If there is one thing Venice isn’t missing its water. Pretty obvious right? Venice is known worldwide for its lagoon, romantic canals, and above all, having been built on water.
Yet there is a little surprise reserved for all Venice lovers and that is there isn’t only salty water surrounding it but also a network access to public water from a hydraulic system. Good and free. In fact while walking along Venice you will often bump into -when most needed- many fountains. They are certainly a perfect accent to many beautiful campos (if you pay attention, you’ll uncover others inunexpected places).
But is the water from the fountains potable? Absolutely! And not only, it is particularly delicious, fresh, and above all controlled. So during the hot summer days and long walks about Venice, just like green oasis in the desert, these provincial fountains will quench your thirst!
Before the city’s aqueduct system was built the principal source of fresh water came from collected rainwater stored and filtered by an ingenious and futuristic system that included campi and wells. Today to avoid consuming dozens of plastic bottles, we can take advantage of these public “springs” and have fresh water whenever (unfortunately, some of these fountains are closed but there are still many still actively available).
If you are expecting large ornamental fountains your likely to bedisappointed. Venice doesn’t have a Trevi fountain, the only larger scale fountain is found in the Giardini of Castello. The fountains scattered about the city have a precise and functional design whose goal is to distribute water-even to our four legged friends-in the most practical way possible. The cylindrical form and material (cast iron) in which they are made of allow the Venetian fountains to blend in perfectly with the islands surroundings. Here is where to find them.
