With all the crappy stuff that is bombarding us on the news and in the media these days, it’s nice to hear about something wonderful every now and again. And be prepared, folks – it doesn’t get much more wonderful than this.
Restaurants and bars all across the globe are having to rethink they operate their business and in the town of Florence, Italy, they’re resorting back to a business model from the 1500s.
If you’re walking around the gorgeous city, you might notice some interesting little features on the side of many buildings. There are tiny little ‘windows’ appearing on the side of walls called “buchette de vino” which translates to “little wine holes”. Intrigued? We thought so.
During the Renaissance period, the small windows were used to sell wine “to-go”. It was a cheaper and more direct way to serve the people instead of heading to taverns or drinking dens. The sneaky windows also allowed the wine merchants to avoid paying any taxes on the booze that they were selling.
With the windows still existing and functioning around Florence, businesses who happen to have one are taking advantage of the ability to stay physically distant while still selling drinks or snacks.
Gelateria Vivoli is a famous ice cream parlor in the area and was one of the first businesses to utilize their buchette de vino. So, as you can see, the window is certainly not limited to just wine.
“We chose to use our buchetta during Covid-19 both as a protective measure and to bring a smile to passersby,” said Giulia Vivoli, a fourth-generation owner of the gelato shop in an email interview with CNN. “We’ve had it open in the past, but to reuse it at this particular moment in time has felt especially apt.”
Next up to open up their ‘little wine window’ was a restaurant called Osteria delle Brache. The owner also spoke with CNN.
“Reopening it at this difficult time has proved incredibly helpful and has really shown that some traditions never die.”
“For four centuries, the buchette were one of the preferred ways to get our wine fix,” he continued. “They offered on-the-go transactions and convenient, direct exchanges between seller and client, which is exactly how we all want to handle our purchases during Covid-19.”
Even though customers are now allowed to come inside the buildings to pay, many still prefer to pay through the window – making sure to continue to keep a safe distance. Such a genius idea!
What makes these windows even more incredible is the fact that every single one is just a little different with their own personality.
“Besides their use, which was unique to Tuscany and Florence in particular, wine windows are tiny but essential vestiges of Renaissance-era architecture,” said Matteo Faglia, Buchette del Vino’s president and founding member, in a phone interview with CNN. “Each one used to offer a literal window into the tastes and architectural styles of the families and buildings they belonged to.”
Today, you can find around 180 buchetta del vino around Florence, however, it’s estimated that there were hundreds more back in the 1500s and 1600s.
We don’t know about you, but when we can travel again, a glass of wine from a window in Italy sounds pretty good!
