One Of The World's Rarest Espresso Machines Lives In An Italian Coffee Shop

Florence, Italy is known for all kinds of culinary hallmarks, from its trademark lampredotto to those viral wine windows. Coffee, however, is just as integral to Florentine cuisine, and the Tuscan region boasts a unique coffee marvel. Just outside the city center of Florence, past the scenic hills of Fiesole, the town of Pian di San Bartolo-trespiano houses the Accademia del Caffe Espresso: A coffee-themed museum with one of the world's rarest espresso machines. 

Dubbed "Vespucci" after Amerigo Vespucci, this specialty coffee apparatus is unique in its structure. The machine comes with five distinct espresso group heads made by specialty Italian brand La Marzocco. That means, it's basically five espresso machines in one, and features each variation of the espresso machines La Marzocco currently makes. Essentially, it's an espresso maker on caffeine; it includes all the bells and whistles.

As such, the sleek espresso maker's options for creating coffee are limitless. In addition to the five group heads, there are also seven boilers within the one machine. This nature of the model, then, contributes to its rareness, as does the model's prevalence — or, rather, lack thereof. 

Already, Florence claims more than a few unique, cultural sights you won't find anywhere else in the world. There's the Duomo, of course, as well as Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. However, the Vespucci coffee model is a cultural marvel in its own right. As one of the rarest coffee machines in the world, Vespucci is, in fact, the only of its kind in existence ... and it seems like things will stay that way. La Marzocco hasn't announced any plans for reproductions or replicas of the machine, so you can't exactly order one for your own home.

Instead, to see this espresso wonder for yourself, you'll have to head to Florence. The Vespucci isn't like any espresso machine you'll find at your local Starbucks. Instead, it treats brewing espresso like a craft similar to Florence's dedication to making leather goods.