Italy is home to a wide range of geological formations, including mountains, hills, and volcanic regions, which give rise to a variety of different types of spring water. In ancient Rome, the capital, also known as Regina Aquarum (Queen of the Water), water was brought to the city through a network of aqueducts, and beautiful public fountains were built throughout the city to provide access to clean water for bathing, drinking, and cooking. The Romans built an ingenious system of aqueducts that are still functioning today and supply the entire city with drinkable water. The water supply for Rome comes primarily from two main sources: the aqueducts that bring water from nearby mountains and the Tiber River. The Tiber River originates in the Apennine Mountains and the water is sourced from underground springs. These springs are located in the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Umbria, and the water is transported to Rome through a network of aqueducts and pipelines. This system took water from those nearby springs on the hills and channeled its flow into a duct regulated only by the force of gravity, on a constant slope of about 2%. Then the water is passed through the “piscinae limariae”, a series of tanks where all the sediments and particulate impurities are deposited on the bottom. This is a brilliantly devised system and process, functioning somewhere between sedimentation holding tanks and decanting. It is truly the freshest supply of drinkable water, and one could say it originated the concept of fresh spring water, as it has been available for public drinking since 312 B.C. The Romans built an ingenious system of aqueducts that are still functioning today and supply the entire city with drinkable water.
Water has always been generously distributed for public consumption throughout Rome and can be obtained at “The Nasoni” which are the characteristic Roman drinking fountains. They are stamped with the inscription S.P.Q.R., which stands for “Senatus Populus Que Romanus”, which means the Senate and the People of Rome. Cylindrical in shape and 1.2 meters high, they are made of cast iron and the water is supplied by a curved spout with a central hole that mimics the appearance of a nose, hence their name.
In Rome there are 2,500 Nasoni fountains, to which must be added the 114 fountains of the peripheral zones and areas outside the city limits, such as Fiumicino. There are 280 inside the walls alone, making Rome the city with the most drinking fountains in the world and the only one that offers its citizens this public service. The water from these public fountains is excellent; 97 percent derives from springs and 3 percent from wells and is always extraordinarily fresh. The origin of the Nasoni dates back to after the unification of Italy, when the first mayor of Rome, Luigi Pianciani, had them installed in the capital between 1872 and 1874 to quench their citizens’ thirst and to vent the water network. They all have the same shape as described, except for the three oldest fountains which are located in Piazza della Rotonda near the Pantheon, on Via della Cordonata and Via di S. Teodoro and which are equipped with three spouts ending with a dragon-faced mouth.
So, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Every time you encounter a public fountain, stop and have a drink of water, odds are you will be standing where once famous Roman warriors, scholars, artists and poets once stood and indulged in the original spring water.
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A nasone, also called a fontanella “little fountain”, is a type of drinking fountain, found in Rome, Italy.