L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano P u b l i c f o u n - t a i n s h a v e a l o n g h i s t o r y i n Italy. They date b a c k t o t h e Roman period when many were built as part of the city infrastructure. The Romans were master architects and engineers, and many of the monumental fountains we see in Rome, including the Trevi Fountain, were built thanks to water transport systems they had created. However, the true devel- opment of public fountains t o o k p l a c e d u r i n g t h e Renaissance, when there was a g r e a t i n t e r e s t i n u r b a n architecture and decoration. It was during this period that s o m e o f t h e m o s t f a m o u s Italian fountains were built, s u c h a s t h e a l r e a d y - m e n - tioned Trevi Fountain in R o m e a n d t h e N e p t u n e Fountain in Bologna. Over the centuries, public foun- tains became increasingly important to local communi- ties, providing an essential source of drinking water at a t i m e w h e n r u n n i n g w a t e r was not yet available in many homes. Crucially, they also turned into places for locals t o m e e t , s o c i a l i z e , a n d exchange news. The ones I'd like to focus on today, are those tower- like, old-fashioned ones that Romans call Nasoni. Nasoni, or "large noses," are the one-of-a-kind, tradi- tional fountains found all across Rome. They get their n a m e f r o m t h e w a y t h e i r spout sticks out like a long nose. Nasoni have become more than just a recogniz- a b l e t r a d e m a r k o f R o m e , they are an integral part of I t a l i a n t r a d i t i o n , e v e n though they are not called "Nasoni" everywhere! I n 1 8 7 4 , a s p a r t o f a n effort to provide Rome's res- idents with potable water, t h e f i r s t N a s o n i w e r e installed: it was a time when t h e c i t y w a s d e a l i n g w i t h multiple cholera and typhoid o u t b r e a k s b e c a u s e o f t h e poor quality of its water, so Nasoni were built to supply residents with an endless supply of pure water at no cost. The original Nasoni were cylindrical in shape and made of cast iron, but they changed in style and struc- ture over time: for instance, the Nasoni of today range from the traditional cylindri- cal shape to more unique and artistic styles, and they are made in stainless steel. A n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f t h e c i t y ' s h i s t o r y , N a s o n i d o more than merely provide r e s i d e n t s w i t h d r i n k a b l e water: they are a symbol of Rome, and the Romans are quite proud of them. Not only they are handy to refill water bottles when you are on the go, but they also have some pretty ingenious fea- tures, like the hole in their spout that reduces the likeli- hood of water pooling and overflowing. They also have a dog-friendly design, with a shallow basin beneath the s p o u t t o a l l o w o u r f o u r - l e g g e d f r i e n d s t o h a v e a drink. W h i l e N a s o n i a r e a n interesting cultural phenom- enon of our capital, they are far from being confined to it. Actually, you're likely to find a beautiful and functional street fountain like Nasoni pretty much everywhere in Italy, from the largest city to the tiniest village. Public fountains in Italy date back to ancient times, when the Romans adorned their cities w i t h b e a u t i f u l w a t e r f e a - tures, which were both func- tional because they provided drinking water to people, and symbolic because they often wanted to show the w e a l t h o f t h o s e w h o h a d them built. F o u n t a i n s l i k e N a s o n i were a familiar sight in my h o m e t o w n . I h a v e f o n d memories of drinking from them during the hot summer months while playing out- side with my friends. The water was always refreshing- ly cool, and we would take turns pressing the switch to let the water flow for each other. The fountains in my village were made of cast iron, just like Nasoni, with an ornate top that, to the eyes of a child, resembled the roof of a castle. What made them even more spe- cial was that they were all the same, and they had the village's coat of arms carved into them. They were paint- ed brown, which gave them a unique character, and it was interesting to see how they had different colors in differ- e n t v i l l a g e s n o t f a r f r o m mine. T o d a y ' s w o r d i s addirittura(ad- dee-riht-too-rah). It is a fascinating term with a rich history and evolving mean- ing. Addirittura, originally, was spelled "a dirittura" and w a s u s e d t o s a y t h a t a n a c t i o n w a s t a k i n g p l a c e immediately. Back in the day, then, you would have said: vado a fare la spesa a dirit- tura senza passare da casa ("I'm going to do shopping immediately, without stop- ping at home"), but we no longer use the word this way. In time, this now-com- mon adverb didn't only gain a "d" and become a single word but also changed mean- ing! Today, addirittura has t a k e n o n a n e w l i f e a s a marker of something sur- prising or unexpected, as in non amo le feste, ma per il s u o c o m p l e a n n o s o n o addirittura andata in dis- coteca! ("I don't like party- ing, but for her birthday I even went to a club!"), or ho cucinato addirittura il tuo dolce preferito ("I even made your favorite dessert"). Addirittura is very versa- tile, which makes it a go-to expression for communicat- ing wonder, amazement, and disbelief: Marco è sempre in ritardo, ma oggi è addirit- tura arrivato con 20 minuti di anticipo ("Marco is always late, but today he even got here 20 minutes early"). It is also the perfect word to show how much you enjoy a meal, as in era così buono che man- gerei addirittura il piatto ("It was so good I'd even eat the plate"). Last but not least, addirit- tura can be used on its own when you answer something particularly surprising, just like when your friend says, ho dormito solo un'ora ieri notte ("I've only slept an hour last n i g h t " ) , a n d y o u a n s w e r , addirittura! ("Really?!"). E' un ottimo ristorante, hanno addirittura cucinato p e r i l P r e s i d e n t e d e l l a Repubblica! It's a great restaurant, they even cooked for the Presi- dent! E ' u n m a n g i o n e , h a addirittura finito gli avanzi del fratello. He loves eating, he even finished his brother's left- overs. Adoro Harry Potter, ho a d d i r i t t u r a c o m p r a t o i l primo libro in Latino e Greco antico! I love Harry Potter, I even bought the first book in Latin and Ancient Greek! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Addirittura – when you even do what you shouldn't! Italian curiosities: the story of Nasoni and street fountains in Italy A traditional Nasone, in Rome (Photo: Annamaria Mejia/Dreamstime) (Photo: Nejron/Dreamstime)

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