peer into the medieval wine windows of florence and tuscany
Bars and cafes have been racing to find safe ways to keep serving us during the pandemic, but it seems 17th century Italians had the answer all along. Back in the days of the Plague, high-walled palaces in Florence and Tuscany would offload their excess vino by selling it direct to the public. Of course, nothing could be worse than facing those pesky, potentially disease-carrying “commoners”. And so, the elites created wine windows: literal holes in the walls that allowed staff to dispense bottles from the cellar to the street, no human contact required. There are over 100 buchette still standing in Florence today and even more across Tuscany. And while some have been turned into mailboxes or permanently filled in, a number of clever food businesses have begun making use of them again during COVID-19 restrictions. History really does keep repeating itself, hey? 
Images from the Wine Window Association
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