BIG NOSES IN ROME
If you’re planning to visit Rome you’ll get familiar with large noses, and I’m not talking about Pinocchio.
Everywhere in the eternal city you’ll find small drinking fountains available to everyone. Their name in italian is “nasoni” which means, literally “large noses”.
Of course, the nasoni are a blessing in summer, but they come handy all year long, anytime you need to refill your empty bottle of water. By the way, don’t be afraid to drink from them–the water in Rome is absolutely drinkable as long as you don’t drink it for long periods of time because its minerals would affect your kidneys after a couple of years.
Anyway, coming back to our large-nosed friends: they appeared for the first time in 1874. The romans noted immediately that the faucet resembled a huge nose and before you can say “vini vidi vinci” the small fountains were already known by its current nickname.
The people in Rome are very fond of their nasoni and even though some claim they’re not very ecological, every time the city council tries to get one removed the citizens defend their fountain and do everything possible to keep it in its place.
Befroe i go, i’ll tel you a secret for beginners- if you want to use a nasone with some style, cover with your finger the end of the faucet; that will make the water gush upwards to you through a little hole in the tube, so you won’t have to bend downwards to drink from it.
According to some calculations there are roughly 2.000 nasoni in Rome, (you can check a map with all of them here) so you are more than likely to see one strolling away in the city, and when you do, don’t forget to take a drink from them, otherwise your visit won’t be complete!
To get a real feel of Rome (nasoni and all) My Hotel or Yes Hotel are great options. Check them and ask for rates and availability trough their websites!
Tritone and finally we arrived at the fountain. Although we did make a side trip to San Crispino, in my opinion one of the best gelataria in [tag]Rome[/tag]. I still think that the best time to go see this marvellous fountain is at night. The lighting is absolutely exquisite and the way it shimmers of the waterfalls and off the water in the basin is really beautiful. The sound is also very relaxing and calming. The piazza was virtually deserted except for a few couples soaking up the romantic atmosphere and one very spaced out dude dancing while listening to his mp3 player.
It was also very very quiet and the only sound that could be heard was the few people chatting and the water. Where there are usually loads of annoying vendors asking to take your picture or trying to sell roses there were only two. The police were also there but I think they were more worried about the money in the fountain or making sure nobody decided to take a late night dip and go diving for money. Also, on the right hand side of the fountain there is a little fontanella where you can go and have drink too. There is nothing wrong with the water in Rome and wherever you see a fontanella you can drink from it.
My Hotel Rome Blog is the guide for travellers that are planning a vacation trip to Rome.
