Discovering the italian coffee culture

Being from the American continent, we often think of coffee as a 2 hour meeting with a friend or colleague, so it was quite a shock to discover that italians have a very particular way of having coffee. Coffee is so important to italians, they know how to appreciate it and love a good espresso. However, I was suprised to find that all of the coffee shops have small tables and sometimes no tables at all! You take your coffee standing in the bar while talking to different people, even the bartenders. Sometimes, you could see coffee shops with tables with the height of a standing person so you can stand at your own table. For italians, coffee is a way to start the day, but not a way to delay you. They are able to stop for a moment and appreciate it, smell the flowers (or better said the coffee), and move on with their lives. Maybe that is why they are so happy.