Anti-Pandemic Wine Windows In Italy Are All the Rage!

If you’re going to be strolling through Italy sometime soon, you may want to take a good look at some of the buildings. You may see these small windows in the walls that have been a thing in Italy for hundreds of years, but their story is rather grim.

The “Buchette del vino” literally means a “wine hole,” and these openings are carved out in the buildings so well that they barely even stand out. The windows were created in the 17th century in taverns, wineries, and wine producers’ houses when the plague was raging in Europe. Thanks to this little innovation, the guests could drink wine and other alcohol without entering the establishment, which helped the owners to stay in business.