Seeking Wine Windows in Florence

It was our last day in Florence. My niece and I had just gotten back from our Tuscan wine country getaway. We had two goals that afternoon: do laundry and find a wine window. I had wanted to try the Florentine wine windows since I first heard about them. While it might seem like the touristy thing to do, these wine windows have a long history in the medieval city. Let’s get into that.

Wine Window by Mattes

First the Taxes

Wine windows (or buchette del vino) date back to the 1500’s during the Medici dynasty. Back then, a law was passed to allow prominent families in the city to sell wine directly from their homes. With this law, they did not have to open a shop and subsequently avoided paying taxes. Instead, these families used little windows located at the front of their palaces or mansions to transact the wine sale. Voila! Wine windows were born. 

Fiasco by Giulio Napi 

About 12” in height and 8” across with an arch on the top, wine windows were often found next to the front door of these wealthy families’ homes. While many were located at the eye level to facilitate sales, some were placed at the foot level with easy access to the basement wine cellar. Wine sold through the wine windows came in fiasco-style bottles (bottles with straw basket at the bottom). 

Then a Plague and a Flood

In 1630, Florence experienced an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The epidemic lasted four years with an estimated death toll of 60,000 to 100,000. Wine windows continued as a safe way for consumers to purchase wine with limited contact. However, as commerce laws changed over time, Florentine wine windows began to shutter. The last straw came about in 1966 when the Arno River broke over its banks and flooded the city, causing severe damages to buildings and streets.

Buchetta del vino (this is not a real wine window)

Fast forward to 2015, three residents of Florence founded a cultural association called the Associazione Buchette del Vino (Association of Wine Windows). Its goal was and still is to draw attention to “these small but significant testimonies of the rich cultural heritage” in the city. According to the Association, there was only one operating wine window in Florence just before Covid struck.

Finally the Pandemic and a Renaissance

While the Covid pandemic turned the world topsy turvy in the early going, Florence had a head start with its wine windows. Gradually at first, wine windows began re-opening, bringing back the old ways of safe business transactions. Soon, restaurants, bars, and gelateria also started selling food, other beverages, and gelato from the wine windows. 

Cantina de Pucci Wine Window

Even as the threat of the pandemic has loosened its grip in the past year, Florentine wine windows continue to enjoy a renaissance. Today, it is estimated that there are about 180 wine windows in the city and over 100 more in the broader Tuscany region.

Our Wine Window Hunt

My niece and I used Google Maps, which was not super helpful, in our wine window hunt. We had a couple of misses but eventually found an operating wine window by Cantina de Pucci. Not surprisingly, it had a line of tourists along its cobblestone sidewalk. Nonetheless, the hunt was worth the while, and it was a fine way to pass the time while waiting for our laundry. 

If you are doing your own wine window hunt in Florence, skip Google Maps and check out the following resources made available by the Associazione Buchette del Vino:

• https://www.bdv.one/eventi has a short list of wine windows (or gelato/coffee windows) and their addresses within the city
• https://buchettedelvino.org/home%2520eng/maps.html has a more comprehensive list and interactive maps of wine windows in Florence and even the larger Tuscany region

Then all you have to do is to find the wine window, stand in line, ring the bell, and order your wine. Thanks to the Association and its promotion of wine windows, you now get to experience a piece of Florentine history with a glass of wine. Salud!