An Espresso coffee in Italy is indispensable daily ritual, linked to the culture, traditions and habits of Italians. It represents for us the first and simplest gesture of hospitality and creates empathy between people.

There is certainly no shortage of historic bars and pastry shops in Milan, charming places where you can stop for a coffee accompanied by a good dessert.

There are places in the center of Milan where it is definitely worth going after a nice walk, a bit of shopping, to end a lunch break with a good coffee or simply where you can relax a bit with friends or reading a newspaper.

Some are enchanting places where one is also impressed by the décor and windows on display from which beauty, style, quality and traditions maintained over time shine through.

Cafes were...

Cafes began to become important meeting centers in the 1700s, when they were taken as a point of reference by the bourgeoisie, who, in opposition to aristocratic salons and popular taverns, chose cafes to meet, discuss what was happening in the city, exchange opinions, and study new theses on philosophy. It was in cafes that modern Enlightenment philosophy was born.

It is not known exactly what the first café in Milan was, but In a writing from 1733, Carlo Goldoni, in reference to Charles Emanuel of Savoy's invasion of Milan, talks about how he had dressed in a hurry to go to a café to catch up on events.

Just a few steps from the Duomo was the famous "Caffè della Peppina," frequented by Mazzinians who fought for the independence of our country, a café totally in opposition to the "Caffè della Cecchina," located in front of La Scala Theater, where supporters of Cavour gathered.

(Ph Ig: @violette_enne)