How do I ask for free water in Italy?

At restaurants, know what you do and don't have to pay for Yes, you do have to pay for water. (You can ask for “acqua dal rubinetto,” tap water, but it's often seen as a bit rude. Plus, those glasses of tap water will take ages to get refilled by your waiter, if they're refilled at all!).



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Rome's nasoni fountains provide free fresh drinking water. Rome is blessed with more than 2,500 drinking fountains, known as nasoni, which provide residents and visitors with free fresh water all year round.

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In fact, it's a customary practice for restaurants to serve tap water to diners at no cost. However, some higher-end or tourist-oriented restaurants may offer both still and sparkling bottled water, which is typically not free and will be listed on the menu with a price per bottle.

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Some guides advise bringing one with you from home. But plastic water bottles work just as well, and they're sold in every cafe in Italy. Buy one when you're here and just keep refilling it at the fountains you'll see everywhere.

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Been visiting Italy yearly since 1996 and always drinking the water, brushing teeth with tap water, etc. Not sure where the concern is directed. That said, though, it's as easy there as it is here to walk into a shop selling cold drinks and get a bottled water if you want. But I truly would not be concerned.

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The response to grazie that you're most likely to use or hear is prego (you're welcome), or you could say di niente (not at all). For greater emphasis you can use s'immagini or si figuri in the formal form, and figurati informally (don't mention it).

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