The thought of drinking red wine at 10am in the morning may not appeal to all…but I say “anything in the name of history and culture!” It is hard to resist an invitation to participate in one of Florence’s Vinaino Tours on a fresh, sunny morning. The streets of the centro storico, which many of us know so well, suddenly becoming unfamiliar, stepping back into a Florence of street merchants, tradesmen and marketplaces, where stealing a bunch of grapes or trying to cut your wine with too much water will deal you a public flogging in Piazza Repubblica…
We all know Florence as a city famous for it’s art, and most tourists discovering the city will follow guides around the visual artistic masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s David, Brunelleschi’s Cupola and Giotto’s Bell Tower. Florence’s noted history of wine and of winemaking however, remains one of its less visually apparent artistic legacies, which goes back centuries. Consider that today the Antinori family, making wine for over 26 generations, produces over 20 million bottles of wine a year from several estates all over the world. Back in the 14th century however, following the foundation of the Winemakers’ Guild in 1293, Florence was already producing the equivalent of an impressive 27 million litres of wine from the surrounding vineyards of Tuscany (albeit a different type of wine from what we know today) and the history can be traced amongst the streets of Florence…How many of you have noticed the figure of a slightly tipsy Noah propping up a wine barrel amongst the hexagonal panels representing the Genesis and the arts of mankind on the west face of the Bell Tower?...or spotted the buchette del vino (wine hatches) in the walls of the city? How many times have you stopped off for a gottino (small cup of wine) and some fresh crostini at one of the city’s vinaini, Florence’s small historic street wine vendors?
Enter De Gustibus, the young and passionate crusaders of local produce in Tuscany, who thrive on a philosophy of travel, discovery and celebration of the richness of the Tuscan land, the local producers that bring us such treasured tastes and the legacy of local farming. In partnership with Fantastic Florence’s superb guide Francesca Papi, they have created the Vinaino Tour of the centro storico di Firenze; a walking tale of the historic role of wine in Florentine society, centuries ago, including stops at some of Florence’s oldest wine vendors.
Tommaso Ciabini of De Gustibus explains that the idea of the tour was born after listening to his father recounting his days as a student in the sixties when graduation was celebrated with a type of ‘pub crawl’ of the local wine vendors in Florence, where each stop called for a cheers (at the time with vino sfuso) accompanied by a song, continuing well into the night…
One of the stops on the tour is the famous Antico Vinaio in via dei Neri where today they still have an outdoor self-service bar for passers by to stop for a quick gottino and a croquette, leaving their money in the slot.
Some of the most interesting features of the tour are the various wine hatches in the external walls of the then city cellars of the likes of Frescobaldi, Pandolfini and Antinori. When the wine was brought into Florence to be conserved, it was from these small “buchette” that glasses or flasks of the latest harvest would be sold to the public. Many of these ancient little windows are still visible today and are even well conserved, but unfortunately they are no longer in use! For a full history, a recommended read is L. Casini Brogelli, Le buchette del vino a Firenze, Ed. Semper, Firenze, 2004.
Joëlle Edwards recently moved to Florence from London after having lived and worked in Switzerland, Palermo and Barcelona. Passionate about travel, writing and food, in Italy she is making the most of all three at once! She also organizes weddings and parties, working in exclusive venues across the whole of Italy. You can reach her at info@joellemarie.co.uk (website: www.joellemarie.co.uk)
