Florence's wine windows are small, arched openings found in the walls of historic buildings throughout the city. While there are approximately 180 wine windows in Florence, only a select few are currently active. Some windows have a bell; ring it to alert the staff. If there's no bell, a polite knock or greeting will suffice. The Buchette del Vino Association provides maps and information about active wine windows in the city.
Dating back to the 16th century, these unique architectural features allowed noble families to sell wine directly to customers, bypassing taxes and middlemen. During the 17th-century plague, they facilitated socially distanced transactions, a practice briefly revived during the COVID-19 pandemic.