45 Comments

Feb 2024 stunned and disappointed to see Starbucks in Florence. It was packed mostly young people. My son and I do like Starbucks, but not while we are in Italy! We did but some Italy mugs😬 toured Dini Caffe and bought 6 of the cups you have in the post. I've been too Florence 5 times and always go for the artisan shops. Found outside of the historic district.

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Hi Kathryn, Yes, it is very disappointing. In the past few years Starbucks are sprouting like mushrooms in Florence, suddenly, after the "centro storico" of Florence held out for quite a while. As I mentioned in my post, the first one was way outside of the center in a mall, which is the only appropriate place for it. It is just blasphemous to have them in smack-dab center.

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I would never get coffee from a Starbucks in Italy but honestly their presence does not bother me, as long they respect the zoning and historical façade. When I’m in Los Angeles, New York or montreal I look for authentic Italian Bars and happy when I find one. Let the people decide where to go and get their brews. Nobody is forcing anyone to get a Starbucks or a Big Mac. There was a Starbucks that opened in little Italy of montreal, where many Italian coffee bars are present. Locals were outraged but at the end of the day it was the market that decided the destiny. It closed after 18 months. Will Starbucks change the Italian coffee culture? Never in the wildest dream. But I do love your newsletter. Keep on writing. ♥️

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tino!

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Ever wondered how the way coffee is made and consumed either affects or is affected by societal behavior?

Spoiler alert: It's more influential than your morning horoscope.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-147344389

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I spent some time in Italy the past two years, and when I returned home, I literally craved Italian cappuccinos. A daily stop to the local bar quickly became routine during our multi week visits. I have spent time trying to recreate that feel in America as a way to simply slow down and savor that experience.

I send my deepest condolences to all Italians that Large American corporations are invading your culture.

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Thanks Heather, hope you found some good cappuccini back home!

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There was one MCdonalds in Pescara, Abruzzo when we first moved here. Now there are three. No ..I’m not happy about the eroding of such places to the traditional and Italian way of life. Yesterday we had Sunday lunch at an agriturismo. 4 courses freshly cooked by the Nona in the kitchen. This is what Italy is.

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Absolutely an agriturismo lunch any day over Mc D's. No comparison!

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So I am trying to imagine a Roman centurion circa 3rd century probably not Italian at all who is getting his coffee from a Starbucks and admiring that Lorelei maiden on the rock who reminds him of his Rhinish homelands.

Somebody must be liking the Starbucks enough to use it?

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Hi, as I mentioned to Shonda below, I can't comment on who is frequenting Starbucks in other Italian cities but in Florence, sadly, a lot of American tourists are thrilled to have their comfort zone stuff available, like Starbucks.

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Sad. If nobody bought their coffee, they'd fold like a collapsing cardboard cup cozy.

But someone must be buying...

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I can't comment on who is frequenting Starbucks in other Italian cities but in Florence, sadly, a lot of American tourists are thrilled to have their comfort zone stuff available, like Starbucks.

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I'm sorry to hear that. I think that defeats the purpose of traveling to other countries and experiencing their food and culture.

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Yes. People are getting used to globalization and now tend to expect to find Starbucks and Mc D’s everywhere. It makes the less adventurous traveler comfortable. A lot of people want to choose comfort over courage. The real adventure of travel has mostly become a thing of the past.

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I think this is sad. Some of my best travels have been when I stumble upon little known small businesses to experience.

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How depressing. I used to live In Key West and my morning routine was to go to the nearest Cuban coffee place to order a deliciously intense "bucci" (espresso). These simple little coffee shops were ubiquitous and everyone had their favorite. Then our first Starsucks arrived in a heavily touristed area. It quickly became popular. Mostly with tourists but locals started going there too. Within a few years there were only a handful of cuban coffee places still in business. It's a steep uphill battle to stop these things.

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Yes, and it makes one feel helpless against the massive $ and power of the corporations

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Yes, that's it.

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This is so disappointing. I was in Florence for a week a month ago and couldn't believe the amount of English speaking tourists there (including me)! Same in Cortona. I had not been to Italy in 7 years and could really see the change. I feel the Italians are definitely catering to American tourists. I can only hope it doesn't go too far and we lose the reason we come and love Italy in the first place.

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Plus the train station is getting a Five Guys...

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🧐😱🥺

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I know, right? My goodness, the train station was so different when I was first in Florence in the 1980s!

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Yes it was...nothing had changed...I first came in '88. No high speed even.

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😮 I guess we both were around Florence in our early twenties 😆

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Yes...like you i hope to be living there full time next fall...

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Yup. Before the high-speed trains. Additionally, there was no Mc D's, no Victoria's Secret, no big book store, no wine bars, no self-service machines for tickets. Just one basic bar and the pharmacy, a waiting room with old black and white photos of the city and the ticket counter windows.

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I recall hitting that pharmacy for something... i.was 22

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I’ve just left a comment on that disgusting TikTok clip you linked to. Mine was the first comment, although there were a few likes. It beggars belief, really!

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Yeah, the song chosen is so ironic. And it's so "interesting" that TikTokers see it as a fascinating destination in Rome.

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Florence is my favorite city in the world and I will never go to Starbucks there . Never . Not if it’s the last place to get coffee.

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I never liked Starbucks much. I've been to the original one in Seattle, Washington. That was fun because it was the birthplace of Starbucks.

My mom died unexpectedly in 2021, and I hate to admit that Starbucks was her favorite coffee. These days, I occasionally buy a Starbucks just to feel as if I'm getting a hug from my mom...but I would never in a million years by a Starbucks in Italy.

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Brava!

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Makes me sick to my stomach. Shame on the authorities.

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It’s very 😤😤

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Chandi, Thank you for this exquisite missive on the massacre of Italian standards. Being an American and doing my best to relocate to Florence FOREVER my heart fills with daggers of anger and my eyes with salty pain of being here to witness the carnage. As always I appreciate your pungent posts.

Your fan, Beverly Campbell

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Thanks Beverly! So kind of you. 🤗

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I walked past the location on Via Del

Corso last night. I have seen the flagship in Milan but didn’t know what was happening in Florence. Isn’t this an issue for city government? Doesn’t Italy get to decide if these places can open or not? Starbucks has no place in the preeminent land of coffee culture. It’s a slippery slope. :(

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I imagine it’s a case of money having a lot of muscle 😣

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Corporations will grab what they can. It’s sad that local government cannot or will not do enough to protect certain buildings or neighborhoods.

I was angry, too, when I saw a Starbucks in the UNESCO protected historic center of Hoi An, Vietnam, a city known for its excellent coffee culture. But when I looked inside, it wasn’t just Americans taking their coffees there. It was Vietnamese people, interested in being part of a global culture. I think they’d better spend their money on local small businesses and know that mass marketing has influenced them, but it’s still their choice.

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Yes, well they’re sure doing a lot of “grabbing”. Perhaps the word is steamrolling.

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