There are free flowing water fountains everywhere in Venice and Rome. They are called nasoni, which translates to “big noses”. There are more than 2,500 nasoni in Rome alone.

Ice cold, free flowing, great tasting, portable water everywhere…

What a privilege!

According to the World Health Organization, water born disease contributes to 1.8 million deaths each year. In countries like India, the water supply is so contaminated; drinking out of the tap is like asking for dysentery. Clean, drinkable water is the most fundamental to survival. In the years to come, water will be our most precious and fought after resource, not oil.

We talk about stocking up on water and supplies for the epic 10,000 miles we have ahead of us in The Mongol Rally and I wonder about all the environmental and water conditions I will observe on behalf of Orta Blu. Just as I contemplate what is to come, I walk by a nasoni in Rome and I fill up my bottle.

How convenient it is to have drinkable water at my fingertips. No plastic waste. No fuel and labor spent in the bottling and transportation. Just pure, clear water, as it should be. I wish this were the norm and not an anomaly.

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