Vera Coffice Break

Vera Battaglia opened this corner cafe in 2016 after years living and traveling across Europe and Latin America, at a time when hand filtered coffee barely registered as a category in Palermo. She built the room herself around corten steel, marble and secondhand furniture given a second life, a deliberately European feel dropped into the Politeama district's office heavy streets.

Coffee runs through the local roastery Histo Caffe for everyday espresso and, more recently, through its specialty offshoot Casper Specialty Coffee for filter cups and rotating single origins, some gently roasted Geshas among them. The kitchen leans toward vegan pastries, smoothies and lunch bowls, and a small kids' play corner keeps the room as busy with families as with laptop workers.