Code cafè

Order a caffè freddo in Trani and what arrives is closer to a granita: espresso worked with ice until it drinks like a dessert. Code cafè has been pouring it since 2006 from a counter beside the square, with tables under the trees outside and a brew bar behind that runs well past what an Italian bar usually keeps.

Espresso, and eight other ways to brew

Coffee is the beating heart of the place, as the house puts it. It buys specialty lots from the Pugliese roaster Pierre Café and from Son of Coffee, alongside blends built from beans of global origin. Beside traditional espresso the counter brews pour-over, AeroPress, moka pot, cold brew, French press, Turkish coffee, syphon and Chemex, a method list that is rare for a bar on an Italian piazza.

The Italian side is not sacrificed for it. The house calls itself a 100% espresso italiano specialist and pours latte art on the milk drinks, so the classic morning cup gets the same attention as the syphon. A large collection of coffee makers sits out in the room rather than in a back cupboard, which is a fair signal of where the interest lies.

Tables under the trees

The outdoor tables are integral. Coffee can be taken in the square in front of the café, which sets the visit inside the town's daily movement, while the indoor seating keeps the counter close and the service informal. The feel is busy and sociable rather than hushed and technical.

The staff work the room as part of the offer, talking through beans, methods and origins, and presenting the house drink called pump my moka. That is the difference between a bar that serves coffee and one that wants to explain it, and it is why regulars and visitors end up at the same tables.

Start cold, then eat something small

For a cold order, caffè freddo is the local reference, with cold brew and shakerato beside it, and caffè leccese bringing the southern Italian iced tradition onto the same list. To read the technical side, move from espresso to Chemex, pour-over, AeroPress, syphon or French press, or take the moka pot for the familiar stovetop shape.

Food follows the café rhythm, from colazione italiana through aperitivo. A cornetto or a croissant covers breakfast; later there are torte, gelato, creme fredde and piccola pasticceria mignon, with organic and gluten-free options on the same counter. There is no kitchen behind it, and the offer is better for staying in pastry and aperitivo territory.