Florence Wine Windows Tour: Ponte Vecchio & Oltrarno with Tuscan Wine

The Wine Windows of Florence: Where Renaissance Palaces Served Drinks Through Holes in the Wall

You walk through Florence's quieter corners with a licensed guide, stop at Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti, then sip Tuscan wine from a historic wine window in Oltrarno. Choose between adding an Arno River cruise on a traditional boat or a second wine window with food tasting. The whole experience runs in the evening, works in rain, and includes the guide, wine, and all the stops — you just show up.

Step-by-step itinerary

Florence walking tour and wine tasting

• Start at Piazza della Repubblica
• Visit Porcellino fountain and touch nose
• Explore a quiet medieval square
• Walk along Via de' Tornabuoni shopping street
• See Palazzo Strozzi art exhibitions
• Cross Ponte Vecchio bridge and take photos
• Visit Oltrarno district and Renaissance basilica
• View Palazzo Pitti and wine windows
• Admire Ponte Santa Trinita bridge
• Enjoy Tuscan wine tasting from wine window
• Optional: Take Arno River cruise on barchetto

The Experience

There's a moment on this tour when your guide stops you in front of Palazzo Pitti and points to a small stone opening near ground level — a buchetta del vino, or wine window. For centuries, servants would pour wine directly through these slots to passersby on the street, no questions asked. You're standing in front of one of the most powerful palaces in Renaissance Florence, and the thing that catches your eye is a hole the size of a fist. That's the whole point of this evening walking tour: the real Florence isn't in the guidebooks.

The tour starts in Piazza della Repubblica and moves through the city on foot, hitting the obvious spots — Ponte Vecchio, the Loggia del Porcellino (where you'll touch the boar's nose like everyone else), Palazzo Strozzi — but the guide frames them differently. You're not just looking at landmarks; you're learning why they matter, what happened inside them, and what the Medici were actually up to. Then you cross into Oltrarno, the neighborhood on the south bank of the Arno, where the atmosphere shifts. It's quieter, less crowded, and the guide walks you to one of the actual wine windows still standing. You get a glass of Tuscan wine poured the old way, and suddenly the whole evening clicks into place.

The tour runs rain or shine and takes you past the Arno River, along Ponte Santa Trinita, and through the streets where locals actually live. If you pick the Arno River cruise option, you'll board a traditional Florentine barchetto after the walking portion and float past the bridges and Renaissance palaces from the water — a completely different angle on the same city. If you go for the food option instead, you'll visit two wine windows and get a proper tasting with local food. The guide is licensed, speaks English or Spanish, and knows the hidden stories: legends, history, the things that don't make it onto the postcards. Just remember you need to be 18 to drink the wine, and bring an ID.

What’s included

• Florence Wine Windows guided walking tour with a licensed guide in English or Spanish.
• 1 glass of Tuscan wine served from a historic wine window in Oltrarno.
• visits to Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Strozzi, Ponte Santa Trinita, and the Loggia del Porcellino.
• stories of Medici legends and hidden Florence.
• optional Arno River cruise on a traditional Florentine barchetto with views of the bridges and Renaissance palaces, or optional second wine window with food tasting (depending on which option you choose).

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Towns of Italy

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see Florence's famous bridges and palaces but also understand why they matter and what the city actually felt like to live in — the wine windows are the detail that makes that click into place, and the guide does the work of connecting them.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What exactly is a wine window?

A buchetta del vino is a small stone opening built into the walls of Renaissance palaces, originally used to serve wine directly to people on the street without letting them inside.

Do I have to drink wine to do this tour?

Wine is included, but if you're under 18 or prefer not to drink, let the operator know in advance and they'll arrange an alternative.

How long is the walking tour?

The tour covers Florence's wine windows and hidden corners on foot; if you add the Arno River cruise or food option, the total experience is longer. Check the booking details for exact timing.

Is this tour accessible for people with mobility issues?

The tour is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all fitness levels. Let the operator know in advance about any mobility needs and they'll do their best to accommodate.

Can I bring children?

Yes. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. Children under 18 won't be served wine.

What if it rains?

The tour runs rain or shine, so bring an umbrella if weather is forecast.

Do we go inside any museums or palaces?

No. This is an outdoor walking tour that passes by monuments and palaces but doesn't enter them.

What's the difference between the wine windows and food option?

The wine windows & food option includes two wine windows with two glasses of wine and food tasting, while the standard option includes one wine window with one glass. The river cruise option swaps the food for an Arno River boat ride instead.