意大利再度啓用17世紀防疫"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.

由於瘟疫盛行，16世紀的佛羅倫薩人紛紛病倒，倖存者借酒消除恐懼，商家通過小窗戶把酒出售給顧客。而在新冠疫情時期，這種售賣方式再次興起。

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.

在托斯卡納區首府佛羅倫薩，豪華的貴族宮殿的宏偉入口旁隨處可見小小的“酒窗”。過去，富裕的家庭在這裏直接向口渴的顧客出售酒，把小酒瓶遞給渴望喝上一杯的人。

Over time, the apertures, just 30 centimetres high and 20 centimetres wide, fell into disuse.

隨着時間的推移，只有30釐米高、20釐米寬的“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.

但新冠疫情使“酒窗”再度啓用，酒吧用它來出售冰鎮阿佩羅開胃雞尾酒、意式冰淇淋或咖啡。

They offer a way for establishments hit hard by the lockdown to attract customers while adhering to social distancing rules.

它們爲受到封鎖重創的商家提供了一種既能吸引顧客，又能遵守社交距離規則的售賣方式。

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.

這些“酒窗”在疫情之前就存在了。據學者馬西莫·卡斯普林尼所著，梅第奇家族在佛羅倫薩共和國垮臺後，於1532年重新掌權，之後發明了“酒窗”。

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.

他告訴法新社說，這個著名的政治王朝“想要發展農業，所以鼓勵佛羅倫薩的大地主投資橄欖園和葡萄園……同時給予他們在城裏直接銷售產品的稅收優惠。

The landowners were only allowed to sell wine they had produced themselves, and only 1.4 litres at a time.

地主只能銷售自產葡萄酒，且一次只能銷售1.4升。

But it got rid of the middleman.

但這種方式擺脫了中間商。

"Common people could buy wine at a more reasonable price than from the shopkeepers," Casprini said.

卡斯普林尼說：“比起從店裏購買，普通人可以用更合理的價格買到葡萄酒。”

That could translate into big savings, for "at the time wine consumption was enormous," he said, with a grin.

這可以省下一大筆錢，因爲“當時的葡萄酒消費量很大，”他笑着說。

It also had another unexpected benefit: ensuring social distancing.

“酒窗”還有另一個意想不到的好處：保證社交距離。

"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.

卡斯普林尼說：“窗戶是用木板關上的，顧客會用門環敲門，裏面的酒商會把空瓶子裝滿。”

"That meant no direct contact," said the 78-year old.

這位78歲的老人說：“這意味着沒有直接接觸。”

To date, some 267 of the wine windows have been rediscovered in Tuscany, with 149 of them in the centre of Florence.

到目前爲止，托斯卡納區重新啓用了大約267個“酒窗”，其中149個位於佛羅倫薩市中心。

"There were many more," Casprini added.

卡斯普林尼補充道：“其實還有更多。”

"Almost every landowner had one, but many of them were destroyed, particularly during the Second World War bombings".

“幾乎每個地主都有一個，但其中許多被毀，特別是在第二次世界大戰轟炸期間”。

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.

還有一些已經被牆圍起來了，但仍然可以從灰色砂岩或從附近風景如畫的菲耶索爾鎮採石場挖出的石頭上看到它們獨特的外形。

An association called "Le buchette del vino" ("Wine Holes") now catalogues the windows, placing plaques below each one.

如今，一個名爲“酒洞”的協會將“酒窗”分類，並在每個“酒窗”下方放置匾額。

Despite being protected by law, Casprini said that three windows "have already disappeared" since his first census in 2005.

卡斯普林尼說，儘管受到法律保護，但是自從2005年他的首次調查以來，已有三個酒窗“消失了”。

Those left are used as everything from quirky hatches in bars or cafes, to shop displays and even small Catholic shrines.

剩下的那些用途各異，酒吧或咖啡館裏古怪的門，商店展示窗，甚至是小型天主教神龕。