I have never been much of a coffee drinker. I didn’t drink it at all until I was 24 and only started because I gave up smoking and still wanted something to do during breaks at work. Normally, I will just have a cup after lunch or dinner. Cuglieri has changed that. Now I have a coffee at every possible occasion. When shopping, during a stroll, or for the occasional breakfast on the town together with a fresh pasta alla crema (croissant with custard). Increasingly we find an excuse to just nip out to have a coffee. And instead of sitting down, we just stand at the bar, knocking back a coffee. In fact, cafés are known as bars in Italy. So, if everybody does not feel like a coffee, they can have a glass of wine or a liqueur instead.
I always have un café. This what is known as an ‘espresso’ in the rest of the world. Here the word is unheard of, as is a double. Just have one after the other if you want more than a tiny cup. I love the intense flavour, which lingers for up to an hour. Lena likes hers with milk, either a milky cappuccino or a macchiato, an espresso with just a drop of milk. In Cuglieri, cappuccinos never have cocoa sprinkled on top. It is the flavour of the coffee that matters. And it is considered odd to have a cappucino after 11 in the morning...
Few restaurants serve good coffee after the meal. It is a strange thing. Making coffee seems to be one profession, cooking and serving food another. On the other hand, most bars will serve excellent coffee. There are at least half a dozen bars in Cuglieri, but we find ourselves circulating between most of them, all with their distinctive feel. During festivities, they seem to take turns closing.
Bar Caffé Antonello’s
Situated in the middle of the main drag through Cuglieri, one enters into a large room crisscrossed by brick arches. Perfect for a hot day. They also happen to have the best coffee and pastries in Cuglieri. My son thinks their hot chocolate is the best too. It is thick and hot.
Bar Zodiak
You can sit outside at Zodiak, looking out over a beautiful peaceful square. Wonderful place for an aperitivo, a drink before the evening meal.
Bar Bridge
Next to the old priest seminary is a bar with a large seating outside, in the shade of trees. Resonable coffee and a nice evening drink place.
L’Oasi
Despite being right next to Cuglieri’s petrol station, this is indeed a little oasis. One sits outside looking up at Cuglieri. A steady stream of Cuglieri’s inhabitants stop off with their cars to have a coffee and a chat.
Chisco di Max
On the pavement, right next to the main road through Cuglieri, this is the livelist bar. And it has good coffee too.
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