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The water and environment friendly app conceived by an Acea Group team locates fountains and nasoni across the country
The presentation took place yesterday evening during the event “Rome and water, the love story continues”, organized by the City of Rome and the multiutility

Yesterday evening, during the event “Rome and water, the love story continues”, the Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, and the CEO of Acea, Giuseppe Gola, presented WAIDY WOW, the new improved version of the app that cares about water and the environment.

The initiative was held at the Gianicolo fountain in the presence of Acea Group Operations Director, Giovanni Papaleo and Stefano Battistelli, the first male Olympic swimming gold medalist (Seul 1988), representing the Italian Swimming Federation.

The event opened with two great performances. The first, by the brass quintet of the Italian Cinema Orchestra – national musical excellence headed by Marco Patrignani that promotes the artistic and cultural heritage of film music across the world – who performed in honor of Ennio Morricone (“A Fistful of Dollars”, “Cinema Paradiso” and “Mission”), the 100th anniversary of the birth of Piero Piccioni (“Il Medico della Mutua”, “Ma ‘ndo Hawaii”, Rugido do Leao”), the 100th anniversary of the birth of Giulietta Masina (“La Strada”), and of Raffaella Carrà (“Ma che musica maestro!”). Followed by Franco Ricordi’s interpretation of the 26th Canto of the Divine Comedy’s Inferno, to mark 700 years from the death of the great poet.

Waidy Wow was created by a team of Acea Group employees taking part in Innovation Garage, an entrepreneurship program organized to promote the culture of creativity and innovation within the Group. Its objective is to bring value to water resources and the beauty of the territory. By mapping the water points, the app aims to promote responsible water consumption in name of sustainable development, contributing to reduce single-use plastic.

Since the first version was launched last year, the app has evolved. The new mapping includes 50,000 drinking water points (such as nasoni drinking water fountains and Rome’s historical fountains) located all around the country, instead of the initial 6,000. Additionally, users will be able to report water fountain issues directly to the provider (this service, however, is available only in the areas served by the Acea Group).

Improvements include new graphics; a function that allows to find and add water fountains that are not shown on the map; the section “History and Content”, updated weekly; real-time sustainability indicators; the option to create pedestrian, bicycle, or running routes and select multi-media and themed routes with narrative maps.

Another new addition is the themed route across the Capital to discover the fountains that featured in famous films: a map that traces the locations that have contributed to the city’s cultural life, a 14-stage journey that goes from the Gianicolo fountain to Parco degli Acquedotti and along the most famous narrow streets of the historic center, guided by the voices of journalists and film critics.

“Rome, with its historical fountains and aqueducts, has a deep-rooted relationship with water. With the Waidy app created by Acea we bring together innovation and add value to water resources. A tool available to everyone that evolves and improves with new functionalities and options to discover and promote the city’s tourism assets. The project fits perfectly in the plan to relaunch the City of Rome internationally. The additions to the latest version include the ability to enjoy Rome following a route that connects the city’s water features with the history of cinema. Our journey to ensure clean, safe, controlled, accessible water used sustainably and consciously, continues”, said Mayor Virginia Raggi.

“Over the last few years, Acea Group’s commitment to sustainability has focused on large business projects as well as on activities aimed at encouraging simple everyday actions that can contribute to reduce the impact on the environment. The evolution of the Waidy App represents an important stage of this journey to promote a more aware use of water and reduce single-use plastic. Waidy is an example of how technology and sustainability can tangibly and effectively contribute to improving and promoting a greener culture” said CEO Giuseppe Gola.

“Less than a year after launch, Acea presents the new version of the Waidy app that has extended its initial coverage and now maps 50,000 drinking water fountains and distribution points, including fountains and nasoni, located all around Italy, including in areas not served by the Acea Group. In fact, lately the company has significantly accelerated the digitalization process in its business areas, starting from the water sector” said Operational Director Giovanni Papaleo.