Trieste: Why It Is the Coffee Capital of Italy (and How to Order Like a Local)
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Ask an Italian to name the coffee capital of Italy and many will say Naples. Ask someone in the coffee trade and the answer is often Trieste, a port city tucked into the top corner of the Adriatic, a few miles from the Slovenian border. Trieste earns the title three ways: more of Italy’s green coffee passes through its port than through any other, it is home to major roasters such as illy, and its residents drink a lot of coffee in historic cafés where they order with words you will not hear in Rome.
This guide explains how a former Habsburg harbor became Italy’s coffee hub, which cafés carry that history, and how to order a nero or a capo in b without getting a puzzled look.
Key takeaways
- Emperor Charles VI made Trieste a free port in 1719, and the city grew as the Habsburg Empire’s gateway to the sea.
- Today Trieste is described as the largest coffee port in the Mediterranean, handling more than 40% of Italy’s coffee.
- Historic cafés such as Caffè Tommaseo (1830) and Caffè San Marco (1914) were meeting rooms for writers including James Joyce, Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba.
- Locals order an espresso as a nero and a macchiato as a capo; add in b to get it in a glass.
In this article
- Why Trieste is the coffee capital of Italy
- The historic cafés
- How to order coffee in Trieste
- Make a capo in b at home
- FAQ
Why Trieste is the coffee capital of Italy
A Habsburg port, not an Italian one
For most of its modern history Trieste was not Italian at all. The city belonged to the Habsburg monarchy from 1382 until the end of the First World War, when it passed to Italy. In 1719 Emperor Charles VI granted it free-port status, and Trieste became the empire’s main outlet to the Mediterranean. Goods from the Levant and beyond flowed through its docks toward Vienna and central Europe, and coffee was one of them.
That central European link explains a lot about the city’s cafés. They feel closer to the grand coffee houses of Vienna, with newspapers, marble tables and long sittings, than to the stand-up espresso bars of southern Italy.
The port today
The trade never left. Trieste is described as Italy’s and the Mediterranean’s largest coffee port, handling more than 40% of the coffee that Italy imports, around 2 to 2.5 million sacks. Around the docks sits a whole ecosystem: importers, decaffeination and storage companies, tasters, brokers and roasters, grouped today under an umbrella organization called the Trieste Coffee Cluster.
Roasters and coffee research
The best-known name is illy, founded in Trieste by Francesco Illy, whose pressurized espresso machine we covered in our article on Francesco Illy and the Illetta. The company runs the Università del Caffè, created in 1999 to train baristas and growers and to support coffee research. Hausbrandt, another historic Trieste roaster, is also part of the city’s coffee story.
People drink a lot of it
Triestines are often said to drink about 10 kg of coffee per person each year, roughly twice the Italian average, and the city is reported to have about one café for every 300 residents. Treat these as widely repeated estimates rather than official statistics, but anyone who has walked through the center at 10 a.m. will believe them.
The historic cafés
Trieste’s literary reputation was built at café tables. These are the names that come up most often:
| Café | Opened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Caffè Tommaseo | 1830 | Often cited as the city’s oldest surviving café, near the waterfront |
| Caffè San Marco | 1914 | Viennese-style hall frequented by Joyce, Svevo and Saba; attacked and set on fire in May 1915 after Italy entered the war |
| Caffè Stella Polare | Historic | On Piazza Ponterosso; Joyce and Saba were regulars |
| Caffè degli Specchi | Historic | Facing Piazza Unità d’Italia, the city’s grand seafront square |
Joyce’s Trieste years
James Joyce lived in Trieste from 1904 to 1915, teaching English at the Berlitz school. One of his students was the businessman and novelist Italo Svevo. Joyce worked on Dubliners and early material for Ulysses there, and Trieste’s cafés were part of his routine. If you visit, a coffee at San Marco is the closest you will get to that world: the room still fills with students, writers and chess players.
San Marco’s wartime story
Caffè San Marco opened on January 3, 1914, founded by Marco Lovrinovich. When Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary in May 1915, pro-Austrian crowds wrecked and burned the café, which was seen as a meeting place for Italian sympathizers. Much of the decoration survived and the café has been restored several times since.
How to order coffee in Trieste
This is where visitors trip up. Order a caffè macchiato and you will be understood, but locals have their own shorthand.
| Say this | You get | Elsewhere in Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Un nero | A plain espresso | Un caffè |
| Un capo | Espresso with a little milk foam, in a small cup | Un caffè macchiato |
| Un capo in b | The same, served in a small glass (b for bicchiere) | Macchiato in vetro |
| Un nero in b | Espresso served in a glass | Caffè in vetro |
| Un deca | Decaf espresso | Un decaffeinato |
Other words for small variations exist and usage changes from bar to bar, so if you are unsure, point at what the person next to you is drinking. The standard Italian rules still apply: milky drinks are mainly a morning habit, and an espresso at the counter is quick. Our guide to Italian coffee rules covers the rest.
Tips for a coffee day in Trieste
- Start at the counter. Standing is cheaper and faster at most bars; sit only when you want to linger.
- Try a capo in b first. It is the drink most visitors remember, and the glass lets you see the layers.
- Save a slow afternoon for San Marco. Bring a book.
- Look for roasters’ shops. Several local roasters sell beans and run cafés in the center.
Make a capo in b at home
You need a small heat-proof glass (about 3 fl oz / 90 ml), a single or double espresso and a spoonful of milk foam.
- Warm the glass with hot water, then empty it.
- Pull about 1 fl oz (30 ml) of espresso, or brew a strong moka pot coffee.
- Froth 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) of milk until it is glossy and fine-bubbled.
- Pour the espresso into the glass, then spoon or pour a small cap of foam on top. Do not fill the glass: a capo is mostly coffee.
A dark, chocolaty espresso stands up best to the milk. Our Italian Roast, an Arabica and Robusta blend with a thick crema, gives the classic Italian bar profile, while African Espresso brings red fruit and chocolate if you like a brighter capo. For an evening deca, try the Decaf Espresso, a water-process dark roast. All three are roasted 1 to 5 days before delivery and come whole bean or in an Espresso grind for machines and moka pots. If you prefer a moka pot, see our guide on how to use a moka pot.
Trieste coffee FAQ
Is Trieste or Naples the coffee capital of Italy?
Both claim it in different ways. Naples is famous for its espresso ritual and street culture; Trieste for its port, roasting industry and historic cafés. In terms of trade volume, Trieste leads.
What does capo in b mean?
A capo is the local name for an espresso with a little milk foam. In b means it is served in a glass (bicchiere) rather than a cup.
Is illy from Trieste?
Yes. illy was founded in Trieste and is still headquartered there.
Which café did James Joyce go to in Trieste?
Joyce is associated with several, most often Caffè San Marco and Caffè Stella Polare.
Sources
- Trieste, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026.
- Caffè San Marco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026.
- Coffee tour Trieste: the guide to Italy’s coffee capital, Italy Planner, accessed October 2026.
Facts checked in October 2026.
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