The Buchette del vino or wine windows are a Florentine peculiarity unique in the world. These are small windows with inscriptions present on the walls of some local noble palaces. They have been used for hundreds of years to sell bottled wine without having to open a shop, thus avoiding paying taxes. They also represented a useful anti-contagion tool for selling wine during the epidemic of 1630-1633. And more recently, in the days of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, they seem to have returned to the fore for the same function, as restaurants, bars and ice cream parlors have started to reuse them to sell their products, just like 400 years ago.
The wine holes are scattered almost everywhere in Florence, but the majority are found in the Santo Spirito district, which has always been an area of nobles and artisans, and in the city center.
Today there is a cultural association called “Buchette del Vino” which deals with this particular attraction: it has created a register with the buchette still active, those that have disappeared and analogies in other Italian cities.
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