s mighty espresso culture.

No time to listen? Here are 15 of the top questions we’re asked most frequently. We include a link to the time in the podcast where Katy and Michael answer the question. Have more questions? Just ask us here!

• When did coffee arrive in Italy?

  The first coffee houses started to appear in Venice in the early 1600s.

  The Pope had something to do with it. [03:45]

• Where can I buy a coffee in Italy?

  Hit the caffè bars in town, where locals congregate, share gossip, and catch the latest calcio (soccer) match. [06:25]

• What is a Caffè Macchiato?

  Caffè Macchiato is an espresso "marked" with a little bit of milk foam. Italians have it any time of day. [09:50]

• Why is coffee so small in Italy?

  A traditional espresso is just half an ounce of lovely elixir. Want more? Ask for a doppio or a caffè lungo. [11:50]

• Why do Italians serve sparkling water with their espresso?

  The barista often serves an espresso with a small glass of fizzy, sparkling water. Use it to cleanse your palate before you drink your espresso. [13:20]

• How do you order a "regular" cup of coffee?

  If you want that classic American coffee experience, just ask for a caffè Americano. It's a shot (or ask for a doppio) of espresso topped up with hot water. [13:45]

• Do the Italians drink iced coffee?

  Yes, it's called a caffè shakerato and it's damn good. It's a great alternative to cold brew, which isn't a thing in Italy (yet). [16:00]

• Why do the Italians add sugar to their espresso?

  There's a tradition in adding sugar to your espresso to compliment the bitterness of the Italian roasting style. New artisanal coffee bars shun adding sugar, but it's your call. [16:45]

• How do I pay for my coffee order?

  Two ways: either pay in advance at the cashier (most common), or you pay after you finish your coffee. [18:55]

• Where do I drink my coffee?

  Usually, you drink coffee at the bar, standing side-by-side with the locals. You can also have coffee at a table or on the piazza, though prices double. [20:30]

• What famous coffee bars should I visit?

  Check out Caffè Gilli, the oldest cafe in Florence. Milan's famous Caffè Cucchi is an institution with amazing sweets. When in Rome, take a coffee at Caffè Sant'Eustachio where they roast their beans over a wood fire. In Venice, taking coffee on St. Mark's square at Caffè Florian is a bucket-list priority. [25:30]

• Is the coffee at the Autogrill drinkable?

  💯 percent. If you're driving in Italy, stop at any Autogrill along the Autostrada for a tasty coffee pick-me-up. [31:40]

• Why can't I order a Cappuccino after 11 AM?

  The Italians don’t do milk-based drinks after 11AM. It messes with your lunch and hurts your digestion — so they say. But yes, you can still order it if you want to. [35:07]

• What is a caffè corretto?

  Be uber-local and order this "corrected coffee" anytime, it's a shot of espresso "corrected" with a small pour of grappa or Sambuca. [37:50]

Got a question of your own? 🤔

Great! Click here to ask a question or leave a comment (or click the button below). We promise we’ll answer it faster than your barista can sling you a double-shot-two-percent-extra-hot-no-whip-mocha! ☕️

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Katy Clarke’s passport to Italy has more stamps than a Renaissance artist's sketchbook.

The vibrancy of the Italian culture and people inspired her to share her travels and learnings by starting her Untold Italy podcast. Now she’s leading adventurous travelers on personalized tours up and down the Italian peninsula.

We asked Katy about her favorite places in Italy for travelers new to Italy, as well as for experienced vagabonds. Here’s her advice:

Q: For first-time Italy explorers, what are the top 3 places you’d recommend visiting?

For me, it’s about experiencing the local customs and rhythm of daily life in Italy. I would combine some classic sights with more off-the-beaten-path destinations, it’s the perfect way to explore Italy for the first time:

• Rome: All roads lead to Rome for a reason, so spending a few days exploring the Eternal City provides the perfect context for your first trip. Don’t feel pressured to see all the sights; instead, I’d stroll along the River Tiber and through the streets of the Centro Storico, open your eyes to the layers of history that make Rome one of the most important cities on Earth. I take people on a super-focused tour of Rome every year to hit the important sites on a short trip.

