Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, prides itself on an impressive artistic heritage, part of which is still little known, such as the discreet “buchetta del vino” or “Wine windows” ideal for “contactless” serving, a concept in vogue in times of the coronavirus.
The small openings, about 20 cm wide by 30 cm high, were used by noble families to sell wine directly from the producer to the consumer in the 16th century, a time of repeated plagues.
Over the centuries, this architectural detail and its function fell into oblivion until Massimo Casprini, a Florentine scholar, dedicated a book to him, “I finestrini del vino” (“The windows of wine”), published in 2005.
These windows “They were created from 1532 after the fall of the Republic, when the Medici family returned to power and wanted to promote agriculture, lor that it led the large Florentine owners to invest in olive groves and vineyards (…) also enjoying tax advantages by selling their production directly in the city, ”Casprini said during a talk with AFP in the streets of Florence.
“There they could only sell wine of their own production and in a particular format, about 1.4 liters,” he said.
“The other function of these small windows was social, allowing ordinary people to buy wine at a more reasonable price than that offered by merchants, without an intermediary,” he says.
“At that time the consumption of wine was enormous,” he says amused.
Plagues and coronavirus
In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, Massimo Casprini recalls that thanks to this wine distribution system, direct contact between people was avoided, which is key to not getting sick.
“Epidemics and plagues were very frequent in the 16th century”, stresses.
“The wine window used to be closed with a wooden panel. The customer would introduce himself, knock with a knocker, and from within the wine merchant prepared the bottle, which he filled for the order.
“So there was no direct contact!”, Says the septuagenarian, lover of old motorcycles and author of some 70 books dedicated to the Tuscan capital.
Until now, 267 counters have been registered in Tuscany, including 149 in the historic center of Florence.
“But there were many more!”, Says Casprini, who believes that “almost all landowners in the region had a window, although many disappeared, especially during the bombings in World War II”, he acknowledges.
Some have been closed, but thanks to the expert, you can still recognize the outlines in serene stone, a gray sandstone, or in stone from Fiesole, a town near Florence.
After Professor Casprini’s book, an association emerged, called “Le buchette del vino”, which identifies and places a plaque on the windows. its Web page offers an interactive map to explore them, as well as a photo gallery and a historical presentation of these little architectural treasures.
In a French guide to Florence from 1892 the window of a palace is mentioned: “It was a very famous winery for its wines because they come from the properties of the Marchioness Leonia degli Albizi Frescobaldi”.
Disused for centuries, the wine windows regain prominence today, from serving plates in a restaurant to small altars dedicated to the Virgin.
But despite being protected by law, Casprini regrets “the disappearance of three windows” since his first census in 2005.
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