By Angelly Solis, Molly Hallam, Lynese Bown, Lucie Schlegel

Studying abroad in Italy has allowed students to fully immerse themselves into a new local culture while creating memories to last a lifetime. Through our visit to Dini Café, we explored coffee’s important cultural role through its creation process. An Italian café can be more than just a cup of coffee, but a gateway into history, community, and the beauty of slowing down.

Upon entering Dini Café, we were greeted by the rich aroma of fresh espresso. As we walked around the family-run business we saw the machines used to carefully pack each bag of espresso beans. We then participated in an activity where we learned how delicate and specific each different type of espresso beans can be. By smelling the extracts used to flavor the coffee beans we blindly guessed the flavor, proving to be much more difficult than expected. This activity demonstrated how intricate and special each different type of coffee is, leading to a newfound appreciation for coffee as a whole. We were also invited to try a fresh shot of espresso. We found that in this moment, after learning about the long, specific process it takes to make espresso, we appreciated the coffee more. Despite drinking lots of coffee in the past, we had never slowed down enough to consider the intricacies of coffee that make it unique. This helped us to understand Italians emphasis on slow meals and coffees, to truly appreciate their food and drinks.

Above all, we learned about Italian coffee culture and the ways it differs from what we are used to at home. The largest change we have observed both in Dini Café and in our time in Florence so far, is the social function of coffee in Italy. Coffee has a deeper meaning here; it is used as a gathering place to foster a sense of community. Coming from a culture of study cafes and take-away cups the difference from back home is unavoidable. Dini Café reinforced these differences by showing the slow process that it takes to create great coffee. One example of this is how Dini Café purposely uses smaller machines to mix their beans because it keeps the quality high, as opposed using a larger, more cost effective machine. This structure displays the core values of the company and the slow and rich culture that coffee has in Italy.

This experience has reshaped our view of daily life in Italy. Learning about the slow and intricate process to create something seemingly so simple like coffee has given us an appreciation of the slow Italian lifestyle. We have a newfound appreciation for mindfulness, rituals, and attention to detail. Not only this, but this experience has encouraged us to adapt more to develop a stronger intercultural understanding.

This visit was about more than just Italian coffee, it was a moment to learn about Italian culture. Dini Café’s insight into the world of espresso taught us more about Italian culture than we expected. Rather than living the in a constant state of movement like what we are used to, Dini Café has made us reconsider these habits and learn to slow down to appreciate the little things.