Seating for 14, But I’ll Stand

“Prendo un caffe” (“I’ll take a coffee”) — this simple request is generally all that’s needed anywhere in Italy to come face to face with an incredible (and for Americans, very different) coffee drinking experience. Whether it’s at truck stop, a trade show, or a very welcoming neighborhood cafe, it’s almost guaranteed to be quickly and deftly prepared for you by a skilled barista (this must be part of the grade school curriculum Italy, as everyone seems trained for it) — and served at a stand-up bar/counter.

Freshly made Italian coffee (what we would call espresso) is one of the highlights of my periodic trips to Italy to meet with our ItalyByWeb suppliers. (And with the usual jet lag, several per day are typically called for.)

I was reminiscing about this uniquely Italian experience last week, after some photos came in from one of our premier Italian suppliers showing work they’d done for several hotels and restaurants across Europe. I wanted to share a few of them here, both because it gave me the opportunity to reflect on the magic of Italy (and the personal connections we have with our Italian suppliers), and because it was a good excuse to show some different contexts for the tables and chairs we create for our clients.

As these examples well show, from an intimate cafe table with seating for two to a luxury dining table with seating for 14 (or more), it’s well within the capabilities of our Italian suppliers to produce the just the right dining setting for a wide range of environments.