Let\u2019s get the easy one out of the way. Tap water in Rome is perfectly safe to drink. Punto e basta<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But does that mean you can always drink it? Not at all. I remember the day I first moved to Rome, and while I was settling in with new roommates, I grabbed a glass and went to the tap to fill it up. My roommates gave me a look as if I had just dipped my glass in the toilet. In Italian households, it\u2019s considered uncouth to offer people water from the tap, even though it\u2019s perfectly drinkable, and therefore everyone has a bottle or two in their fridge of still and\/or sparkling water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In restaurants, this is also true (more on that below). However, there\u2019s an exception. At a bar, if you ask for a glass of water, you usually receive tap water. The glass is allowed to overflow for a second, apparently to clean the glass. Why tap water is virtually forbidden at restaurants but omnipresent at bars is one of those little mysteries of Italian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n