Bottled Up: Water Access in Italy

Being a self-proclaimed health nut, I aim to drink around 80 ounces of water a day back at home. I have invested in high quality water bottles that keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours, and even track it all on an app on my phone (shameless plug for S’well bottles and Water Logged). After hearing in health classes since elementary school to consume 8 glasses of H₂O a day, it has become second nature. Following this vital habit has not been as simple in Italy.

While water flows freely and in abundance at American restaurants and public buildings, the case is not the same abroad. Italy’s checkered past with water systems has resulted in tap water being feared. Prior to 1994, the Italian water industry was handled by over 13,000 different providers with negative results (Lippi, 2012). In 1994, the government passed The Galli Law with aim to defragment the water system and improve sanitization (Lippi, 2012). The system is still fragmented and there is a slight geochemical risk still at play, but the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development reports that the quality of public water is excellent (ENEA, 2015). Italian public health officials still preach the safety of their water, with the Florence city website stating and restating that drinking the public water poses zero health risks as required by law (Citta di Firenze, n.d.). Despite this, Italy consumes the seventh highest amount of water bottles in the world, with 55% of their beverage purchases being bottled water and wine (Illsley, 2017). More than 40 gallons of bottled water are consumed per person per year in Italy, creating a litter issue in cities such as Venice (Rosenthal, 2009). You would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that serves tap water for free and doesn’t charge at least one euro for a 16 oz bottle.

Though many Italians are still hesitant to drink tap water, there are ways to make quenching thirst a little easier. Drinking plenty of water has a plethora of benefits, such as maintaining bodily fluids, providing energy, and promoting liver function (Zelman, 2008), and is extremely important here with temperatures reaching the mid 90s. Since water comes at a cost, I am now accustomed to bringing my own water bottles into Florentine restaurants and filling them up in their bathrooms, rationing out my sips for convenience. Some Italian cities, including Rome and Venice, have public water fountains available for use (pictured right). Florence has sixteen public water fountains around the city, some which even provide sparkling water (inFLorence Staff, n.d.). While they can be difficult to find, the refreshment they provide is worth the search – just make sure to bring your own bottle!

This post was written by Hannah Calvert, a senior majoring in Political Science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She aspires to be the Mayor of Muncie, Indiana and have a career in public policy.

Citta di Firenze. (n.d.). Water. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://en.comune.fi.it/city/environment/water.html

ENEA. (2015, March 26). Italian water? One of the best in the world, though…. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://www.researchitaly.it/en/success-stories/italian-water-one-of-the-best-in-the-world-though/

Illsley, C. L. (2017, March 1). Top Bottled Water Consuming Countries. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-bottled-water-consuming-countries.html

Lippi, Andrea.  (2012, November 20). The Governance of water policy in Italy. Retrieved July 17,

            2017, from https://f.hypotheses.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/146/files/2012/12/Lippi_Athens_2012.pdf

inFLorence Staff. (n.d.). Bring your bottle and Florence will provide you fresh water. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://inflorence.me/en/open-air-stories-en/bring-your-bottle-and-florence-will-provide-you-fresh-water/

Rosenthal, E. (2009, June 11). Known for Its Water, Venice Turns to Tap to Lessen Trash. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/world/europe/12venice.html

Zelman, K. M. (2008). 6 Reasons to Drink Water. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water