design for the Moka was inspired by the primitive washing-machines: linens were boiled in tubes built around a central conduit that drew the boiling soapy water up through it and redistributed it across the linen through a radial opening. Trivia Alfonso Bialetti is the grandfather of Alberto Alessi of Alessi (the famous Italian design house). Some patents describe this machine as an "apparatus for domestic use to prepare hot drinks by steam jet, in particular to prepare 'Italian Cappuccino'". See also Pressure cooking Notes External links Bialetti.com 20th-century Italian engineers Italian industrial designers Italian designers 1888 births 1970 deaths Bialetti