Bars in Italy ~ A Part of Italian Life

Let’s discuss Bars in Italy

Bars in Italy are a part of everyday life.  Unlike American bars, which are mostly for drinking alcoholic beverage in quantities, a bar in Italy is for having coffee, a light meal or snack and for hanging out in the neighborhood. Bars in an Italian town or neighborhoods are the center of social life. They are also a popular place for the evening, aperitivo, the charming Italian custom of meeting between 5:00-8:00 in the evening with friends to have an appetizer and aperitif before dinner.

After a tough day of touring and wine tasting (I know, I had a difficult job) in the Novara countryside in lovely Piemonte, I had an hour or so to spare before our dinner of Novarese specialties at the Impero Restaurant.  My guide Cristina brought me to one of her favorite bars in Italy, the Café Miami in the beautiful town of Carpignano Sesia.

Campari and soda

I had told Cristina my favorite aperitivo drink was Campari and soda and I had just learned that Campari originated in Novara, contrary to popular belief that it is Milanese (I had been corrected that it is only now made in Milan).
She shook her head. “There is too much alcohol in Campari. Have you ever tried a spritz?” Cristina asked. “Everyone drinks it.” So as we sat down outside of Café Miami, I knew that’s what we’d be having.

Aperol spritz

A spritz is made with Aperol (a lighter version of Campari), a sparkling red or white wine and topped with mineral water and a slice of orange. It was indeed refreshing, bitter sweet and carbonated in that subtle Italian style. I enjoyed it with bread baked with prosciutto and cheese that Cristina had ordered, which also came with patatine fritte (potato chips). We enjoyed our aperitivo as I admired the Parrocchiale di Santa Maria Assunta (the parish church), directly in front of us.

So whether your at home or a bar in Italy, try an Aperol spritz as a way to slowly ease into an evening of food, family, and relaxation.

~contributed by Lorenzo Condelli