“Tringeling, un vino bianco per favore!” And there is a delicious wine in the window in no time. Here you can order a wine authentically in Florence, the Tuscan capital full of history and beautiful art. This city used to be best known for its artisans. These were located on the Ponte Vecchio, which means old bridge. Where there are now jewellers and gold dealers, there used to be tanners and butchers who discharged their waste straight into the Arno.
Firenze also has many palazzi. These used to be built by wealthy merchants and bankers. I grandi signori, who inhabited the palazzi, usually also had extensive vineyards outside the city. The wine they produced there was kept in the cantina of the palazzi. This was a cellar where they had a substantial stock of wine at their disposal. Since this stock was so large that it would never run out with just feasts, the rich lords decided to make a profit from it in another way. They wanted to sell this wine supply to the inhabitants of Florence. But letting the common ‘rabble’ into their palazzo? There was no need for that! And so these bright minds thought of having a wine window built into the wall of their palazzo. We will probably never find out which genius came up with it, but there is no doubt that it was a success. Soon such an iconic window was being built into large houses.
How does such a buchette actually work?
The cantiniere was the one who was running the basement of the palazzo. When he heard a knock on the window door, he would ask what the customer wanted. A glass, bottle, fiasco or perhaps a whole barrel. For a modest order, the glass of wine or a decanter was handed out through the window. If a barrel was ordered, a larger hatch would open and the cantiniere would offer it there.
Although the buchettes were really only for wine, other products from the owners of the palazzi were increasingly offered as well. Think flour, vegetables or olive oil. In this way, i grandi signori earned a pretty penny on the side. Of course, the rich lords wanted to make a nice living from this, but they also did charity; it was usual to leave a bottle of wine or some food at the ‘wine door’ at night for the poor or travellers. WINE not?
Where can you find these cute little windows?
There are still 167 of these iconic windows left in Florence.
So chances are you've already come across some of them yourself as you wander around Florence.
Some of them are still actually in use.
You can, for example; get wine, ice cream or some coffee there. Very nice that they keep their tradition like this.
For example, in the Santo Spirito district, at the little restaurant Babae, you can drink a glass of wine the traditional Florentine way. Here they still have one of those authentic wine windows where you can still order a real wine or Aperol. As you can see on the right.
What are you waiting for? CIN CIN!
Curious about the Buchettes?
Explore the city yourself, we did this ourselves. It is a fun hunt and you end up visiting places you wouldn't easily get to on your own. To help you on your way, the association has created a site where you can find all the information you need about the wine windows.
The Associazione Buchette del Vino has mapped all the wine windows. Here you will find all the information and stories behind the wine windows. Definitely worth a look.
Did you know that most windows are seen as historical heritage? But that it doesn't stop people from putting other uses on them, such as a letterbox, doorbell or just bricking them up? Here's a little indication. Book your tickets to Florence. Then you can enjoy one of those tasty wines yourself!
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