Ever since the beginning of the 20th century, there has been a name which circulates the coffee world – that of La Pavoni. The founder of the company is the person who bought the steam-made espresso, actually.
He started by making espresso machines in his workshop in Milan, and a hundred years later his offspring is bigger than ever. Today we will review one of the best Italian coffee machines – the La Pavoni Napolitana model.
La Pavoni Napolitana Review
Right off the bat, we should mention that, although advertised as a fully-automatic model, La Pavoni PA-1200 Napolitana

- Made of 18/8 stainless steel then polished to a gloss finish
- Stainless steel filter baskets
- Removable 100-Ounce water tank
- Steam wand with special chrome attachment
- Made in Italy
The whole body of this model is made out of stainless steel, which is an extremely rare trait on today’s market. That by itself is a great selling point, but we got a few more features for you. The boiler is made out of marine grade brass, thus providing the proper brewing conditions for a tasty cup of espresso.
Another great thing about this model is that it requires little to no prior experience in order to use it. At the front, there are only four buttons, which are a power button, an espresso brewing button, one button which heats to steam temperatures, and one last one which is actually a know that opens the steam valve.
Napolitana PA 1200 Brewing Quality & Performance
Grinding coffee happens automatically when you place the portafilter below the grinder. That triggers a micro-switch and the grinder turns on. Once you take the portafilter away, the grinder stops. The only bad thing about this whole grinding business is how noisy it is.
This is why we think that the La Pavoni Napolitana is perfect for coffee shops, but not so great for home use. If the coffee doesn’t wake you up, the sound from the grinder will.
The frothing process here is simple due to the chrome attachment on the steam wand (which is rather short in our opinion). This part helps frothing by drawing more air into the milk through its breather holes. Add a good frothing pitcher and things become even better!
Lastly, the warranty period here is one year, but its voided if you use the machine for commercial use, towards which we recommend. From our experience, the espresso machines coming from this company are sturdy enough to withstand constant daily pressure for years.
Pros & Cons
✔ Excellent build quality
✔ Decent price if used for a coffee shop
✔ Isn’t as huge as some of its competitors
✔ Heats up quickly
✔ Easy to use even with no prior experience
✔ The grinder is exceptional for this price range
✔ Consistent espresso quality
✗ The grinder is noisy
✗ Sensitive to dosage (due to lack of solenoid valve and highly pre-set pressure)
✗ The steam wand is short
Napolitana PA 1200 Alternatives
The Napolitana is an excellent machine which is ideal for coffee shops but isn’t the best option if you just want to get a household machine. In those cases, we recommend either the Delonghi EC685M DEDICA or the Gaggia Classic Espresso Machine. They are much quieter and have a far smaller footprint. Not to mention they carry half the price tag with the same output quality.
If you want to see how the Napolitana competes with these machines, check out our Buyer’s Guide, where we ranked the top 5 espresso machines on the current market.










La Pavoni PA-1200 Napolitana Conclusion and Rating
As we said, this is a great espresso machine for coffee shops, which gives the Rancilio Silvia a run for its money, but unlike it, the La Pavoni Napolitana is great for commercial use, due to the noisy grinder and its semi-automatic nature.
On the other hand, the controls are fairly simple and it doesn’t take much to brew the perfect cup of espresso. Furthermore, the guys over at La Pavoni made no compromises with the materials used here. Everything is as premium as it gets for this price.
La Pavoni Espresso Machine

- Made of 18/8 stainless steel then polished to a gloss finish
- Stainless steel filter baskets
- Removable 100-Ounce water tank
- Steam wand with special chrome attachment
- Made in Italy

Hi my name is Larry, a coffee aficionado from the US. I have already visited Colombia, Sumatra, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Jamaica in my pursuit of finding the best-tasting coffee beans. I currently write from Bali and enjoy the relaxed life that you can only find in Canggu. Welcome to my coffee world!
Last update on 2023-03-25 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.