流脑疫苗 意大利再度启用17世纪防疫"酒窗"

意大利再度启用17世纪防疫"酒窗"  

As 16th-century Florentines dropped like flies to the plague
survivors drowned their fears in wine
passed to them through small windows which are enjoying a renaissance during the coronavirus era.
The small "wine windows" can be seen dotted around the Tuscan capital next to the grand entrances of sumptuous noble palaces
where wealthy families used to sell alcohol directly to thirsty customers
passing flasks through to eager hands.
Over time
the apertures
just 30 centimetres high and 20 centimetres wide
fell into disuse.
随着时间的推移，只有30厘米高、20厘米宽的“酒窗”就不再使用了。
But the Covid-19 pandemic has seen their resurgence
with bars using them to serve ice-cold cocktails like Aperol Spritz
gelato or coffee.
They offer a way for establishments hit hard by the lockdown to attract customers while adhering to social distancing rules.
The windows pre-date the plague. They were created by the Medici family
after it returned to power in 1532 following the fall of the Florentine Republic
according to scholar Massimo Casprini
who has written a book about them.
The famed political dynasty "wanted to promote agriculture
so encouraged large Florentine landowners to invest in olive groves and vineyards... while giving them tax breaks to sell their production directly in town
" he told AFP.
The landowners were only allowed to sell wine they had produced themselves
and only 1.4 litres at a time.
But it got rid of the middleman.
"Common people could buy wine at a more reasonable price than from the shopkeepers
" Casprini said.
That could translate into big savings
for "at the time wine consumption was enormous
" he said
with a grin.
It also had another unexpected benefit: ensuring social distancing.
"The window was closed with a wooden panel
the customer would knock with the knocker
and the wine merchant inside would take the empty bottle and fill it
" Casprini said.
"That meant no direct contact
" said the 78-year old.
To date
some 267 of the wine windows have been rediscovered in Tuscany
with 149 of them in the centre of Florence.
"There were many more
" Casprini added.
"Almost every landowner had one
but many of them were destroyed
particularly during the Second World War bombings".
Others have been walled up
but can still be spotted by their distinctive frames in grey sandstone
or stone dug from quarries in the nearby picturesque town of Fiesole.
An association called "Le buchette del vino" ("Wine Holes") now catalogues the windows
placing plaques below each one.
Despite being protected by law
Casprini said that three windows "have already disappeared" since his first census in 2005.
Those left are used as everything from quirky hatches in bars or cafes
to shop displays and even small Catholic shrines.