Potabile

Rome has plenty of spectacular sights, but it is full of little things that are just plain cool, too. One of these things is its water system. Not only does it still draw huge amounts of its water from the aqueducts built by the Romans, but all the water in the constantly running fountains found at every turn are drinkable.

I don’t just mean the decorative fountains. I have drunk from the Fontana di Trevi, true, but I mean that there are ancient drinking fountains everywhere.

They are about waist high.

Most have a notch, so that if you block the spout with your finger, a stream shoots up from the joint of the spout like a modern drinking fountain.

This is quite amusing to watch, because the water pressure is pretty darn strong, and there are always enough foreigners who don’t have the skill to direct the water properly to give hysterics to the passer-by.

A few of the fountains have a spout in the shape of an animal.

I think it is supposed to be the mother wolf of Romulus and Remus, but I always think “bear” when I see it.

The water is cold and delicious, not to mention much cheaper than bottled water.

-Maria