Rome, in summer, is a welcoming city full of colours, opportunities and words. Here, you can improve your knowledge of Italian at Dilit International House. Are you ready for a new experience full of fun and discovery? In the mornings you will attend your Italian course classes with new friends from all over the world and in the afternoons you will participate in our activities, all strictly in Italian. What could be better than an ice cream with friends or a wonderful guided tour of the city's attractions or lesser-known streets?
But now let’s discover a curiosity about Rome that you might not have known! We are talking about the history of the... Nasoni.
The nasone, (a big nose) is the name that the Romans (and not only) have given to the famous fountains scattered all over the city. And what could be better than a refreshing cool drink of water in the Roman heat? There are about 2500 'nasoni' (fountains) in Rome and they are called so due to the shape of the 'faucet' from which free drinking water gushes out uninterruptedly. Just think, you can even download an app, Waidy Wow, and by selecting 'Rome', you can easily locate these quaint little fountains and drink some fresh water between cultural visits and chatting in Italian.
However, if there aren’t any 'nasoni' around, Rome also offers a large number of characteristic fountains and drinking fountains with a total of 2800 drinking water sources.
But how, when and why were the nasoni born?
The nasoni were born in 1874 from a lucky idea of the then Mayor Luigi Pianciani and councillor Rinazzi. Cast-iron drinking fountains, 120 cm high and weighing 100 kg, were built in the suburbs and in the centre, their function being to increase and integrate the town’s water supply. The 'turrets' had three dragon-shaped nozzles and the water flowed into the sewers through a system of grates.
Over the years, however, the design was modified and the three nozzles were replaced by a single, smooth nozzle. The big nose as we know it today was born.
If you happen to be close, it is worth going to Piazza della Rotonda, Via di San Teodoro (Dilit also organises a walk here!) or Via delle Tre Cannelle (in fact!!) to admire the original shape of the world's most famous fountains.
But that's not all! In fact, in Rome, you can also find some travertine fountains named 'della lupa imperiale' (of the imperial she-wolf) because the water comes out of a brass she-wolf head. Today there are about 70 of them, still functioning in Rome's parks and in the Olympic Village and they date back to the 1920s and 1930s.
Like the nostrils for our noses, the nasal nozzle also has a tiny hole at the top. Here's the magic! By blocking the main outlet of the nozzle with a finger, water will gush upwards. So even if you don't have a water bottle, you can still drink in a safe and hygienic way.
Imagine: it’s August, you have just finished your Italian lesson at Dilit and in a very short time you are at the Colosseum. It's hot. No problem! There are more than two thousand fountains in Rome that are true works of art; the most famous being Bernini's Barcaccia and the Trevi Fountain, the history of which you can learn during one of the visits offered by the school.
And speaking of holes in the noses and holes in the fountains... Have you ever heard of 'Roma dal buco'? Maybe not, because this is the classic name the Romans give to one of the city's most fascinating attractions: on the Aventine Hill you can peep through the keyhole of the gate of the Priory of the Knights of Malta to see St Peter's dome from a whole new perspective.
But Rome is so magical that, even if it is summer, we also have snow! In Santa Maria Maggiore, in fact, the commemoration of the miracle of the Madonna della Neve is celebrated every 5 August and you can watch a spectacle that has been going on since 1983. Every year, at midnight lots of white fake snowflakes fall from the sky. This tradition has its origins once again, in a legend: in 385 A.D. the patrician Giovanni and his wife, who were childless, decided to use their wealth to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. On the night between 4th and 5th August, Our Lady herself appeared to them in a dream and Pope Liberius, informed of this, also claimed to have had the same dream. And so, going to the place they had all dreamt of, he finds it covered in snow despite the torrid summer heat. It will be here that the new church will be built.
So as you can see, Rome is a magical city even in summer. We are waiting for you to discover it together.
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