Bar S Guistina, Via S Guistina, Lucca

Bar S Guistina, Via S Guistina, Lucca
Wednesday 13 September, 2006

Italians love their coffee and there is no better way to enjoy a coffee in Italy than with the locals in some back street bar where you stand to drink it. I must admit I found this odd at first as our culture is all about sitting down and enjoying a coffee, meal etc. But, in Italy coffee is enjoyed by standing at the bar and conversing with the barista.

We had noticed this small bar a day earlier and made a mental note to return the following morning. We entered a little unsure about the reception we would receive but were greeted with loud buongiorno's. We ordered our cappacino's and sat down....I know we should have stood but it was still early and I really wasn't awake yet.

Our coffee's were prepared and delivered by a lovely woman who looked like she had run the place for over 60 years. She appreciated our lame attempts to converse in Italian. The coffee was sensational.

We watched as other locals staggered in to drink coffee and eat the fresh pastries. It was a great sight and for a moment we felt like locals. This lasted until we had to return to the bar and pay.

Bar S Guistina - Via S Guistina, Lucca