Seven in the morning, fresh off the plane in Florence, Italy, and the first thing on my mind is coffee. Surely scoring an espresso shouldn’t be hard? It’s a country where a coffee break is ingrained in the culture. However, artisan coffee has undergone quite an evolution in Italy — from a social habit to a considered art form, and back again. It’s about coffee-making routines that truly consider every step from bean to cup, and it starts with your machine. And this is an idea that the Florence-based company, La Marzocco, has mastered.
My time in Florence with La Marzocco revolved around coffee — learning about the process, specifically the brand’s approach and craftsmanship, visiting the La Marzocco Academia space, and discovering the history behind the brand. But experiencing the craft firsthand was an eye-opening lesson in how putting care into our daily rituals matters. From the weight of the portafilter in your hand as you fill the canister with ground beans to the smell of a silky shot brewing, these moments can create a deeply personal and wonderfully analog experience in your home. It’s a kind of lost art that has the power to shape your day and even build connections with people.
Plus, investing in one of the best espresso machines on the market means better-tasting coffee on a regular basis. And there was a lot to learn by going straight to the source where these machines are made. Right outside of the city, on a small road into the countryside, La Marzocco has built a brand around care, craft, and a pure love of coffee — below are four lessons on making Italian-style coffee that I took home with me (along with a caffeine buzz, of course).
1. Cool Coffee Shops Haven’t Always Been a Big Thing in Italy
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In a passing comment from one of La Marzocco’s team members, I discovered that stylish coffee cafes and Italy don’t actually have a long-rooted history. Yes, coffee has been an integral part of Italian culture since as far back as the 16th century, but not always in the same way as the design-led London cafe scene.
Rather, Italy has interacted with coffee in a more natural, everyday manner. Coffee is a ritual, a habit, an unspoken yet compulsory part of everyday life. The luxury cafe environments and gourmet drinks come second to the social and communal quality. However, both sides have felt an enormous surge throughout the years.
Paul Kelly, UK sales manager at La Marzocco, describes it to me as “Italy wasn’t really at the center of the third-wave coffee movement, which developed mainly in countries like the US, Australia, and Northern Europe.” What has changed is that people travel much more than they used to. “Coffee professionals, baristas, and consumers experience different coffee cultures, discover new brewing methods, and bring those ideas back home,” Paul adds. Fashionable cafes and home baristas have increased subsequently — and coffee is now entering the interior design conversation.
Italy has embraced this exchange; really it’s a process of mutual influence. Still, it’s important to note that Italy has always been a pioneer in craft and artisan brews. One of the most famous historical coffee cafes opened in Florence in the 1700s, helping to establish coffee drinking as a social activity. It’s just that you’d be sipping on an Italian espresso rather than a vanilla oat milk latte.
Italy’s rich coffee history and role in developing quality coffee machines have undeniably influenced Italian culture, and now it’s influencing the design world — there is a lot we can learn from the way Italian’s interact with and craft this delicious drink.
2. Luxury Isn’t Necessarily About Price
Even in the factory, you can see the attention to detail that goes into every La Marzocco machine.
(Image credit: Future, Olivia Wolfe)
Between touring the workshop at the Academia and La Marzocco’s factory, it’s clear that the luxury price tag on these appliances is well-deserved. The attention to detail from conception to the assembly line is impressive, to say the least. It’s true luxury of craft rather than something derived from a dollar amount.
And that’s an ethos true to the art of Italian coffee-making. From how the machine looks when sitting on your kitchen counter to the precision of the internal boiler to the taste of the espresso, every detail contributes to the luxury label. For someone looking to upgrade their home coffee nook, a La Marzocco machine will put you out several thousand pounds, but consider it a ‘buy once, buy well’ appliance that will live with you.
When you can see the level of craftsmanship, passion, and attention to detail that goes into building each La Marzocco machine, it doesn’t feel at all similar to a plastic appliance you order online. There is a level of authority and quality that is one of one.
A true coffee maker or espresso machine takes time to make, and then time to use. The real luxury here is the luxury of time. Slowing down in the mornings to enjoy the craft, just as the original Italian coffee drinkers intended.
