The new fashion in art cities: drunken tours

“Explore Florence’s vibrant nightlife with a drunken walking tour.” Cost 59€. Alternatively, there is the upgrade version “Drunken history walking tour with open bar” for 70€. It sounds like fake news but in fact it is the latest frontier of package tours for foreigners, in Italy as well as abroad: “drunk walking tours.” On the web, the same sites that offer “cultural” tours, such as Getyourguide or Viator, for art cities and museums propose it, assuring that alcohol will be accompanied by a historical explanation of the city where you are and maybe even meeting your soul mate: “sample cocktails and wine and get fascinating historical information about the city while bonding with your fellow travelers over a nightcap.”

But not only in Florence: the drunken walking tour can also be found in London and Rome. In Florence it is also becoming fashionable because here many Renaissance palaces in the historic center have the peculiarity of having a wall facing the street with small windows at basin height, the size of a hand from which really in the past food was passed outside to those on the street. The wine pits have now rediscovered them and “enhanced” them in a modern way. Evidently it is more fun for the tourist to get a glass of wine from the little window and drink it standing on the street instead of going inside and sitting down. It must be the allure of the little window. The phenomenon has become so rampant that the wine window tour is also associated with other venues for the specific purpose of drinking and getting drunk. There must be an association of ideas for which getting drunk is synonymous with the feel-good situation to be sought on vacation (the writer is a teetotaler).

Buchette del vino were the first points of sale of wine from producer to consumer, zero km as we would say today, where the producers were large landowners who had their palace in the city. In the seventeenth century it was the Florentine families who ’pierced’ their palaces for this direct sale after they were authorized by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I to sell duty-free the wine produced in their vineyards, provided that this trade took place at retail, in quantities not exceeding one flask at a time. And from the little window in fact a maximum of one flask of wine can pass through. There are dozens of them in the historic center. They came back into fashion in the Covid period.

Returning to today, the drunken walking tour guarantees the English-language tour guide who will tell the anecdotes and historical facts (the ’funny facts’) of the streets that will be walked (“Listen to the dark history and scandalous stories of the former red light district,” also we are not in Amsterdam), lasts for three hours and you can choose your preferred day and time with a “skip the line” option at the clubs: as soon as you arrive you well, yay. The text is clear and there is no mention of a tasting tour of the renowned Tuscan wine, no: the goal is drinking to get drunk.

“Join a guided walking tour of Florence to meet like-minded travelers,” the tour descriptions read, “sip delicious Italian drinks and listen to historical tales. With the help of a local guide, you’ll explore the charming Santa Croce district and visit some of the city’s most sought-after bars, including a famous wine showcase! By the end of the evening you will be drunk on more than just history. You’ll end the tour on Via Benci, Florence’s renowned nightlife street, where you can continue partying with your new friends.” Among the caveats is that you can conveniently cancel within 24 hours without charge and that it is reserved for people over 18. Specified that food is not included; after all, drinking on an empty stomach is more efficient. Groups are usually between 15 and 20 people.

Similar cultural offer is offered in Rome: “Drunk History Walking Tour with drinks included” highly rated according to 284 reviews for a rating of 4.9 out of 5. Cost 49 euros per person. The neighborhood will be Monti, the meeting point is in Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, in front of the fountain. “Please arrive 10 minutes before the indicated start time as late arrivals do not entitle you to a refund.”

The description highlights that you will be sampling “authentic Italian drinks such as sambuca, classic carpano, and wine” and then again the reference here to the company of friends to be found and the sex venues: “Don’t think of it as a pub crawl, think of the Rome Tipsy Tour as a social and cultural experience where you will experience the best of the city after dark. We will meet at Piazza della Madonna dei Monti where you will meet your local guide and a group of fellow travelers before heading to Monti, one of Rome’s trendiest neighborhoods. Your guide will reveal all the secrets of this neighborhood, telling you about its dark and scandalous past as a red light district where gamblers, gangsters and sex workers once roamed. Along the way, you’ll stop at atmospheric bars to try authentic Italian drinks like wine, spritz and sambuca. The best part? You’ll get to make memories with like-minded people and experience Rome the Italian way, with drinks!” The Colosseum will be for another time. Taking a look at the free slots to book we see that there is no room until late September.

We go across the Channel and see in the London capital that the invitation is to spend the “vibrant nightlife of London! Join the Cheers Tour to socialize, drink local drinks and explore the city’s party scene. Say goodbye to boring tours and embrace vacation excitement. Start with a lively toast and local cocktails, setting the tone for an epic night. Venture into lively neighborhoods and trendy bars, discovering captivating stories and hidden secrets.”

The cost per participant is 59 euros (yes, the website mentions euros, not pounds) and includes four drinks and visits to four bars “carefully selected for an immersive and exciting experience.” That would be The Blind Pig (“a hip speakeasy in Soho”), Gordons Wine bar (“London’s oldest wine bar. Enjoy fine wines and discover the bar’s fascinating history dating back to the 19th century”), The Shard (“iconic skyscraper, for breathtaking views from its rooftop bar”), and Trafalgar Square.

The new fashion in art cities: drunken tours

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