LA BUCHETTA DEL VINO DI BABAE

A Florentine ritual through the centuries.
Discover our menu, the story behind this unique tradition, and why you can experience it once again!

Wines from the Buchetta

(Prezzi in euro)

PROSECCO DOC Extra Dry (Ronco Belvedere) – 8
ROSÉ (Castello di Gabbiano) – 8
BIANCO Vernaccia DOCG (Palagetto) – 8
ROSSO Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (Palagetto) – 8
ORANGE Pazzarello (Al Feu) – 9
LAMBRUSCO (Fontanafredda) – 7
SPRITZ APEROL – 10
SPECIAL WINE OF THE DAY - 10/12

WHAT ARE THE WINE WINDOWS?

The Wine Windows: A Uniquely Florentine Story

Starting in the late Middle Ages, Florentine law allowed retail wine sales only under two conditions: either by licensed wine vendors (vinattieri) or directly by the producers themselves — but only if sold from their private residence.

This led many noble families, who cultivated wine in the countryside, to bring their barrels into the city and sell it through small openings carved into the exterior walls of their palaces. Selling wine from home also allowed them to avoid paying sales taxes.

As the Renaissance reshaped Florence with grand buildings and courtyards, direct access from the street became more difficult. That’s when the buchette del vino — wine windows — were born: small openings just large enough to pass through a wine flask.

People would bring their own empty flasks and have them filled directly by the winemaking family.

During epidemics — especially the 17th-century plague — wine windows became especially important, allowing for contactless, safe transactions.

Over time, industrialization and the two world wars pushed the tradition into decline. By the 1950s, most wine windows had been forgotten or sealed up.

HOW BABAE BROUGHT THE WINE WINDOW BACK TO LIFE

The rediscovery: from 2019 to today

THE REDISCOVERY: FROM 2019 TO TODAY

In 2019, when we opened BABAE on Via di Santo Spirito 21r, we had no idea that one of the most special features of our place would be… a little "buchetta."

We found it without looking, with its fabulous frescoed door, standing proud and gleaming in the middle of the vast ochre wall of Palazzo Manetti. It felt natural to bring it back to life, becoming pioneers in the revival of this historic tradition.

At first, it was a small daily ritual: two hours, from 7 to 9 PM, during which we served wine from our buchetta. Then came a doorbell for the first curious guests, and from there, interest exploded.

Even before the pandemic, our buchetta had caught the attention of Italian and international media, as well as social media. It was the first to reopen and, at the time, the only one active in Florence.

During COVID, when the world came to a halt, the buchetta kept doing its job: offering wine and a smile without getting too close, just like in ancient times, but with a new meaning.

After the pandemic, tourism returned, along with a renewed interest in this tradition.

The buchette are an extraordinary way to understand how people lived in the cradle of the Renaissance. By showcasing it through a modern lens, we want to honor a wine-selling tradition that once filled the streets of Florence and is now coming back to life.

After our success, many other businesses with buchette began to highlight them too, making the buchetta experience even more popular.

We continue doing it in the same spirit: unpretentious and full of joy.