During my internship in Salerno, I am working on a hybridization kit that can transform your conventional car into a hybrid solar vehicle; an invention that will likely be a bigger success in sunny Italy than in the Netherlands. And like every other place where people work and study, there is a need for coffee.

There are a lot of differences between drinking coffee in the Netherlands and in Italy, starting with ordering it. First you pay at the cash register and you get a receipt, with which you walk to the coffee bar and trade it with the barista for you coffee. For roughly the same price as in Eindhoven (45 vs. 50 eurocents) you get - instead of the generously filled cardboard cup which you would get at the TU/e - a small plastic cup with two sips of coffee in it. Finally, instead of finding a place to sit at, you drink your coffee standing at the same bar at which you have ordered it.

At the engineering bar, where I usually get my coffee, you can order different well-known varieties of coffee, e.g. cappuccino, latte macchiato, and espresso. For students who are having a rough time though, they also offer a so-called caffè con sambuca. As the name implies, this is an espresso with a shot of the Italian anise-flavoured alcoholic beverage sambuca in it.

Back in the Netherlands, I will certainly miss this fast-paced but tasteful way of drinking coffee; even though the coffee breaks in Eindhoven last a lot longer than two sips.