If you’ve visited Italy in summer, you know what I mean by Spritz-Thirty. It’s the time of afternoon when the sun salutes the horizon, unfurling ribbons of bright orange or fiery red, depending on your perspective and palate.  A sure signal to begin the beloved Italian day-part and revered tradition known as aperitivo hour, aka spritz-thirty.

As much an Italian cultural experience as touring the Coliseum or floating the Grand Canal, this ritual is meant for connecting with friends and, like most Italian habits, stoking your appetite. From Vespa-clogged cities to quiet hilltop villages, glitzy beach clubs and downhome cafes, patios fill and drinks flow as afternoon gives way to evening. It’s not about guzzling cocktails or getting buzzed. By design, aperitivo drinks are refreshing, low-alcohol, and accompanied by light snacks like olives, cheese, peanuts, or often simply a straw basket of salty potato chips. This is the bridge that leads you to dinner (cena) or a series of tapas-like small plates (apericena). 

What’s spritz got to do with it?

While aperitivo options can include cocktails, wine, and beer, the classic choice is always the spritz. And what a classic it is! Dating back to the 19th century, it’s said that soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian empire stationed in the Veneto region found the local wines unpleasingly strong, thus diluting their pours with water. The practice became known as spritzen. A sweet orange concoction named Aperol was born in 1919 and bitter Campari liquor was developed in Milan in 1860, though its popularity as a spritz component came much later. 

Aperol and Campari are the traditional spritz anchors, but there’s many variations. A bittersweet Venetian liquor named Select, garnished with a green olive. A botanical elixir like elderflower syrup for what’s known as a Hugo Spritz. Lucca even has its own liquor. Dark amber in color and spicy in taste, Biadina isn’t the most common spritz, but if you find it on a menu, it’s worth sampling for comparison’s sake. 

Add in a dry or brut Italian spumante (usually Prosecco), a splash of soda water or seltzer, garnish with an orange or lime slice, and you have summer’s coolest, most refreshing drink.

What makes spritz perfection? 
Well, any spritz really! But here are a few things I look for when evaluating favorites. I’m a sucker for a distinctive and weighty glass that delivers a clink when toasting to your friends’ good health. Salute!
And, Gesu e Maria, no plastic cups or plastic straws. 

There should be just enough ice to keep the drink chilled but not so much that two sips dries you up. 

There are different schools of thought with some makers substituting white wine instead of bubbly (bollicine). For me, bubbles are the joy!

To spritz or not to spritz?
This news might be difficult for some of you to hear, but it’s not always spritz:thirty. 

The classic spritz is best enjoyed as star of the show, typically before dinner between 6 to 9 p.m. Sure, I’m known to bend the rules every now and again, indulging in a Sunday mid-afternoon spritz! But here’s a rule I never – ever – break:

Do not drink spritz with our lunch or dinner!

Why? Whether it’s Aperol, Campari, or Select, the strong, distinctive taste takes command of your palate. Simply said, it’s a terrible compliment for delicious Italian cuisine. And nothing can bring a chef to tears quite like seeing a guest wash down a bite of homemade porcini tagliatelle with neon cocktail slurped through a straw. Just don’t. It’s “non si fa,” aka not done.

Do as the Italians – because, truly, they have this figured out! – pair your morning pastry with cappuccino, mid-morning snack (merenda) with macchiato or espresso (café), lunch and dinner courses of pasta (primi) and main dishes (secondi) with wine, pizza with beer, and aperitivo snacks with spritz. It’s simple, delicious, and classically Italian.

Where are we when ‘spritz:thirty’ strikes?
Here are a few of our favorite Lucca haunts. The list is always growing, so get ready to order another round and check back with us soon.

UNDICI UNDICI
The place to be on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, especially during the monthly outdoor antiques market, is the sprawling patio of Undici Undici. In the shadow of the cathedral (Il Duomo di San Martino), the young, friendly staff serves good cocktails to the soundtrack of good music that’s never too loud or overwhelming. 

BAR MARTINI
One of our favorite morning coffee spots also serves up generously large spritz on the flower-studded patio. The hospitality continues with substantial snacks, varying from mini frittata to bruschetta. This female-owned, neighborhood gem delivers more than cocktails. It’s about community.

Side note: Bar Martini is NOT a martini bar. Confusing, eh? Just remember that in Italy, “bars” are usually cafes / coffee shops, selling coffee and pastries, along with wine, beer, and simple cocktails.

OLD CITY BAR
On Corso Garibaldi, at one of the liveliest corners in town, drinks come with wooden serving boards covered with tasty bites including pizzette and mini panini, always served with a side of good people-watching. 

VINARKIA DELLA PAVONA
Your toughest choice here is whether to sit outside and watch locals strolling along bustling Via Fillungo, nab a table under the trees in the back garden, or snuggle into the bar area’s cozy booths. Though not complimentary with drinks, the vegetable, cheese, and meat boards win for the best spritz accompaniment in centro. 

GRAND UNIVERSE HOTEL
This might surprise many people, but for us, the best spritz in town is served up by Alessandro in the lobby bar of Lucca’s Grand Universe Hotel. The setting is refined and pour is ample, a classy space for savoring a classic drink. 

Allora, friends, it’s a tough job, but the research must continue! We’ll update this article as new discoveries are unearthed. Have a favorite spritz spot in Lucca? Please tell us about it and we’ll give you a shout out during the second round.