Being a cheap tourist, I did not give AT&T the luxury to have my $10 a day for a data plan on a foreign country. When we were lost and in need to do some googling, we have to find our sanctuary. McDonalds provided such a great service, giving us sanctuary on a foreign land. They provided us free internet and a free and clean restroom or as the Italians call it, "toilette." This gave me more respect of McDonalds, acting as an embassy of free internet.
I would have tried to get a Big Mac, but that would be crazy. I do that all the time back home. I would rather eat the local offerings than get what I am familiar with. When we were at Naples, we finally decided to return the favor of using their free internet and get something that we surely never tried before.
I really wish that McDonalds back home have what Italian McDonalds have. They have pastries. Also, their McCafe is so fancy. Their McDonalds have more class. They sell macarons for goodness sake! How classy can you get? We end up getting tiramisu just to see how it would taste like. However, our biggest mistake is to not able to try a more authentic tiramisu. Anyway, the tiramisu was just alright. It is not mind blowing as I thought it would be. Although, their tiramisu is pretty good compared to those that I have tasted back home. This reminded me of Fresh Market's tiramisu. You can tell it is mass produced, but it is good enough that I will surely get more if I wanted too.
What blew my mind though was the cappuccino. This is something different. It is way better compared to the cappuccino from McDonalds back home which is usually coffee flavored sugar milk. I am not surprise since if they served the US version of cappuccino there, I am pretty sure that the Italians will see it as insulting and burn it to the ground. So, McDonalds respected them by offering a more sophisticated cappuccino. It is comparable to those that you get to other local coffee shops. It is not sweet but just right. It has bold flavors of the coffee carefully balanced by the steam milk topped off by its foam. Also, they served it on a nice ceramic coffee cup labeled with "McCafe." Drinking it on a coffee cup makes me feel so sophisticated. All I need is a lit cigarette on the other hand, and I would be able to finish up my free versed poetry. I really wish that they would bring this to the US. They will surely be able to bring down Starbucks (which I do not like with a passion).
Overall, I really love McDonalds in Italy. It has that flavor of sophistication without completely forgetting its American efficiency and mass production. They are serving pastries and complex coffee, but they still attract those little rotund kids inhaling a Big Mac. It makes me feel at home while surprising me with new treats. And, best of all, they provided sanctuary for those who are in need of free internet. read more