At coffee shops Italians drink mainly espresso, while cappuccino and other beverages are a smaller share whose consumption is concentrated mainly in the morning for breakfast.
Traditionally, most Italians used to sweeten their coffee, but in recent years we are witnessing a change in trend. At coffee shops, sugar is available free of charge to customers in sachets and in various types, from the most common (sucrose), to cane, up to various types of sweeteners (often preferred by those who pay close attention to calories).
The average sachet of sugar is now around 4 g, down from the past when there were much larger sachets. Furthermore, there is an increasing share of customers who do not use sugar at all. Therefore, it is likely that in the future we will have a change in the trend: most Italians may no longer use sugar.
The change could be given by a growing awareness in drinking coffee and the desire to appreciate it for its own characteristics. However, it is known that in any case, sugar does not improve bad coffees: in fact, in terms of aromas, it emphasizes both the positive and negative ones. So, if you are drinking low quality coffee you can't do anything about it.
If you have any questions about coffee in Italy, leave them in the comments and we will be happy to answer them!