Is the tapwater safe to drink in the Tuscany area?

Not a third world country. Water is as good or better than you have at home.

joan, Are you renting an apartment or staying in a Hotel? Generally speaking the water is perfectly fine in Tuscany (and elsewhere in Italy). The only concern I'd have is whether there's a high concentration of lead in the pipes. If you're using water from public fountains, look for a sign that says "Non Potabile". That indicates the water is not safe for drinking. I normally buy one bottle of water when I start the trip and then keep refilling it from the tap. The only place where bottled water is necessary is some places in Greece (and especially the Greek Islands). The people providing your lodgings will be able to provide the best recommendations. Happy travels!

Taps, fountains, all good.

Joan, we drank tap water pretty much the whole time we we were in Tuscany and Rome, and we had no problems. As the other poster mentioned, you will see little public fountains properly labeled where you can refill water bottles. At first, I wondered if the water would bother us, then in (I think it was Lucca), I noticed an old man from a restaurant refilling a bunch of large water plastic bottles, which I chuckled thinking "people will think they are getting bottled water"....and technically it is, but it was rebottled from the public fountain...LOL. Our Rick Steves' tour guide, though, did advise us to stick with bottled water in Florence (a few years ago), as the city evidently had some flooding earlier that year or the year before and locals wondered about the water supply.
So, generally "when in Rome...." Basically, see what the locals are doing when dining out and follow their lead.

All the water is safe to drink, but the water in some cities might taste funny (as it can here in the US). Bologna is kind of notorious for sulfury smelling water.

Thank you everyone for your advice! I know you would think it would be fine to drink the water in Europe, but my husband got extremely sick from drinking tap water in Paris several years ago. High fever, shakes, blackouts and basically doesn't remember three days of the trip there. Horrible experience, so thank you for putting our minds at ease!

Joan, are you sure your husband wasn't drinking wine instead of water?? :-)

joan, Your husband's experience in Paris is an extremely unusual occurrence. I've never had a problem with the tap water there either. The first point that comes to mind, is that why did your husband get sick and not you as well, if you were both drinking from the same water sources??? Is it possible it may have been a Flu or whatever, and not the water?

Hmm. There are public fountains in Italy that have signs saying that their water is not potable. I wonder if he got his hands on a Parisian equivalent. But that's not exactly tap water. If it had genuinely been the tap water, then the whole city would have had an outbreak, I would imagine.

He could have had a food-bourne illness, or suffered from someone's poor hygiene on the plane, etc. I doubt is was the water.

I agree with everyone that it was unlikely to be a water-born illness; if it were many would have been similarly affected. But your husband should not rely on assurances from strangers on a travel board. For his peace of mind, you could just go ahead and buy bottled water.

I agree. Water isn't that expensive. Rather than worry. It'll be easier to just buy water.

Just don't tell the locals that you're doing it to avoid diarrhea. They might be insulted. It's not like Italy is Mexico.