Short sweet stories like Proustian madeleines. Small narratives that evoke olfactory memories and dormant sensations. Such as the nostalgia of times gone by, the warmth of a social gathering, the desire to carve out a single moment.
Lucia del Pasqua is an unconventional writer: after launching a successful blog, the ironic, casual “The Fashion Politan“, rather than focusing on clothes and shoes, she chose to innovate by creating stories and posts for specific themes on Instagram. “I believe,” comments Lucia del Pasqua, “that Instagram stories have great potential because they are immediate, near and visible by definition, even if you do not look for them. I have always been passionate about stories: it seems incredible, but I literally attract people who want to tell one.”.
Cimbali coffee stories
With over a hundred years of history, LaCimbali has endless stories to tell but this time the focus is on daily life and the social nature of the coffee ritual. Here is the innovative and contemporary new digital Cimbali coffee stories project, which, through informal and personal interviews with patrons of two Milanese bars that are among the most frequented by coffee lovers, will transmit an “espresso” that many people can identify with.
Coffee: tradition and socialising
“For me,” explains the blogger, “coffee is Italy and tradition because it reminds me of years in Arezzo when I was a child and the smell pervaded the house at the crack of dawn (my dad went to work early). This was followed by the delicate tinkling of the teaspoon in the cup, which served as my alarm, and the sound of my mum beating eggs, sugar and a dash of coffee.”
Lucia believes that coffee, especially in Italy, is a social ritual, but it can also be a moment of reflection: “its dual nature captivates me, because essentially there are a few black, boiling tears inside that conceal endless stories, such as the story of one of the people I interviewed whose father worked on a coffee plantation, or of a highly principled bartender.”
The pleasure of an espresso
What emerges is that almost everyone loves coffee: bitter as you get older, sweet and preferably with a dash of milk or chocolate when you are younger. “Drinking it in the morning,” the writer remarks, “is a custom, but now the pleasure of a good Italian espresso can also be enjoyed in the afternoon, accompanied by a chocolate or a biscuit that melts in the mouth, offering a rich aftertaste.”
Little rewarding moments to (re)discover on Lucia’s social media pages and on LaCimbali’s social media channels – Facebook and Instagram – with the hashtag #cimbalicoffeestories.
