Espresso isn’t a drink. Espresso is a shot. You walk in, say a word, two quick moves behind the counter – and it’s on the bar. Two sips, maybe three, and you’re gone. No Instagram foam art, no paper cup to-go, no small talk. Just caffeine, straight to the point. And of course: the real espresso is consumed in the bar. In Italy, a bar isn’t a cocktail lounge – it’s the mother of espresso, where the ritual was born and still lives. Everything else is just an imitation. And ther

Sometimes a single person carries the story of an entire region. Giacomo is one of them. At 74, he still lives in his family’s small stone house on the slopes of Monte Baldo. And when you meet him, you realise quickly: this man isn’t just a farmer in the modern sense – he is part of his chestnut groves, just as the trees are part of his own story. “Every tree here is like a friend,” he says, tapping the bark with his stick. And he means it. He knows them all – their moods, th

Everyone talks about the dream: a house framed by a cypress-lined avenue, endless sunshine, a slice of la dolce vita . Sounds perfect. But nobody tells you what it really costs – and not just in euros. Heating bills Yes, heating – in Italy! Anyone who thinks you don’t need it has never tried to survive an Italian stone house in January. Those thick walls keep out the summer heat, but in winter they turn into a fridge. The result: shocking energy bills or a mountain of firewo