Originally published at: Dumb tourist climbs across Rome's historic Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle (video) | Boing Boing
…
2 Likes
I was going to remark “she knows that water is almost certainly unsafe to drink, right?” and then I spotted this further down the article:
Elsewhere in Italy, tourists routinely swim in Venice’s canals, which double as the city’s sewer system. In August last year, two Australians surfed down the Grand Canal, while in May, Americans stripped off for a skinny dip beside the 14th-century Arsenale landmark.
What could be more romantic than skinny-dipping in the middle of a transit/sewage system?
19 Likes
Memo from: The World
To: Tourists
We hereby announce that all landmarks and historic sites are now closed worldwide due to the fact that you people are idiots. You did this to yourselves.
13 Likes
I’ve been there!
So, uh, fountains are usually recycling their water. So what ever crap has fallen into the fountain basin is just being stirred up and pumped out. Unless she has a thing where she is saving water from famous fountains, you’re going to make yourself sick doing that.
8 Likes
whatever crap
Possibly the filthiest stuff you very early teach your children not to put in their mouths:
Money.
Trevi’s fountain is where all tourists (and some Romans) throw coins, tradition says that if you do that you’ll come back to Roma.
5 Likes
I’m wondering if anyone has tried to fill a water bottle in one of Kansas City’s fountains. I’m sure someone has. I definitely wouldn’t try it when they’re dyed blue.
3 Likes
I’m thinking that the officers could have let her drink her bottle of water in front of them as punishment for her crime but then that may be a bit much.
1 Like
It probably is, but I’m finding conflicting sources online as to whether or not the fountain is still supplied with continuous fresh water directly from Aqua Virgo, which is the only ancient Roman aqueduct still in service. At over 2000 years old that aqueduct is one impressive feat of civil engineering.
6 Likes
amoebas
4 Likes
I - uh - did just wash off my hands that got something on them the other day at a park. But I wouldn’t DRINK it.
1 Like
As a Roman (though no longer living there), this both totally gross and also not surprising, given the absolute insanity of tourists I saw both this summer and last.
That said, contrary to what @Brainspore and @Mister44 are wondering, the water is almost certainly good to drink. The same water comes out of both Rome’s decorative fountains and public drinking fountains, which look like the one below, were installed about 250 years ago, and pour water 24/7.
The vast majority of water in Rome’s fountains comes from Lake Bracciano via Roman aqueducts plus their modern equivalents.
The fountains, including the Trevi, certainly don’t recycle their water, because there are no pump rooms hidden inside the seventeenth and eighteenth century piping.
11 Likes
I didn’t assume they initially used pumps, but certainly some sort of retrofit could happen.
So its pouring and draining out water all the time? Seems like a bit of a waste, but I guess they aren’t hurting for fresh water?
Yeah, I was always confused about that as a kid, but apparently there has historically just been plenty of water.
That’s been getting a little dicier in recent years with droughts. I think in 2017 they had to shut off many of the fountains.
5 Likes
4 Likes
Rome is kind of built around a water system. I haven’t drunk from the spout of the Trevi but if it isn’t potable now that would be a modern development. When I was visiting friends there years ago one of the wonderful things about Rome I found was that you could fill your bottle with mineral water from a Borromini statue with a font.
Lots of fugly vulgar rococo around but the Roman stuff is great. And the food. I just got round to watching the bicycle thieves recently (great) and recognised some Roman walls where a fantastic restaurant our friends brought us to was.
@SamSam i owe you a beautiful libation of Roman water. Coke may be traditional round here but I think we can hold out for the good stuff.
8 Likes
Too bad for her that she was on the left side of the fountain - to the right side, there is a very easily accessible spout for tourists to refill water bottles and wash their hands and faces, no climbing on sculptured rocks needed.
3 Likes
Hey, if you’ve encountered the brain-eating amoebas at Disney World and walked away from it you can face Venetian feces or Roman protozoa.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
