Is it safe to drink the water from the fountains found all over the older parts of Rome?
When I visited Rome and walked around the older sections, I saw many different types of fountains that were constantly running with water. Some went into the ground, some collected in basins, etc.
Is the water coming out of these fountains potable? Safe for visitors to drink from? Any etiquette regarding their use that a visitor should know about?
These are the fountains known as nasoni (or "large noses"), for example:
Best Answer
Assuming that decorative fountains with statues and a large water basins are also meant by the word "fountain", these are not a potable source - in history, the water must have been taken from a high-level placed water source, which would give power to the fountain, and that source might be a river or a pond or anything else.
Modern fountains like this one are recycling their own water instead, so it gets dirty over time, that implies it's not drinkable either.
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Can you drink the water from Roman fountains?
The answer is yes \u2013 you can drink from the fountains in Rome. The water is completely potable, and to be honest, will save you a lot of money on your walking treks around the city. Say no to the street sellers peddling expensive water bottles near the sights, and fill up your own!Can you drink from the aqueducts in Rome?
The Roman aqueducts supplied fresh, clean water for baths, fountains, and drinking water for ordinary citizens.What diseases can you get from water fountains?
Illnesses that spread from a water fountains: The most common forms of bacteria found in school water systems are Legionella, E. coli, Giardia, Norovirus, and more. These diseases typically cause flu-like symptoms, upset stomach, aches, and, at times, severe infection.Are water fountains full of germs?
What's On The Surface? Besides the tap water being contaminated with chemicals and bacteria \u2013 the fountain itself is likely covered in germs! Drinking fountains are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. The more people who come in contact with the public fountain \u2013 the more germs there are.A Guide to drinking Fountains in Rome (Nasoni) | Walks of Italy
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Answer 2
Don't directly drink with your mouth; use a bottle or put your finger one the spout and the water will flow up from the small hole.
Answer 3
Based on your question, I would assume you are not a native European. I would feel just as surprised if I went outside of Europe and someone told me I must not drink from a certain fountain, just as you would when you see tons of people drinking from fountains everywhere. Fountains in Europe are actually very common, and I believe there are 3 types of water you can run into, while drinking from them.
You could come across normal water, just like the one you would drink home. It has been filtered by the city's household water suppliers.
The other kind is spring water - coming from the mountains, though in most cases fountains are built at the site where a spring is rushing out locally. It is safe to drink, non-filtered natural water.
The third kind is also very common for me, since I come from Bulgaria, though not as common everywhere in Europe - mineral springs. Just as normal springs, fountains are build around the place where such a spring would emerge, but it is actual mineral-rich water you can drink for free!
The only article I could find about this in English is this rather short one.
It says that only about 30% of the mineral spring are utilized, and this would most likely be due to the rest occurring at hard to reach places. We do however have huge mineral fountains in a few cities where there are above the average by water debit mineral springs. People with multiple 10 liter (~2.62 gallon) water tubs are often sighted at these places, where they stockpile free mineral water for the week.
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