Four questions. One recommendation, with the reason.
Your match
You make one or two drinks at a time, mostly straight espresso, and you want to learn by hand. The Europiccola is the smallest and simplest La Pavoni lever.
Best first lever
The smallest La Pavoni lever. One small boiler for brewing and steaming, no gauge, and the most direct way into a manual lever.
Your match
You make milk drinks or several drinks per session. The Professional has twice the Europiccola's boiler and a boiler gauge, with the same lever.
More shots per fill
The Europiccola's lever and group on a boiler twice the size, with a pressure gauge. The better daily lever for milk drinks or two people.
Your match
You want to learn the lever with something to read. The Esperto Abile adds a pressure gauge and a temperature strip on the group.
Gauge on the group
A Professional-size lever with a pressure gauge and a temperature strip on the group, so you can see what the shot is doing as you pull.
Your match
You want the same result every time with little technique. That is a pump machine, and the Botticelli Specialty is La Pavoni's. Check that you have a 20-amp outlet and room for a 31 kg machine.
You said your counter is tight. La Pavoni lists the Botticelli at 300 mm wide, 450 mm deep and 415 mm tall. Measure before you buy, or consider the Professional, which the US manual lists at about 7 inches wide.
For milk drinks
La Pavoni's dual boiler pump machine. Separate brew and steam boilers with PID control, an E61 group, a rotary pump and three gauges.