• Venice: This city once wielded incredible power, it’s a place so unique and magical that it is a wonder to behold. I’d spend time wandering the back streets and small canals of Venice, ducking in and out of bacari (wine bars), and enjoying the beauty of the city’s faded palazzi as their reflections shimmer in the water. Of course, enjoying a coffee at one of the spectacular caffés in Piazza San Marco (like Caffé Florian) should not be missed.

• Bologna: Between Venice and Rome, I love Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region and arguably Italy’s most famous food. It’s where you can truly appreciate Italy’s best food and design culture. Using the city as a base, you should explore the country’s iconic products - from Parmigiano Reggiano to the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to Ferrari and Lamborghini. A guide and tour can connect you with the best sites to experience.

Q: For people who’ve traveled to Italy many times, what is the top hidden-gem experience you’d recommend?

There are so many hidden corners of Italy waiting to be explored! But, the ones that have gripped my imagination the most are the coastal towns, salt flats, and Medieval hamlets of northwestern Sicily. This is where the island’s Arab past can be experienced most strongly - from the local seafood couscous to elaborate Moorish architecture - it’s quite unique in all of Italy. The area is such a special place that we take adventurous groups to western Sicily a few times a year.

Q: What’s your most memorable experience while visiting Italy?

Surprisingly, it’s not a luxury boat trip around Capri or watching the sunset over the Colosseum, it’s actually the evenings we spend sitting in the piazza of a small town enjoying the local atmosphere. We first discovered sagre, or local food festivals, this way. Towns and villages all over Italy celebrate their local produce and specialties with week-end and week-long events devoted to truffles, onions, chocolate, or chestnuts. The most famous of these is the Alba White Truffle Festival in Piedmont, but actually the small festivals are the most fun. We bring small groups each fall for a gustatory adventure in Piedmont, it’s an amazing time to be there.

Q: What’s your favorite and most memorable coffee bar in Italy?

I’m in Rome as I type right now, and I never miss the opportunity to stop by Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè, just around the corner from the Pantheon and right in the center of all the Roman action. I love the mix of tradition, in-house beans roasted over a wood fire, and the constant flow of locals in and out of the bar for their essential daily hit of espresso!

Katy leads some wonderful small-group tours exploring up-and-down the Italian peninsula. If you’re planning a trip for this year or next, check out her packages for Rome, Tuscany, Bologna, Puglia, Sicily, Liguria, Umbria, and Piedmont.

More travel questions?

Ask your burning travel questions by clicking here, or share your own travel advice or stories in our comment section. Ciao!

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Sometimes technology lets us down. Sadly, our poll for the Lucky Draw was broken last week. 🤬

If you voted last week, we lost your vote 😢.

GOOD NEWS! We’re running the poll again this week! Let’s try this one more time…

When you travel around China, Taiwan, South Korea…really everywhere in Asia, in the markets you can sometimes participate in a raffle for a valuable prize.

The raffle is called a Lucky Draw. Here’s how it works:

1. You do something to earn the right to put your name in a hat. 🎩

2. Once everyone has a chance to put their name in the hat, someone randomly draws out a name (the “Lucky Draw”). ☘️

3. The lucky person whose name is drawn wins a really cool prize! 🔥

So let’s play Lucky Draw!

To put your name in the hat, all you gotta do is answer this question:

How do you like to buy your coffee?

Share your answer in the poll below, and you’ll be entered into the Lucky Draw for a FREE Trial Roast Taster of fresh-roasted coffee. We’re shipping out free bags of coffee this week to 5 Lucky Draw winners! 🔥

Winners get to pick their favorite roast style from world cities Stockholm (light roast Ethiopia Yirgacheffe), Prague (medium Guatemala), Milan (medium+ blend), and Istanbul (dark blend).

(BONUS: Find out instantly how you compare against other coffee lovers! We reveal your grouping right after you submit your answer.)

Ok, here’s the poll. This is easy, you got this: 🤞

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Share The Red Eye, win coffee.

Tell your friends and family about The Red Eye, and let's grow this community of coffee-loving travelers together!

Share your personal referral link anywhere your friends hang out. When you share and your friends sign-up, we’ll send you free coffee! ☕

Here's your personal link:

https://newsletter.du.coffee/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

Right now you're just 2 referrals away from free coffee! 👍