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Free water not offered in Italian restaurants?

Having recently returned from two weeks in Italy, one thing I found remarkable there is how water is rarely if ever offered free of charge in restaurants as it is almost universally in the US. You can of course purchase bottled water, but from what I understand the whole classical American experience of being offered water free of charge in restaurants along with your meal just doesn't exist in Italy. At first I thought it might just have been in the tourist-frequented restaurants such as those we went to, but someone assured me that that wasn't the case. Am I wrong? If this is right, what's the history of this? I wonder how and why this free-water tradition developed in the US and not in Italy? Has this always been the case in Italy? Even in rural restaurants? I'm sure there are web sites about it but I'm curious if anyone here has any knowledge about this phenomenon. And I'm curious to know what is the situation elsewhere in Europe? Thanks for any thoughts.

Posted by
32171 posts

Rick, For reasons that I don't completely understand, the Italians seem to have an aversion to tap water. I asked one of my former Italian Instructors (who was originally from the Veneto) about drinking the tap water in Italy. She turned to me with a horrified expression on her face and said "do you want to die?" In my experience, the tap water in Hotels and other locations is good quality, as is the water in public fountains (as long as there's no sign that states "Aqua non Potabile"). The restaurants seem to be "reluctant" to provide tap water, so I usually just go with the trend and order a half litre of aqua naturale. Cheers!

Posted by
3551 posts

Water is not plentiful as in USA. And their stds are not as strict as ours hence most locals buy bottled water. That is also why european take sponge baths not daily showers and when they do the showers are short or Navy style.

Posted by
833 posts

It is a cultural thing. Even in the hotel I stayed in (we had dinners provided to us there) every night we they brought out bottled water. Even when I've gone to eat with my relatives at their own homes in Tuscany, they will often use bottled water and if they don't use bottled water they still put tap water in a bottle and bring it out to the table. And although some areas are different, this is the way in much of Europe. I experienced it all over.

Posted by
7209 posts

Free water in restaurants is also scarce even in places like Switzerland...which has about THE best tap water I've ever had. With snow up to their eyeballs and glaciers all around - they STILL don't like to give you a free glass of tap water.

Posted by
719 posts

yep, it's a scarcity thing. I've luck asking for tap water in many cases, though.

Posted by
7448 posts

It may be that it stems from when tap water was not as safe, but it is a deeper cultural preference. To sit at a restaurant, it is almost expected that you will have bread and a bottle of water, a few places I have been, it is not even a question the waiter would ask, just bring. I prefer it, so no issue.

Posted by
1976 posts

Rick - good question! I've been wondering why water isn't offered free in Europe. But it isn't offered freely all over the U.S., either. A few years ago when I lived in Denver, there was a drought going on for years. In order to try to conserve water, in restaurants they would ask if you wanted water and if you did, they would always ask if you wanted more before they filled your glass. If you have friends in Europe, you can see how people actually live. All of my friends there are on a budget and don't buy bottled water - they drink from the tap and the water is fine.

Posted by
59 posts

I don't have any expertise in Italian culture, but I've married into a Chinese family ... one common thing between both cultures might be a love of food and connection to natural health? From what I know, water disrupts digestion and is never, ever taken with meals (I hosted a German student just 11 years old who made the same comment). Then maybe the cost of providing water just adds to the tradition of not offering free water like we do in the US. Just a thought ...

Posted by
65 posts

I am so enjoying all these different explanations! Before my trip to Italy just a few weeks ago, I thought of the trend towards bottled water that's swept the US in recent decades as being one of those frou-frou, consumerist, everything-private-is-better cultural trends that America is so great at. Now after seeing in Italy a similar version of the phenomenon, I'm being exposed to another perspective! I am very curious to know how old this trend is in Europe. The bottled water craze as it is now in the US certainly didn't exist here when I was growing up, but maybe it's longer-established in Europe, and doesn't have the same cultural 'feel'. I'd be curious to know if European restaurants before World War II offered free tap water. I can't imagine that there was much bottled water there before the War, but I could be completely wrong. How did the Italian cultural tradition of distrust of tap water begin, especially in a country with such healthy tap water? I'd guess it began from a time before municipal filtration systems became widely available, and then was given a boost by the bottling companies augmenting the cultural trend as a nice source of profit (for them AND the restaurants?). But it would surprise me to learn that Europe historically lagged behind the US in developing good municipal water systems. I'm a bit skeptical about the 'scarcity' argument but I could be totally wrong. It doesn't seem like the amount of water that could be sipped by customers in restaurants would constitute any important percentage of the overall water supply used by industry, agriculture, etc. But symbolism is everything. I wonder how much European homeowners pay for water compared to Americans. Anyway, thanks for all the answers-it's been great food for thought.

Posted by
65 posts

And presumably the same is true for restaurant owners...

Posted by
9403 posts

You asked about other European countries...In France, you can get free tap water but they don't bring it to you unless you ask for it. Growing up in France in the early 60's, everyone bought and drank bottled water. Then and now, when we are at friends houses in France, they always serve bottled water. I'm sure it originates from the days when tap water wasn't safe.

Posted by
833 posts

Note that this is mostly at restaurants and meals. Walking around Rome (and other Italian cities) there are public fountains with water that is just fine to drink. No one buys bottled water from the stands except tourists, Italians just refill at these fountains. But when it comes to restaurants, people don't really drink tap water.

Posted by
1035 posts

So, Italian kids don't drink from the garden hose like we did as kids? No answer required.