Program 538: Why I Love Berlin; Italian Coffee Bars

Three tour guides from Berlin suggest sights to see and experiences to enjoy in Germany's vibrant, changing capital. And as Bavarians prepare to host this year's Oktoberfest, a tour guide from Munich joins us to explain why beer gardens are so important to their culture. Then two guides from Italy walk us through the typical Italian's daily visit to a coffee bar, and share tips on how to order your espresso like a true Italian.

• Berlin-based tour guides Holger Zimmer, Maisie Hitchcock, Caroline Marburger
• Grint Ranft, tour guide from Munich
• Alfio Di Mauro, tour guide from Catania, Sicily
• Anna Piperato, tour guide from Siena, Italy

• Karl Marx Allee is a major boulevard in the former East Berlin. 
• The Berlin guides recommend visiting the contemporary art collections at the Boros Gallery, and the Old National Gallery on Museum Island to view romantic German paintings.
• Caroline Marburger writes at BerlinLocals.com about Berlin history.
• Maisie Hitchcock is a co-host of the English-language Radio Spatkauf podcast about news and events from Berlin.  
• Tour guide Holger Zimmer contributes arts and culture features for RBB kulturradio in Berlin. 
• Grit Ranft is a licensed tour guide in Munich and for the Dachau Memorial Site.  She works with Radius Tours.
• Rick describes how coffee traditions differ in Europe. 
• Art historian Anna Piperato leads tours of Siena in Tuscany.
• Alfio Di Mauro describes growing up in a large family in Sicily.