Corniglia
Craft beer on draft, first-rate cocktails and creative appetisers make a great combo at this surprisingly hip little spot in this most traditional of…
Must-see nightlife in Italy
Modena
Step up your coffee game at this trendy, barista-driven cafe that produces Modena's best espresso, pulled from 100% Arabica specialty blends from around…
Alghero
The Basque country lands in Alghero at this chilled wine bar. Under a vaulted stone ceiling, happy punters sit on wooden crates and sip Basque and…
Alghero
L'Altra Vineria is all about the pleasures of craft beer and island wine. The bar, run with warmth and infectious enthusiasm by Luca and Sonia, is a small…
Northwestern Tuscany
Taste fine Tuscan wine on bar stools at high wooden tables or beneath big parasols on the street outside. Whichever you pick, the distinctly funky, arty…
Salina
This palm-thatched beach bar on the rocky shoreline of Punta Scario (just below Malfa town) makes a dreamy spot for a sunset drink. The friendly owners…
Naples
What was an old printing shop (note the vintage printer-drawer tabletops and bookish wallpaper) is now the city's first speciality-coffee cafe. The…
Naples
Swinging, candlelit Ba-Bar is a solid all-rounder, punctuated with quirky vintage objects and pulling a friendly, mixed crowd. It's a top spot for a pre…
Naples
From street level, stairs lead down to this softly lit, buzzing garden bar, where grown-up, fashionable types mingle among birdcage seats and vintage…
Ascoli Piceno
If you're aching for a birra that's not Peroni or Moretti, leg it to Le Marche's best craft-beer bar and choose between the industrial-hip interior …
Bolzano (Bozen)
On the top floor of Bolzano's luxe perfumerie and skincare department store, this glamorous bar is a great place to celebrate any time of day, with…
Ravenna
This 1200-sq-metre brewpub and beer garden is Emilia-Romagna's most ambitious craft-beer undertaking yet. Local brewery Birra Bizantina flipped this long…
Umbria
With its industrial-grey decor and youthful energy, this bar provides a burst of modernity on medieval Piazza Bosone. It's named after a legendary rum…
Catania
The wines by the glass might be average, but this corner institution is a fabulous spot to while away an hour or two, with tables invitingly spread out…
Rome
Atop the 5th-floor of Condominio Monti hotel, this bijou rooftop is a popular place for an evening spritz...
Oltrarno
At this ubercool bar in San Frediano, cult alchemists Neri Fantechi and Julian Biondi woo a discerning crowd with their expertly crafted cocktails, served…
Oltrarno
The living is easy at this hipster garden-bistro-bar, snug against a chunk of ancient city wall in the flowery Santarosa gardens. Comfy cushioned sofas…
Centro Storico
Always busy, this small and unassuming cafe near the Pantheon serves the best coffee in town. Its secret? Baristas beat the first drops of an espresso…
Santa Croce
Many a Florentine's favourite hotel bar, American cocktail bar Empireo inside the historic Plaza Hotel Lucchesi has been seducing cocktail lovers since…
Santa Croce
With industrial decor and laid-back vibe, this ingenious coffee roastery is a perfect place to hang at any time of day. The creation of three-times…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
Popular with locals who sip coffee standing up at the long marble bar, this is the most famous of the historic cafes on the city's old Roman forum. Gilli…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
Strike up a conversation with passionate mixologist Marco Arduino at Mayday. Within seconds you'll be hooked on his mixers and astonishing infusions, all…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
'Fresh food and old furniture' is the catchy strapline of this cafe-bar hidden in an alleyway near Ponte Vecchio. Vintage furniture – all for sale –…
Milan
Don’t get distracted by the cosy eclectic decor, complete with wingback armchairs, marble-topped tables, a patchwork of Persian rugs and huge lampshades…
Turin
Founded in 1763, with an exquisitely simple boiserie interior dating to the early 1800s, this one-room cafe takes its name from its signature drink, a…
San Lorenzo & San Marco
Still lovingly known as Lo Sverso (its original name) by many a Florentine socialite, this superstylish bar is a gem. In a part of town where hipster…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
With its old stone vaults, scrubbed wooden tables and modern air, this enoteca run by the dynamic Nicolas is spacious and stylish. The wine list features…
Oltrarno
The 'secret' speakeasy everyone knows about, it has no sign outside: disguised as a chapel of sorts, look for the tiny entrance with the two-seat wooden…
Milan
In the former Ansaldo factory complex you’ll find a cultural centre brimming with workshops, markets, film nights and open-air parties (especially over…
Venice
With its wooden bar and gleaming brass beer taps, this Anglo-Venetian hostelry certainly looks authentic. Marciano takes booze seriously, stocking craft…
Milan
One of Milan’s best secrets: a hidden space the size of a walk-in wardrobe that can be rented out as your private bar for 90-minute intervals. With just…
Venice
The oldest still-operating cafe in Europe and one of the first to welcome women, Florian maintains rituals (if not prices) established in 1720: besuited…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
This rooftop bar with a wood-decked terrace accessible from the 5th floor of the Hotel Continentale is as chic as one would expect of a fashion-house…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Casanova, Goethe, Wagner, Keats, Byron, Shelley and Baudelaire were all regulars at Rome's oldest and most elegant cafe, which opened in 1760. Prices…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
A firm favourite since 1895, the 'Three Steps' is inevitably packed with young patrons spilling out of its two-room interior and into the street. Its a…
Duomo & San Babila
After acquiring an 80% stake in the historic Marchesi pastry shop, Prada opened a more modern cafe version of it in the Galleria. Decked out in green…
Corso Magenta & Sant'Ambrogio
Sure, it’s a wine shop, but it’s a bar and a rather good restaurant, too. What better place to sample your options before committing to carry home one of…
Venice
Powdered wigs seem appropriate inside this baroque bar-cafe that's been serving happy hours since 1638. During Carnevale, costumed Quadri revellers party…
Centro Storico
This modern pub near Campo de’ Fiori has long been a leading light in Rome’s craft-beer scene, and with 40 beers on tap and up to 100 bottled brews (many…
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
This golden oldie with an unbeatable people-watching terrace has produced some of the city's most exquisite chocolate since 1872 (sadly only available in…
