Buchette Del Vino: The Wine Windows of Florence

A unique architectural curiosity found only in the Italian city of Florence are tiny decorated openings on the outside walls of many sumptuous palaces. They are about the size of a cat door, but are located below the level of the waist. The openings are blocked by a wooden or iron door, and many doors have knockers. For many centuries, a surreptitious trade of wine was conducted through these tiny windows. A customer looking to buy wine would knock on the door, whereupon the cellarman or porter appointed by the owner of the house would open the door from the inside. The customer would slip a few coins into the hands of the cellarman, and in return, he would hand the customer a flask of wine. Many noble families of Florence, who had grand palazzos in the center of the city, also had their own vineyards outside of the city walls or in the countryside. These Florentine palaces would store their foodstuffs, including wine and oil, in the basement or cantina. Instead of selling their produce openly on the market, these wine producers devised a method of selling directly to customers to increase their profit. They installed small windows opening out into the streets at about the level of a pedestrian’s waist. These windows opened directly into the cellar where wine was stored. Customers brought their own jug, bottle or glass, placed them through the small window, where it was filled up, money was exchanged and the transaction was completed. These windows came to be known as “wine windows” or “buchette del vino”. Eventually, many other products such as olive oil, cured legs of pork, bags of flour, and baskets of vegetables were sold through the wine windows. Sometimes benevolent families would give out food and wine for a poor person to enjoy through the windows. All a person had to do was knock on the door.