How do I order coffee like an Italian?

Say "un caffè" and you get an espresso — that's what coffee means. Pay at the register first in busier bars, take the receipt to the counter, order, drink it standing in a couple of minutes. Useful vocabulary: macchiato is espresso with a spot of milk, caffè lungo is a longer pull, caffè americano is espresso with hot water added, and latte on its own means a glass of milk, which is how tourists end up confused. There's no drip coffee and no takeaway culture worth speaking of. If you want it decaffeinated, ask for a decaffeinato.