When we first got to Lucca, we quickly discovered that the water from the tap was... not very good, to say the least. The building we live in is old, and so are the pipes!

This lead us to discover one of Lucca, actually one of Italy's, most quirky habit: getting water from the public fountain.

There is fountain just down the block, on Lucca's small canal, with a sign displaying the results of the analysis of the water (it's drinkable!). Lots of people go there, carrying either classical 5 liter glass jugs, or 6 regular plastic bottles, often wait patiently in line, then fill them with clear and great tasting water. And so do we.

There are actually lots of public fountains in the country side, and some are quite renowned. You can easily spot them by the lines of cars waiting for their turn, and if you are travelling with Italian friends, by their inevitable comments on how good that water is.

posted by michel, 2005-07-19