Buchetta shop

The buchette del vino (“wine windows”) are small architectural openings found primarily in the walls of historic palaces in Florence and elsewhere in Tuscany. They were historically used for the direct sale of wine from aristocratic families’ estates to customers in the street. The tradition developed after regulations introduced under Cosimo I de’ Medici in the sixteenth century allowed vineyard owners to sell their wine directly from their residences. Many surviving buchette are no longer in use. In recent years, however, some have been reopened by restaurants, wine bars and other businesses. These uses represent a modern revival of the historic wine-window tradition Many buchettas are found in the historic center of Florence. In English, if they sell wine, they may be called wine windows (buchette del vino). Buchettas are typically of similar dimensions, about 30 centimetres (12 in) tall and 15 centimetres (5.9 in) wide, and arched at the top, but are otherwise very diverse in style. They were usually built into the streetside walls of the palaces of aristocrats, usually near the main entrance, and may be quite ornate. They were closed outside of opening hours with a hatch, which might be painted various colours, or with a still life or religious painting. Many hatches are now missing, and some buchettas are disused and have been sealed off.