I know that the water from most any spigot in Italy is supposed to be safe to drink, but I am wondering about the possibility of lead in the pipes of many old locales? Any thoughts?
Suzanne, on Maui
Posted by
La Crescenta, California, USA
361 posts
Been to Italy many times and have had no side effects from drinking the tap water and I doubt you need worry. If this is a major concern then you can purchase bottled water, all you need to decide is if you want it with gazz or no gazz (carbonated or non-carbonated).
Posted by
San Francisco, CA
166 posts
Agree with Jerry. Bottled water is cheap and plentiful if you are concerned.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
I suppose there might be some backwater village in Calabria that might still have some lead somewhere, but unless you're traveling to really obscure places, there's nothing to worry about. Italy is a technologically advanced country and they know about the dangers of lead. Now I will say that a lot of the tap water in Italy tastes kind of funny (explaining why Italians prefer bottled water for drinking), but it's perfectly safe. We got used to always having bottled water "naturale" (meaning without carbonation) in the two and half weeks we just spent in Italy.