Monte Ofelio Caffè e Aperitivo as in Naples

An Italian coffee bar in the morning: "Pure energy," Luca Formisano enthuses. He comes from a small town near Naples - the city that, apart from pizza, is best known for its coffee.

At some point, Luca and his brother Dario moved to Vienna, their mother's hometown, where there was plenty of coffee but no original Neapolitan coffee bar, which is why the brothers opened their own, Monte Ofelio, a few years ago.

There, they serve caffè that oozes out of the machine, cappuccino with milk foamed like clouds, iced coffee specialities for hot days and an espresso martini that tastes like liquid tiramisu.

That coffee-making is both a science and an art becomes apparent when you listen to and watch Luca. He tells us about temperatures, grinds, contact pressure and throughput time, how the milk is "caramelised", and that it must never get too hot so that coffee and milk foam combine for perfect drinking pleasure.

Afterwards, he demonstrates how it's done with swift, practised hand movements, and you realise: technique and theory alone are not enough, the preparation of the perfect caffè is an art. Very important: the beans, chocolatey-nutty and dark-roasted. Monte Ofelio gets its beans from a small, family-run roastery not far from Naples.

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Equally important: the right (sweet) accompaniment. In the morning, these are usually freshly baked cornetti - filled to the brim with Amarena, pistachio cream or apricot jam. A whole "mountain piles up on our counter in the morning," Luca says with a laugh.

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During the day, there are Italian snacks and antipasti. The products (which you can also take home) are sourced directly from local producers.

Not only the taste, but also the look of Monte Ofelio immediately transports you to Italy. The best place to drink coffee is directly at the elegant counter, al banco, as is customary in Italy. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, the bar staff always up for a joke.

There are now two locations: at Augarten, the doors open towards evening, just in time for the aperitivo in the sun. In the city centre, the machines are fired up early in the morning. And they run until evening. A day in Italy begins with coffee and ends with coffee.

Verena Carola Mayer

Author Vienna and Berlin