Water in Rome: Can I Drink Tap Water in Rome?

All travelers in Rome know how it feels to be thirsty under the Roman sun. Do you know where you can get clean, cold, drinking water in Rome? That’s right, everywhere! The many ever-running fountains in Rome will provide you with fresh water while you walk around admiring the beauties. This tool will give you all the details about the quality of tap water in Rome. 

 

Is tap water in Rome safe to drink? If you are visiting Rome for the first time you are probably asking yourself if you can safely drink tap or fountains’ water in Rome. Well, the answer is Yes and we are here to help you find your source of water in Rome.

Do you know where you can get clean, cold, drinking water in Rome? That's right, everywhere!

Tap water in Rome is safe to drink

Since ancient times, Rome was known as Queen Aquarum, the Queen of the Water, and the fountains, besides being fun and beautiful, represented a real show-off of exceptional water availability, which even increased the magnificence and the power of the city.

Rome is full of fountains built over the centuries celebrating the triumph of water.

There are more than 1,500 fountains in Rome, most of the them located in the historic center, others are well hidden in the courtyards of the palaces and the gardens of the villas. Rome is also famous for its over 2,500 “Nasoni” (Big Nose in Italian), cast iron fountains ceaselessly pouring cold drinking water, throughout the city but mostly in the historic center.

There's a hidden tool to find out what's in the water in Rome

Tap water and in Rome either at your hotel, apartment or coming from the fountains is clean and controlled, and you can safely drink it . If you don’t believe what you are told, check for yourself!

In our quest to unveil the hidden tools that can make your life in Rome easier, we want to share with you this very nice tool that allows you to check water quality in the specific area of Rome where you are located.

First of all visit the ACEA website, the utility company providing water in Rome. 

Insert your address in Rome (your hotel, apartment or anywhere you desire to check the water quality in your street).

Then the map will show a small pin.

Click anywhere on the map, outside the pin. And a little window will appear.

Click on the “Clicca qui” and you will be able to download a detailed pdf report of the physical and chemical characteristics of the water with the micro-composition and quantities of relevant elements. you are drinking.

Tap water safe to drink report
Example of water quality report

How to find the closest water fountain in Rome and other Italian cities

All this talk about water quality has made us thirsty.

Due to the summer 2017 water emergency Acea had to temporarily and gradually close part of the 2800 public “Nasoni“. Some, however, have been fully operational. 

If you wish to find where to drink for free, use this free tool with the closest water fountain in Rome and you will find a nasone in your area! 

If your next stop is in another gorgeous Italian city, you can use the same tool to find drinking water in Milan, Turin, Genoa, Trieste, and many other cities.

Health and water quality

Besides being a basic human right, access to drinking water is essential for keeping good health. At a micro-level, water contains elements that are essential for sustaining good health, which may result toxic when their concentration is excessive.

The WHO provides guidelines for drinking-water quality to make sure the dangerous substances remain within the limits. A lot has been done at a

Water for Life Decadeglobal level in the last 15 years, and especially during the Water for Life decade promoted by United Nations. 

To be fair, Italy has a high standard of water quality and has been more than compliant with what is expected. Rome, in particular, has been found to be among the best places for drinking tap water. 

For more technical information about this topic, you can obtain this paper presented at the XV World Water Day at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in 2015 and published by Springer in 2016.

 

Enjoy the free drink!

Still got doubts?

DoctorsinItaly Team

This article was written, curated, and updated by the DoctorsinItaly team, as part of our efforts to share relevant and current information on health and wellness related topics, as well as on life as an expat or traveler in Italy.

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