Architecture,  Culture & tradition,  Italy,  Travel galleries

Gallery: Florence’s ‘buchette del vino’

December 9, 2025 / 27 Comments

Everything about Florence seems to be coloured with a mild violet, like diluted wine.

Henry James

If like me you enjoy searching out and photographing small details that capture the unique stories of a city, then spotting these relics of Florence’s past will certainly appeal.

These buchette del vino or ‘wine windows’ date back to the 1500s when the Medici family allowed nobles who owned vineyards outside the city walls to sell wine tax-free. A passer-by keen to purchase would knock on the small door set into the wall (or occasionally into the door) of the building. The hatch opened into the palazzo’s storerooms (cantina). From here a member of the household staff would pass a bottle of wine, or pour wine directly into a customer’s cup or flask. The customer would pass the payment through, with no need to enter the premises.

The buchette really came into their own during the plague in the 1600s, when they proved a vital means of selling goods without physical contact. Over time though they fell into disuse and were boarded or blocked up.

After being forgotten for centuries, many were reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained so. Today, many of these windows are active again, offering wine, cocktails, coffee, and even gelato directly to passersby. Others remain boarded but have acquired some decoration; maybe street art or a design added by the owner. Many also have a small plaque identifying them as a ‘buchetta del vino’, but not all.

You can go on a buchette treasure hunt (several maps are available online, such as this one from the Wine Windows Association. Or simply do as we did and have fun spotting them as you explore the city. There are over 150 in the historical centre of the city so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a few at least! Here are the most interesting of those I spotted.

Palazzo Ramirez-Montalvo (now an auction house) on Borgo degli Albizi

(also in my feature image)

On the Piazza di Santa Croce

In the Borgo dei Greci

In the Via del Proconsolo

Incorporated into a Halloween display in the Piazza del Duomo

(and a good example of a wine window inserted into a door)

A gelato window at the Cantina del Gelato, Via de’Bardi

Also on the Via de’Bardi and used as a picture frame

Another picture frame on the Via di S. Niccolò

Street art by Clet and last night’s drinks (not ours!) on the Via di S. Niccolò

I visited Florence in October/November 2025

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