The characteristic small windows that can still be admired on many historic buildings in the center of Florence tell a fascinating story dating back to the 17th century. These openings, known as \"wine windows\", were used by Florentine noble families to sell wine directly from their countryside estates. Their origin is linked to the 1559 law, the \"Grape Harvest Edict\", which allowed wine producers to sell their product directly, avoiding intermediaries and related taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the 1630 plague pandemic, these windows became even more important, allowing wine sales without direct contact between seller and buyer. The customer would knock on the window with an empty flask, pay through the small opening, and receive their wine, all while minimizing the risk of contagion. This practice proved so effective that it continued for centuries, becoming an integral part of Florentine social life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, over 150 wine windows have been catalogued in Florence's historic center, some still perfectly preserved with their original wooden shutters. Each window has unique characteristics: some are decorated with serene stone frames, others feature inscriptions or family crests. Their dimensions are surprisingly standardized: about 30 centimeters in height by 20 in width, just enough to pass a wine flask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cultural Association Buchette del Vino di Firenze works actively to preserve this unique testimony of the city's social and economic history. Thanks to their work, many wine windows have been restored and explanatory plaques have been placed to tell their story to passersby. Curiously, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, some businesses rediscovered the usefulness of these ancient openings, using them to serve coffee and aperitifs safely, demonstrating how past solutions can surprisingly become relevant again in times of necessity.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Le caratteristiche piccole finestre che si possono ancora oggi ammirare su molti palazzi storici del centro di Firenze raccontano una storia affascinante che risale al…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"iawp_total_views":42,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-firenze"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n