La Marzocco
Linea Mini Espresso Machine
La Marzocco
Linea Micra Home Espresso Machine
3. Every Step of the Coffee-Making Process Matters
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Beyond the quality of build, every step in the coffee-making process matters — especially when bringing the art of Italian coffee-making home. This is a sentiment that I’d like to think I knew before visiting La Marzocco’s headquarters, but it’s something I’ll be even more insufferable about moving forward (sorry in advance to my friends coming over for coffee).
La Marzocco started as, and in many ways still is, a machine for cafe and industrial purposes. For instance, the 1990s Linea Classic machine pioneered the dual-boiler system, which revolutionized the upscale coffee house movement. But as the brand moved into machines that can sit in a dedicated home coffee bar, it kept the same attention to the coffee-making process that’s required at a cafe-level.
“Pay attention to the details: choose quality beans, invest in the right equipment for your needs, and take care of the brewing process,” says Paul. “The experience is not only about the final cup, but also about everything that leads to it.”
For example, a built-in burr grinder is not part of the La Marzocco machine. Instead, it’s deemed important to weigh, grind, and measure your grounds separately for a more accurate result… and a better-tasting coffee. Luckily, La Marzocco also produces one of the best coffee grinders on the market — it’s all part of the brand.
And even the mug you drink out of and the coffee accessories you pair with your machine matter. Basically, it’s like being a wine sommelier or getting into professional-grade cooking; coffee-making becomes a part of your daily life. And if you are going to invest in a new hobby, you want to invest well.
La Marzocco
Pico Coffee Grinder
Westwing Collection
Porcelain Espresso Cups Facile With Saucers, Set of 2
Denshiro
Natural Cherry Bark Tea Canister
4. Coffee Is a Social Activity
La Marzocco’s collaboration with Frescobol Carioca celebrates this idea of coffee as a collaborative endeavor.
(Image credit: La Marzocco)
Lastly, and you’ve probably read this line a few times now, but I learned that coffee truly is a social activity with a rich social history. It’s a sentiment that is an integral part of the La Marzocco brand, but it stuck with me more than I thought it would.
For one, today’s world makes coffee feel hyper-personal and solitary from the outside. Coffee is a drink you make for yourself on quiet mornings before you have to log on for the day; a coffee corner provides a moment of solitude and helps create a home with design moments that allow you to switch off. So how is it so social?
Well, in Italy, it started socially. The Italian espresso was meant to be enjoyed in coffee cafes on the way to work, during lunch breaks, over business meetings, after meals, and so on. “Like a fireplace, the coffee machine becomes a natural gathering point where conversations begin, ideas are shared, and relationships are built,” says Paul. Plus, coffee is universal; it crosses countries, cultures, and social settings, and it can be found in every industry, from fashion and design to automotive and technology. “No matter where you are or what you do, coffee creates a shared moment that encourages conversation, collaboration, and a sense of community,” Paul adds.
More than ever, we are seeing people put value back on ‘third spaces’. Having a design-led space to meet with friends or strangers and share a moment of community. Coffee offers that, and in the cafe context it’s easy to conceive the sociality of it all, but how does it relate to coffee amongst interior design trends?
Your coffee nook is a place to enjoy a moment of intention, but it can be a social space as well. Having people over for breakfast is the new way to do dinner parties, and even designing a breakfast nook idea as an extension of your kitchen or dining space can feel more open and social than just having a machine on your counter. It’s still about bringing intention to a curated moment, just with more emphasis on connection.
Even the La Marzocco Academia itself (the old factory that’s been converted to a museum, workshop, and cafe) offers a new way to interact with coffee in Italy. It’s a unique tourist destination that shows the different ways coffee influences design, culture, and everyday life.
I must say, I learned a lot over two days in Florence. “At La Marzocco, we say ‘espresso is a journey whereby exploration, experimentation, and education are an integral part of the coffee experience, long before and long after the coffee shot,'” Paul tells me. And if this doesn’t make you want to buy some beans and practice your milk-frothing technique, I don’t know what will.
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