A Peer Through the Wine Windows of Florence

Robbin Gheesling, author of Wine Doors of Florence, became captivated by the buchette del vino during a walking tour in 2012. We caught up over a glass of Chianti Classico to learn more about her Florentine fascination.

A journey from necessity to novelty, wine windows first emerged in the 16th century, when high taxes led Florentine families with vineyards outside the city to seek an alternative way to discreetly sell their wine from their palazzos. The pint-sized arches, set into thick stone walls and long mistaken for religious tabernacles, legitimised tax-free wine sales and, historians surmise, a respectable distance between the lower classes and Florentine nobility.

Conversely, the wine windows allowed people across all classes a brief, casual interaction that forged a unique connection through wine. Centuries later, when the bubonic plague swept Europe, wine windows became a symbol of innovation and resilience, keeping Florentines safely in good spirits. The windows were once again social distancing saviours during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Today, they offer a charming window into the city’s soul.

Robbin first fell in love with the buchette del vino on a historical walking tour more than ten years ago: ‘The guide pointed one out on the corner of via delle Belle Donne. In marble, written above it, are the hours of operation. As a sommelier, I thought there were surely more than this one. The guide didn’t know, and that sparked my curiosity.’

Florence through rosé tinted glasses

Robbin’s story with the windows is a personal one: ‘Doing the research and photography for my book and street photography project changed my perspective on Florence. I had to pay more attention to architecture and street names. Family crests on the tops of doorways made me look up more.’ These unassuming portals, barely bigger than a handspan, are a living insight into Florence’s past: ‘Any visitor who comes to Florence can use the wine doors as a lens to history. An opportunity for deeper exploration instead of just getting a spritz and a photo and moving on.’

A handful of these buchettes, unique to Florence, are operational today: ‘I’ve watched them evolve, even in just ten years. My favourite one that remains unchanged is Via del Giglio, 2. The simple brick styling and “Vendita di Vino” above. The operating wine doors are all managed by the locations independently. Most have a bell and are usually so busy, there is no need to use it.’ Robbin is quick to name her preferred buchette: ‘Babae was the first to restore theirs and use it for its original purpose, so I still go there’. Her wine of choice? ‘I’ll order a Chianti Classico if the weather is cool and Vernaccia di San Gimignano if it’s hot.’

Explore the buchette del vino with another Florentine icon, Hotel Savoy, as your base.