The Italian passion for espresso could soon be celebrated in the country's first-ever coffee museum, which a die-hard caffeine fan hopes to open here shortly.
Local journalist Gianni Pistrini is the curator of a small museum of historical finds located within the Trieste port. The museum includes a tiny section dedicated to coffee. But the arrival of a new display piece, a 100-year-old roasting machine donated by a German company, has inspired him to expand the museum's horizons.
"The old port here in Trieste would be the perfect location for a coffee museum," said Pistrini.
"Over the centuries the port was witness to Italy's traditional flourishing trade in coffee." Trieste was once a key trading port for coffee and is today one of the principal roasting centers in Italy, as well as being home to the internationally renowned coffee firm Illy.
"Setting up a large coffee museum in Trieste - or even simply extending the small section we already have - could really boost the city," said Pistrini. While the current selection is fairly small, Pistrini has stressed that he can tap a vast array of display pieces if his project gets the go-ahead.
Most of the items in the port museum are borrowed from collectors dotted around Italy and, according to Pistrini, they are ready to loan many more if the museum comes into action.
Pistrini has also developed contacts with coffee manufacturers in different parts of the country, many of which offer on-site displays of their own antique pieces. "They're ready to share their finds and information, as are a number of museums across Europe, including two in Switzerland," he said.
He explained that the museums in Zurich and the Canton of Grigioni were interested in developing a series of joint initiatives as well as swapping display items. Finally, an avid collector of coffee memorabilia himself, the reporter has 300 pieces of his own to contribute.
Pistrini said the Trieste-based GTTC group of coffee roasters was "enthusiastic" about the project and could soon take an active role. Italians drink about 8 billion espressos a year and, for many, two or three coffee trips a day to the nearest bar is standard practice. But despite the hallowed position enjoyed by the cup of coffee in Italian culture, recent statistics showed that the nation is only sixth in the world coffee-drinking standings.
With about 600 cups of the beverage per year, the average Italian trails behind peers in the US, Germany, France, Spain and Britain, according to the National Federation of Bar and Restaurant-Owners (FIPE). Consumption of what was once considered a staple part of the national diet has fallen by 20% since 1990, and by 11% in the last two years alone.
But while it might be trailing in consumption of the stuff, Italy leads the world in producing espresso coffee machines. It has cornered just over a quarter of the 160-billion-euro world market in the appliances. FIPE estimated that, although each of Italy's bars churn out on average of 250 cups of coffee a day, some 70% of the coffee drunk is prepared at home.
