The Coronavirus Pandemic has made it extremely hard on businesses like restaurants and bars. It isn’t easy to serve customers while maintaining social distancing.

Shops in Italy have been getting creative with a way to serve customers by using a method they did back in the 1600s.

Lonely Planet reports that, “Italy revives its 17th-century wine windows to serve drinks to passers-by.”

I was curious to find out what a wine window was and it’s pretty much exactly as it sounds. Various businesses are selling a variety of drinks “from tiny wall hatches known as wine windows.”

The wine windows are being used again around Tuscany by wineries, gelaterias and bars as a way to serve customers in a safe way. The wine windows are known in Italy as buchette del vino.

The windows were created in the 17th century by wine merchants so they could still serve drinks during another health crisis which took many lives, the Italian Plague.

Lonely Planet writes that, “over time, as the demand for them diminished, the windows were bordered up.” I think it’s pretty awesome that businesses are starting to use these windows again, so many years later.

Find out more about the wine windows of Italy here.