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Views from Across the Pond
Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT
Nasoni Water Fountains in Rome
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Text and photos by Trevor Cole
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| Olivia eventually mastered the art of drinking from the public nasoni water feature fountains in Rome. | We were in water garden heaven this summer on our trip to Rome where nearly every corner and piazza contains a lavish fountain designed by a famous artist. Some water features are more than aesthetic.
Rome also houses 2,500 small, free-flowing fountains called nasoni. These nasoni provide fresh, clean, ice-cold drinking water for free to the public. Many visitors walk by them daily without knowing they exist. Armed with a little research, I looked for them this year.
The water running through the nasoni comes from a reservoir in the Apennine Mountains, traveling through more than 70 miles of underground channels and emerging -- even in the scorching hot summer -- cold and sweet-tasting.
Rome has never been a city limited in water usage. For centuries, the ancient aqueducts have provided drinking water and supplied water for the numerous baths and fountains in the city. These aqueducts were sophisticated constructions that could carry large amounts of water very efficiently.
Starting around 1874, the municipality of Rome installed some small public fountains to provide the street markets with running water. Later, the multiple nozzles were replaced by a single smooth tube that stuck out in the shape of a large nose, hence the name nasoni.
Being a municipal service, the Romans call it “Acqua del Sindaco” (Mayor’s Water’). Its purity is monitored regularly and rigorously. Hats off to the Mayor! We filled our bottles daily.
Unlike what Americans think of as a public water fountain, the nasoni run 24-7. The constant water flow does not go to waste; it is recycled for use as nonpotable water to irrigate gardens, for industrial cleaning and to flush the sewers.
These cast-iron fountains are so popular, they have become a collector’s item of sorts. People can purchase a replica for their own gardens, if they can find a way to get the 200-pound piece home.
Rome probably has more public water fountains than any other city in the world. There are books and maps dedicated to locating them and even an iPhone application on how to drink from them (plug the end of the spout with your thumb so water will spurt out of the hole on top).
From the Spanish Steps to the Pantheon you’ll find one of these ever-flowing fountains. It’s estimated that there is enough to provide 500 liters per day per family. I’ll drink to that!
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