A tribute to Rome

Description

This first set is dedicated to our beloved city: Rome. It consists of four items:

N° 1 Fountain

N° 1 Street plate

N° 1 Manhole

N° 1 Mailbox

these objects were entirely designed from scratch and highly detailed as in our company’s style.

The fountain also known as “Nasone” (big nose) is composed of three resin elements and one plaster element, the lid can be disassembled as in reality to give wide possibility of customization.

A little history on the “Nasone de Roma”

Only four years have passed since the entry of the Italian troops that sanctioned the end of the popes’ temporal power over Rome. The first mayor of the new capital of Italy, Count Luigi Pianciani finds a disastrous situation. He returns after 70 years of exile and wandering, having waged wars and fought against every foreigner on Italian soil. Garibaldian colonel, in 1849 at the head of only 700 men he blocked Austrian troops who had come to the aid of the Pope at the Furlo Pass. Now he must fight to restore dignity to a population in disarray, living in filth and without aid, subsidies or essential services. He must also fight against the Italian government, which is stingy with aid toward the capital and is reflected in the different wishes of Finance Minister Quintino Sella.

He still manages to get the necessary funds to create medical garrisons, build housing, roads and sidewalks, and even create that network of water supply cherished by the Roman people through cast-iron drinking fountains. Together with Alderman Rinazzi, he plans a new way for Romans to drink. No longer the usual stone, marble, pompous and uncomfortable fountains, but banal and functional cast-iron columns that dispense fresh water for quenching thirst and washing. The first twenty fountains have three spouts in the shape of dragon heads, then they are replaced by a single curved cinnamon that will enshrine their ultimate nickname: “er nasone.”

110 cm tall, weighing 100 kg, they have a simple grate where perennial flowing water drains out. Strange thing, the drinking fountains blaze in the summer sun but the water stays cold because it flows continuously. In addition, a method that only “locals” are familiar with is used to drink without discomfort and is especially hygienic. A simple small hole placed above the cinnamon lets out a stream of water, plugging the general outlet. Over the centuries, the “nosegay” remains unchanged in shape and materials. Only the historical recourses of the last war try to modify it, inserting the fascio littorio and the fascist year of the pose in some specimens. In others, “CONI” appears at the Foro Italico. Some bear the inscription “Rotten Water Aqueduct.” There are about 2,500 “nasoni” in the territory of the municipality of Rome, of which 280 are within the city walls; in addition to these there are another 114 drinking fountains that distribute water free of charge to Romans, tourists and the animals of Rome.

To date only three examples of the first version can be seen in Rome. One is located in the Pantheon Square, and unfortunately it has a missing central quill. Another is located at the foot of the steps of Via delle Tre Cannelle (the reference to another, older fountain), a side street of Via IV Novembre. This is said to be a copy remade in more recent times. The third, non-functioning one is located on Via San Teodoro, at the foot of the Palatine.

Additional information