Hi LV,

>"Acqua con gas o senza gas?"

Depending upon your preference, you are then brought a bottle of either mineral water or plain water. <

IME the waiter has asked if you want your bottled mineral water carbonated or still. Plain tap water is "l'acqua del rubinetto".

>"Acqua con gas o senza gas?"

Depending upon your preference, you are then brought a bottle of either mineral water or plain water. <

Not true. Both will be mineral water, only one is plain mineral water and one is fizzy. As ira points out, tap water is acqua del rubinetto.

Also, you might be askede gassata o non gassata instead of con o senza.

I've also encountered frizzante or naturale/non frizzante.

StCirq, I just returned from Italy last month (my 8th or 9th trip). We most often order "acqua con gas. However, when we ordered "senza gas", we were given plain water -- in bottles w/wine-stoppers or corks (not twist-on caps) at just about every restaurant at which we ate. Never have I asked for "acqua del rubinetto." (Perhaps I eat in dumps, though!)

(btw, I don't pretend to be fluent in Italian, but I speak & understand well enough to get by.)

Here's a good map with locations of drinking fountains - www.colosseo.org/nasoni/inasonidiroma.asp

As for ordering bottled water rather than tap water in restaurants - do the math - two people x 2 euro x 21 nights at the current exchange rate is over $100 just for bottled water just at dinner for my upcoming trip. I can think of other things to spend $100 on. Not to mention the environmental damage all those bottles and the energy used to transport them causes.

Environmental damage???????

Those bottles can be recycled.

The Gulf of Mexico looks like the La Brea Tar Pits and you are worried about glass bottles?

If you want to save your environment, give up your car and ride a bike.

Jesus, Mary, you people are D-A-F-T.

Thin

You forgot Joseph, dear Thin.

ThinGorjus - It's been shown that all those plastic bottles - just them getting made in the first place - uses energy and chemicals. It's just not necessary, that's all. Drinking bottled water is just one more thing we think is "better" for us.

As far as giving up my car - I don't have one and never have. You do suppose things you don't know about, don't you? I live in NYC and we don't need cars (at least most of us) since we have mass transportation. Where do you live?

Plastic bottles?

Who is talking about plastic bottles?

What restaurant serves San Pellegrino or Aqua Panna in a plastic bottle?

You must be eating at restaurants in trailer parks, sweetie darling.

Thin, who drives a gas-guzzling Volvo and proud of it

>It's just not necessary, that's all. Drinking bottled water is just one more thing we think is "better" for us<

Oh, well, Sweetie Pie Honey Bunch, you had BETTER be drinking bottled water when you visit India, China, Nepal, Cambodia, and other third-world countries or you are going to end up in hospital.

But, you wouldn't know that because you aren't a world traveller like THE GREAT AND POWERFUL THINGORJUS.

Don't YOU ever tell me what to do.

Just to be smug, I am going to go out and buy plastic bottles and throw them out the window of my speeding car whilst I am on the Schuylkill Expressway.

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Thin

<<<But, you wouldn't know that because you aren't a world traveller like THE GREAT AND POWERFUL THINGORJUS.>>>

Did anyone else hear the voice from the Wizard of Oz when they read that? Sorry Thin, but that was pretty funny.

Litterer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

(you won't really do that will you?)

On a side note, I have been to nice restaurants who serve bottled water out of giant plastic bottles, and fill your glasses for you. But I have not been to Italy yet...

I've never been offered water in a plastic bottle in a restaurant in Italy. Ever. In fact, I don't think I've ever been offered water in a plastic bottle in a restaurant in the US.

LucieV- How often do you order bottled water in the US? I don't think I have ever seen it on a menu, but that most likey because I don't look, other than San Pellegrino that it. Its just odd to me to order bottled water in 99% of the US, I would not think of doing it unless I know that water if gross (Orlando).

But I got plastic alot in Greece, and some glass.

In several restaurants we ate in Lucca and also Orvieto, they used a filtering system. The labeled bottles were filled with either still or frizzante water. Afterwards the bottles are washed and reused. We paid between 1 and 2 euros a litre.

What is the average price for a bottle of water at a restaurant?

Oh, depending on where you are, it's $1 or so in the States. I had a severely compromised immune system a few years ago and could only drink bottled water, and on doctor's orders, even when I ate in a restaurant. I actually took to bringing a bottle of water with me, because despite the fact it appeared on some menus in the States, when I'd attempt to order it, I'd sometimes be told they were "out" of it.

BC

Why fight over it? We've always ordered wine AND l'acqua del rubinetto and have been very happy drinking both.

SS

The fountains are fine -- and you can't swing a dead cat in Rome without hitting a beautiful fountain in a lovely little piazza. [Sorry about the metaphor -- lost of cats in Rome!!]

The spigots have a hole in the top. Just put your finger on the opening and the fresh clean water squirts out the hole for drinking.

Wonderful!

SS

We were in Italy for 31 days and when we ate at Restaurants we asked for Acqua Naturale Fretta, cold water no gas, Acqua Frizzante is with gas. The big bottle of 75cc -1 lt runs 3-3.20 euro and it was enough for the 3 of us. We never had tap water in Restaurants, we did refill our bottles in fountains with faucets not from the bowls.