Fountains in Italy

[Sweep]

Aint the internet wonderful, despite its problems?

I cycle a fair bit in Sardinia and have always been impressed by the number of fountains of one sort or another (and the vast majority work!) - I;m more likely to die of thirst pedalling along the Thames than through the heart of a Mediterranean summer.#

But how to find them?

Some are on the GPS and others I can find by horse sense, but I've often mused that a techno-list would be handy.

And now some wonderful person has produced this rather smooth Android app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... mdc.nasoni

I've tested it out and it seems excellent -it has some obscure Sardinian fountains that even many locals won't know about.

It includes one of my favourites where folk turn up in cars to cart away loads of jerry cans of their favourite acqua tipple - this sort of thing is quite common for the admirably grounded Sards.

Might be useful for folks forsaking pricey Italian campsites for a bit of free camping.

PS: I note that some of you to cycle in Italy. Please feel free to add fountains of your own to it using the built in tool.

[lebowski]

Wow, nice one. I am italian so it will be very useful to me. Is there anything similar for other european countries?

[Sweep]

Glad you like ir lebowski - if you are in Italy it would be great if you could add some.

As for other countries, I personally don't know.

I wouldn't bother with one for the UK though - being maybe a bit childish/obsessive/short of better stuff to do I make a habit of walking up to fountains I pass to test them. In the UK they virtually never work - even shiny new ones maybe done within the last 5 years as some sort of whizzy "urban project" are usually dry.

Despite its many problems, Italy's fountains, whether glorious or just humble village things, are one of its glories - especially for cyclists.

Are you in Italy?

all the best

[lebowski]

Yes, I live near Treviso (Venice area). I really like Sardinia and have been there many times, but sadly never on bike
Fountains are indeed a great resource for us, and when I do dayrides around here or in the Alps, I don't even bother filling up my bottles before leaving home ...
I'll surely try to update the database of my area!

[Sweep]

Look forward to a water glut around Treviso

You really should get to Sardinia on a bike - I'm sure you know from your visits how good it is for all types of cycling - the natives usually stick to suitably impressive road bikes or mountain bikes - cycle tourists are usually Dutch or German - the poor impoverished fools

One fountain that is in that app (see jokey first pic) - I checked. It's a public water supply that I think may have, remarkably, only been put in for the town after WW II.

But at the bottom of that great big tower, outside the fence of the water plant, is one of those public taps that "in the know" Sards come to in their cars because they prefer the taste.

http://www.aserramanna.it/2013/05/simil ... uo-gruppo/

Clearly the townsfolk know about this but most others wouldn't - Sardinian maps are very poor, the road it is on isn't properly marked on most maps - I came across it by chance as you do wandering on a bike.

But with the app, no problem of course.

The other source of water in Sardinia is the many countryside (really - many in the middle of nowhere) churches. A good chance they will have a water tap.

No shortage of free water in Sardinia*

* but whereas in Britain you usually ask a pub to fill your bottles after you have bought a beer, I well remember going into a Sardinian bar, buying a coffee and pasta, then asking them to fill my water bottle and they refused. Insisted on selling me a bottle of water

Long live the fountains.

[Sooper8]

Italy's fountains, whether glorious or just humble village things, are one of its glories

I totally agree (and Spain isn't far behind).

I think it shows quite a lot about a country. In fact, it probably has some socio-political/cultural deep meaning that needs a whole book to do justice to them.

[Miles_Back]

What a great app!!

[mjr]

Wouldn't it be better to add the fountains to www.openstreetmap.org so everyone can see them and not only users of one app? Which reminds me that I need to remember where the ones I used this summer are and check they're listed.

[Sweep]

Wouldn't it be better to add the fountains to http://www.openstreetmap.org so everyone can see them and not only users of one app? Which reminds me that I need to remember where the ones I used this summer are and check they're listed.

Nothing to stop folk adding them.

I know some fountains show up on the OSM variant on my garmin though there don't seem to be that many of them and they aren't easy to search for.

[mjr]

I know some fountains show up on the OSM variant on my garmin though there don't seem to be that many of them and they aren't easy to search for.

Might be a problem with the garmin. Can you see them at http://www.watersupply.at or on the nisoft or wetap.org apps if you can use them?

Although please add to www.openstreetmap.org rather than watersupply - I'm not sure if watersupply updates appear on the main map.

[Tail End Charlie]

This is great, thanks Sweep.