Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Tourists can be refused tap water, Italy's top court rules
Yes, you can drink tap water in Italy, though it may taste differently
from other places because it is often hard water with a high mineral content. However,
you cannot expect free tap water at a restaurant there. Instead, you are expected
to order bottled mineral water, choosing between sparkling or still. And a
recent ruling by the Italian Supreme Court allowed hospitality venues in Italy to
refuse requests for tap water and serve only sealed, bottled water at the
table. The ruling was made in response to a claim by a woman who was refused to serve tap
water at the restaurant of a five-star hotel in a ski resort. She was offered an
eight-dollar bottle of mineral water when she asked for tap water. She argued
that water is a natural resource and a universal human right. In Italy, however,
laws and regulations do not mandate restaurants to provide free tap water to
guests, and therefore, it is up to individual venues to serve tap water to their
guests. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, a timeless proverb says, but the
woman was visiting from Rome.
Read the article and learn how to order water in Italy.
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