The Italian Drinking Fountain - La Fontanella Italiana
I have always been fascinated by the Italian fountain, and I don’t mean the gorgeous larger then life famous ones (of course I love them too), but the small daily drinking fountains (fontanelle or nasoni) that are present in so many piazzas, side streets and tucked away corners of cities and villages. Le Fontanelle (little fountains) or Nasoni (big noses) are found all over Italy and in fact Rome alone houses over 2,500 of them that are still in use today! These “fontanelle” supply fresh deliciously free drinking water to thirsty Italian residents as well as tourists, and if you keep your eyes open for them you will be surprised just how many there are. These lovely fountains can be elaborately decorated or very simple with just a spout. They can be big or small or they can be built into a wall. They all seem to be unique though, even the simple ones will have something different about them. You can drink out of the water pouring our from the spout or fill up your bottle. The ones that have the larger spouts (these are the ones I think of as “nasoni”) usually will have a little hole on top of them and if you put your finger over the spout the water will be directed to this little hole and shoot upward. Fancy huh! :)
With most of these Fontanelle or Nasoni it is pretty apparent that they are a drinking fountain. With the few that I have pictured on the walls below there could be some confusion because they are very decorative and look like a classic fountain with water collecting in the basin. If you are unsure you can wait for an Italian to walk along and drink out of it first…haha. If it says “non potabile” - which means “undrinkable” it is obviously not a drinking fountain. Also, if it isn’t easy access than it is most likely not for drinking. If you are still unsure you can ask or move onto another fountain that is clearly for drinking :)
On my last trip to Italy in November 2019 I tried to photograph as many as I could find so that I could share them with you. I made a game out of spotting them. It was fun to add another layer to our adventure. Below is a collection of photos as well as my experience.
Venice
Florence & Tuscany
Rome & Lazio
Umbria - Puglia
MY EXPERIENCE - My first sip out of an Italian drinking fountain was at the very end (I’m sorry to say) of my first trip back in 2002. So many people told me not to drink the water and only to drink bottled water. I didn’t know any better so I took there advice. It was on one of my last days in Rome, it was late April and it was hot. I had just walked through Roman Forum which has absolutely no shade and I was out of water. At the top of hill with Piazza del Campidoglio and the Capitoline Museums as you are heading away from the Roman Forum there is a little fountain on the wall called La Fontana dell’Acqua Marcia. I didn’t care whether I got sick or not…I needed a drink of water. That day I tasted the best water I had ever had in my life. Part of this may have been due to the fact that I felt like I was about to die…lol…or the fact that Rome really does have incredible fresh spring water flowing from it’s fountains. Either way, it was a moment to remember and I have returned to that same fountain several times to enjoy that experience over and over again. I have taken both of my kids there to drink out of the same fountain too, and my husband even had a painting commissioned from the picture that we took of me and my son on our first trip together :)
