Italian coffee and coffee culture...
Traditionally Italians make coffee at home with a moka or macchinetta del caffè, a kind of little pot made of three parts placed directly on the stove. But today most of us like going to a bar or caffé for coffee. Drinking coffee is a ritual, an occasion for meeting people while standing at the counter and waiting for... tazzina di caffé!
The most popular coffee is espresso which tastes much stronger than the home made variety. The secret is in the high pressure and temperature of the water used to make the coffee in the bar.
You can drink espresso in a small cup (tazzina) or in a small glass (al vetro) and order it doppio (double dose of coffee), lungo (double dose of water) or ristretto (with less water). Variations of the mixtures are usually corretto (with a dash of liquor) and macchiato (with a drop of milk which can be hot macchiato caldo or cold macchiato freddo). Otherwise you can try caffélatte (hot coffe and milk) or latte macchiato (hot milk with a bit of coffee), but the best is cappuccino prepared with espresso, hot milk and steamed-milk foam.
My tip: Italians order cappuccino only before lunch or as a break in the afternoon. We never have it before or after a meal. So ordering a cappuccino after lunch, will certainly make you a tourist!