Safe Water

Good advice above, but I'm a little concerned by the first part of your question. I would suggest that if it is safe for Italians, and all the millions of tourists from all the rest of the world -- it's likely to be safe for residents of the US and Canada. I would have simply asked if it is safe throughout Italy.

Or am I misinterpreting your question?

Absolutely safe! Drink from the drinking fountains on the streets and not the Trevi Fountain! :)

Shelly,
Just came back last week! Not only is it safe but it is delicious and cold! I assume you mean the spigot type fountains (which will be obvious as others will be drinking from them) not the decorative ones- as the other poster said....

Avoid the ones with the warning signs that read "Acqua Non Potabile" or similar. Other than that, you're fine.

I understood the question. Substitute "Mexico" for "Italy". There are some parts of the world where the locals have digestive systems that can tolerate certain things in the water that cannot be tolerated by people from another country whose water is more purified.

I think it was the phrase "for Americans" that bothered Nigel, although I'm sure Shelly didn't mean a thing by it.

Thank you all for your replies. Yes....i knew that Italy would have great drinking water but could I, as an American have the right digestive system to be able to drink it without any problems. So...i feel very safe now...especially i want to drink from Rome's Nasoni fountains. My husbands knows nothing about these fountains and i want to surprise him when we are there next month....Again Thank you all so much....Shelly

Goodness -- Italy isn't Mexico! There is no "Montezuma's [Caesar's?] Revenge" here.

Yes, you can drink the water, as a tourist or as a native. Remember that Italians have known how to bring clean water into their cities from the mountains for as long as the Roman empire was around (think aqueducts!) You're doing yourself a real disservice if you don't take advantage and refill your water bottles at the public fountains, especially since, if you buy a bottle of water from a normal rip-off vendor in a place like the Colosseum, you're looking at 2 Euros a pop.

I've addressed the question of if the water is really safe in Rome more thoroughly on my blog, www.revealedrome.com, here.

Amanda, I wouldn't point to the ancient Romans as experts on bringing in water that would be considered safe by modern standards. After all, they lined their acqueducts and pipes with lead. :-)

http://votumsolvit.com/2008/01/22/lead-and-the-decline-of-empire/

Amanda- Wow...your blog was great and answered my question about the water perfectly....Thank you...Shelly

The only place where we do not drink local water is the small village we visit in Abruzo. They have a problem with water in the summer when the village is full of family escaping the heat of Rome and Naples. Everyone drinks bottled water there.

But otherwise - find a fountain and fill those bottles!!! Best water you'll find anywhere!

Shelly, it's also safe to drink water at the Trevi fountain - on the side near the building (not attached to the fountain itself), there's a constantly running tap. Just look for people using it. You can also drink water from the fountains anywhere in Rome (use the tap, don't dip into the fountain).

Shelly, this link will give you more examples of the "nasoni" in Rome: Water, Water, Everywhere!

Haha, good point Michael! However, I think it's still hard not to be impressed by the Romans' ability to bring water into their city... lead poisoning or no lead poisoning! The Claudian aqueduct alone brought 2,000 liters of water into the city -- per second. Wow. (And even with lead poisoning, Romans -- if they got through childbirth and military service -- could expect to live until their late 60s. Not so bad, really!)

For those who are interested, I actually just posted about the Claudian aqueduct, and about the Park of the Aqueducts in Rome, on my blog.

Shelly - Glad you found it useful and that you liked the site! I'm happy to have helped, and do enjoy your stay in Rome.