Last Updated on October 7, 2026 by admin

It’s relatively common knowledge that Italian food is highly regional. That’s why you won’t always find carbonara outside of Rome or pesto outside of Liguria.

As with all other things food related in Italy, there are regional Italian coffee drinks, too. Some of them are variations on standard coffees, some contain sweet elements, and similarly to a caffè corretto, which punctuates a traditional Italian meal, some have an extra kick thanks to the addition of alcohol.

I’ve covered the standard hot and cold coffee drinks in my guide to Italian coffee, so in this post, I’ll go a bit deeper into the coffees you’ll only find in specific regions of the boot. 

These special coffees – not to be confused with Rome’s specialty coffees – are typically only available in the regions they were created in, and even then, some of them might not be served very widely, especially those that are prepared in a Moka pot.

Ready to learn all about regional Italian coffee? Let’s go!

Italian coffees by region

Calabria

Brasilena

Our first regional Italian coffee drink is the Brasilena, which is kind of like a coffee soda.

Sparkling Calabrian mineral water is infused with coffee (originally Brazilian coffee, hence the name), this southern specialty is bottled and served cold.

The Brasilena has a cult-like following in the toe of Italy’s boot, but look for it elsewhere in the country and you may not find it.

Caffè Calabrese

Touted as a great digestif, Caffè Calabrese consists of coffee, sugar, and either brandy or cognac, as well as a powdered licorice root.

Licorice thrives in Calabria – the region accounts for 80% of Italy’s total production – so it makes sense that it would make its way into food and drinks there, given its importance to local agriculture.

Campania

Caffè Nocciola

Coffee, hazelnut butter (Nutella, for example), powdered sugar and whipped cream combine to make this decadent Neapolitan drink.

Coffee from a cuccuma

Did you know that Naples has its own coffee pot called a “cuccuma” or “cuccumella”?

A precursor to the Moka pot, a cuccuma also has three pieces – a water chamber, a filter, and a pot with a spout – but the process to make coffee in it is different.

When making coffee in a cuccuma, the water chamber is placed on a burner until the water boils, and then the whole pot is flipped upside down to allow the water to drip through the grounds and into the pot for serving.

Curious about coffee from a cuccuma? Try it in Naples at Don Cafè or in Rome at Gran Caffè La Caffettiera.

Caffè sospeso

Similarly to coffee from a cuccuma, this coffee doesn’t have any special ingredients, but it’s impossible not to mention when talking about Neapolitan coffee culture.

This unique coffee tradition allows people to drink one coffee at a bar but pay for two. That way, if anyone in need comes in, they can have a coffee for free. Known as “caffè sospeso,” or “suspended coffee,” there are many bars throughout the city that follow this tradition.

For more on caffè sospeso, check out this article.

Emilia-Romagna

Caffè allo Zabaione

Zabaione is a rich mixture of egg yolks, sugar and either vin santo or marsala wine that’s whipped into a cream in a double boiler.

In Italy, zabaione is typically served as dessert, but in Bologna, you can get espresso mixed with a sweet dollop of it.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Capo in B

Capo in B is Trieste’s take on a cappuccino – it’s slightly smaller than a typical cappuccino and served with frothy milk on top. The other variation is that it’s served “in B” for “bicchiere,” meaning that it comes in a glass, rather than in ceramic, as a cappuccino would elsewhere.

Le Marche

Moretta Fanese or Moretta di Fano

Created to warm cold fisherman after a day on the sea, la Moretta Fanese packs a punch. Anice, rum and cognac are heated and mixed with lemon zest and coffee in this signature drink of Le Marche.

Lombardia (Lombardy)

Barbajada

Milan has its own special coffee called a Barbajada. Served hot or cold and with whipped milk or cream, it’s what’s known elsewhere as a mocha (coffee with chocolate).

Piemonte (Piedmont)

Bicerin

Chocolate lovers, rejoice again! Bicerin is yet another treat made with hot chocolate + coffee + cream.

Puglia (Apulia)

Caffè Leccese

On a hot summer day in Puglia, order a Caffè Leccese, which is coffee sweetened with cold almond milk and served on ice.

Espressino

I recently went to Puglia for the first time and saw “espressino” on bar menus. Come to find out, it’s just a regional name for a Marrocchino, espresso with milk and chocolate.

Sicilia (Sicily)

Caffè Ammantecato

Typical of the Trapani area, this coffee is made in a Moka pot, but replaces the water with almond milk, and sometimes, a bit of cinnamon.

Caffè del Parrino o d’u Parrinu

In southern Sicily, in the area around Agrigento, you might come across caffè del parrino or d’u parrinu, with parrino/parrinu translating to both priest (prete in standard Italian) and godfather (padrino in standard Italian).

The recipe for this spiced coffee treat was diffused in a cookbook called “Un filo d’olio” by renowned Italian food writer Simonetta Agnello Hornby, and consists of coffee, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and cocoa.

Trentino-Alto Adige

Il Parampampoli

The recipe for this nothern Italian regional coffee is kept under wraps, but the main ingredients are coffee, grappa, wine, sugar, honey and spices for warming up chilly bodies.

Tuscany

Ponce alla Livornese

A variation of English “punch,” in Livorno, they replaced the classic tea with coffee and added some booze.

Today you can find multiple versions of this drink, but the classic is made with Rumme, a combination of alcohol, sugar and alcohol with rum and caramel flavoring.

Val d’Aosta (Aosta Valley)

Caffè alla Valdostana

Served in a wooden container for sharing called a grolla, Caffè alla Valdostana is made with coffee, grappa or genepì, sugar, lemon and orange zest, cloves, cinnamon and juniper berries.

Once the ingredients have been added to the grolla, the rim is coated in grappa-dampened sugar and set alight, leaving a caramelized edge after the flames burn out.

Veneto

Caffè Padovano, Patavina or Pedrocchi

Cool mint foam with cocoa powder on top floats on hot espresso in Padua’s namesake coffee. Try it at Caffè Pedrocchi in the city center – it’s a real treat.

Caffè Veneziano

Attributed to the many Americans and Anglosaxons who found their way to Venice over the centuries, this Venetian coffee contains whiskey, sugar, cocoa and whipped cream.

Macchiatone

A macchiatone is basically a large caffè macchiato, but it’s still smaller than a cappuccino.

Until I moved to Padua, I wasn’t aware of the existence of the macchiatone. That’s because it originated in Venice and still isn’t ubiquitous outside of the Veneto region.

Have I missed any regional Italian coffees? Share in the comments!

Want more on Italian coffee?

Here’s my guide to co-working cafés in Rome.

Here are three cafés to work from in Padua.

Here’s my guide to Italian breakfast.

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