Small cup, big culture
An espresso takes twenty seconds at the counter, yet it sets the rhythm of the whole day. Three sips in the morning to get going, after lunch as a digestive, often a small caffè in the afternoon that is only briefly macchiato.
In Naples the “caffè sospeso” was invented: anyone who has means pays for a second one, for a stranger. Later, someone in need came, asked, and drank. A little culture of anonymous generosity that lives on in the city’s bars to this day.