Jason Collins at a fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome.
by Jason Collins
While having a conversation about Rome someone asked me if the water is safe to drink. I responded with a resounding “yes!”
On my first trip to Rome, I filled up my water bottle from the tap. One of my traveling companions asked if that was safe, hearing horror stories from Mexico. I had read in multiple spots that it was safe to drink.
After filling up my water bottle at the tap in our rental apartment near the Vatican, I took a big gulp. The water was clean, fresh and gave me no problems. In addition to the tap, I and others drank from nasonis on our walks around Rome. Nasonis are little metal stands about three feet high with a metal spout sticking out like a nose. ( That explains why nasonis means large nose.) We also drank from various public fountains, some which are hundreds of years old.
In fact, most of Rome’s fountains are fed by ancient aqueducts that were repaired by popes in the 15th and 16th century. The picture shows me filling my water bottle at the fountain in front of the Spanish Steps: fontana della Barcaccia. This particular fountain is fed by the aqueduct acqua vergine, which has some channels dating back to the time of Marcus Agrippa, Caesar Augustus’ right hand man, who constructed it in 19 BC.
Pope Nicholas V (reined from 1447 to 1455) had the main channel repaired and constructed an additional channel to bring water to Rome. This aqueduct ultimately ends at the famous Trevi Fountain.
Most of the fountains around the area in the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and Piazza Novena are fed from this aqueduct. Ponder this thought for a moment: in Rome there are restored aqueducts dating over 2,000 years old that still bring life giving water into the city. Here in the United States we think something is really old if it’s over 100 years!
The drought gripping central Italy has made some of the lakes functioning as reservoirs dangerously low, forcing the city to shut off the some of the nasoni. However, many are still in operation for thirsty tourists and locals alike. The nasoni are located all over the city. There is even an app available for download that will tell you all the locations of the nasoni.
Or, as is often the case in Rome, around the corner is a pleasant surprise. In this case, a stream of refreshing, free flowing water that may come from a 2,000 year old aqueduct!
