This may be a dumb question, but is the tap water in Italy & France OK for drinking ... or should we be buying bottled water?

Running Paris Marathon, and need lots of hydration.

Thanks for the help.

I spent 2 weeks in Italy...Rome and Sicily mostly. I drank tap water almost every day and never had a problem.

The water is perfetly healthful and should not bother most people.

However, some people have very sensitive GI tracts and water with different mineral content will be a problem for them. If you can drink water in all areas of the US with no problems you should be fine. If you have problems in areas with different mineral content
- stick with bottled.

Do as you would at home. In a recent tour of my local U.S. water treatment plant the tour guide said that we'd just switched over to the superior system of water treatment long popular in europe - something to do with ozoniation or some such term.

So water in France, which he was referencing may well be even better than yours at home.

I think the problem with water, if any, may more come from antique hotel pipes which could be made of lead and not the water itself.

That said bottled water is extremely cheap in both countries.

Would you drink the water in Washington, D.C.? Well, the water in Paris certainly tastes better.

Yes before our local water treatment switched to the method used in France our water had a distinct taste which was unpleasant to folks who hadn't grown up with it.

My French son when he came to visit found the taste very repulsive. After the change the unpleasant taste seems to be gone.

Hi M,

>Running Paris Marathon, and need lots of hydration.<

The tap water in France and Italy is perfectly safe.

However, since you are running the marathon, you might want to get a case of liter size bottles at a supermarket, just in case your tummy is not used to the different mineral content.

The water is perfectly safe to drink here in France, and it Italy as well.

If you prefer bottled water, be aware that different bottled waters serve different puposes.
For example, I would suggest that you not purchase CONTREX... it's a diuretic. Evian or Vittel would probably be the best for you to drink if you're looking for simple hydration.

Patricia

Water quality doesn't vary so much by country as by location. Large cities often have more reliable water supplies than small towns, because they have to (any contamination would be a public-health disaster). Small towns may get their water from just about anywhere, and it may or may not be completely trustworthy.

The water in Paris is fully drinkable and you need not hesitate there.

I get sick from tap water in Europe, my husband doesn't. Only you know how your stomach will react. But I think since you're running the marathon, it would be safest to stick with bottled water.

The problem is not the water, never. The problem is in our body Some people reacts well, and some others don't. If you have to be running...I would stick to bottled water. I've never seen a professional running drinking tap water during a competition...

I meant a professional runner, sorry

It's true some water in the US tastes awful I used to have a client in Cincy and went there at least once a week. The water was so hard that it was practically impossible to shampoo your hair (little lather) and it tasted like dirt (the same way the backyard smells after it rains).

It was so bad I had to drink coffee in the AM instead of my usual tea - since only coffee was strong enough to mask the taste of the water.

But when I mentioned it to the locals they didn;t taste it - but did mention that to them the water in NYC "doesn;t have any taste" - I guess since it's very soft.

Thanks to all for the info - much appreciated.

I think lead water piping went out of fashion with the Ancient Romans in France, Italy and the rest of the civilised world!

Depending on the location, there are still many buildings standing with lead pipes. The risks of lead pipes have only been understood in recent decades, and the easy workability of lead has made it a favorite for pipes not only for the ancient Romans but also for much more recent civilizations, right up through the 20th century.