Today's Edition
ROME (dpa)
Although coffee is sacred in Italy, the mayor of a small town in the hinterland of Venice has banned all hot beverage machines from municipal offices, saying too much time is wasted there.
"People had to wait to get their paperwork done while the staff stood chatting in front of the machines, espresso in hand," Stefano Soldan, the mayor of Pieve di Soligo, told the local newspaper Corriere del Veneto in a story published on Friday.
There had been several complaints about long waiting times in recent months, the story said.
The mayor of the town of 12,000 inhabitants had warned the 56 employees not to overdo it with their breaks. When, in his view, this did not help, he had the three vending machines in the town hall and the municipal library removed. Town hall workers should drink coffee outside the office.
"All the warnings were useless," Soldan said. "I was told that clearer rules were needed. But I think all that's needed is a bit of common sense and courtesy towards the community and colleagues."
He recommended that employees officially clock out for a break and drink their espresso outside.
"There's no shortage of coffee bars here," the mayor said. "Or you can bring your own thermos flask from home."
