One of the most popular coffee shops, Starbucks, will soon be arriving in Italy.

Starbucks Will Open Stores in Several Locations

On Monday, Starbucks has officially announced that early next year they will start their operation in the cradle of espresso, Yahoo! News reported. The store will open in Milan in 2017 in collaboration with Percassi.

After Milan, the chain is planning to open other branches in Verona and Venice, per Howard Schultz, Starbucks chief executive.

Although only three stores are confirmed, it is also likely for the shop to open in Rome and Naples. Starbucks will be a great past time in one of the most romantic cities in the world. Naples is a great location because it is populated, so there are more individuals to market.

Schultz revealed that the history of the Starbucks was inspired from how Italians create their espresso and many of their accomplishments were from the experiences they learned in Italy, CNN reported. The chief executive was filled with humility as he shared their goal of being a "respectful steward of that legacy" for almost five decades now.

Potential Struggles

Locals in Italy favor espresso, dark-roasted coffee and homegrown brands, including Lavazza and Segafredo, Fortune has learned.

Another potential struggle for Starbucks is competing and surviving with the already established coffee shops in the country. There are already tons of cafes offering espresso and cappuccinos in Italy.

Per Bloomberg, Starbucks in Australia was a bust. The shop didn't perform well in competing with McCafe. It didn't grow and Starbucks eventually licensed Withers Group to take over the local stores.

Their Italian partner, Antonio Percassi, president of Percassi, recognized the challenges in their new venture, Seattle Times reported.

"We know that we are going to face a unique challenge with the opening of the first Starbucks store in Italy, the country of coffee, and we're confident that Italian people are ready to live the Starbucks experience," Percassi said.

Yes, despite the differences in taste preference, the Starbucks personnel are positive that their arrival in Milan will be the star of the show. They are also planning to introduce a custom coffee blend.

Starbucks in Italy

The company's success has yielded them 21,000 stores in 70 countries. They also have 38 outposts in Europe, Middle East and Africa. As for their first venture in Italy, Schultz revealed that they waited for the said opportunity.

"We waited for many years for the opportunity to demonstrate our deep respect for the Italian people and their rich heritage and culture around the art of coffee, and believe that now is the right time for Starbucks to come to Milan, in the right way," he said.