Caffè Sospeso

The role of coffee as a mode of expressing generosity has particular significance in Naples. Consuming coffee is an egalitarian practice, one that transcends social and economic divisions. “In Naples, coffee is a world in itself, both culturally and socially,” Andrea Illy, chairman of illycaffé, one of Italy’s leading coffee producers, told the New York Times in 2014. “Coffee is a ritual carried out in solidarity.”

The custom of Caffè sospeso has experienced a resurgence in the twenty-first century. In 2010, an association of regional cultural festivals created the Suspended Coffee Network as a way of encouraging the practice during the economic downturn. The network soon expanded to include coffees and bars, which signaled their participation by displaying caffè sospeso stickers featuring a white coffee cup against a brown and tan background.

The spirit of generosity that animates caffè sospeso has since taken other forms. In Italy people now purchase a second sandwich or pizza to donate, while the Italian bookstore chain Feltrinelli has introduced a program that allows customers to purchase books to set aside for readers who can’t afford them. Through social media, caffè sospeso has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the custom has become part of local food culture as the empanada pendiente (“pending empanada”).

The practice saw a notable upswing during the coronavirus pandemic of 2019-2023. In Milan and other cities in Italy, it took the form of cestini sospesi  (“suspended baskets”), baskets of food left in public areas with signs reading “those who can, leave, those who can’t, take.”

Even as caffè sospeso has spread across Italy and the world, it_ remains a distinctly Neapolitan tradition. “Here we don’t drink coffee, we ‘take’ it, as a medicine,” art gallery owner Luigi Solito told the New York Times. “To me, the philosophy of the suspended coffee is that you are happy today, and you give a coffee to the world, as a present.” To local practitioners, _caffè sospeso represents an act of compassion toward humanity – and a gesture of respect toward the city where it was born.

Contributor: Fondazione AIFR