Due to the water shortage in Rome and my first time traveling to Europe I was wondering if local stores sold cases of water. I hear water is scarce and costly. More than wine! We have a large group arriving in one week and with the high temperatures I am looking to buy some cases for the bus. I am assuming no Costco and Walmart type stores so what would be a good alternative?

You just buy a bottle and fill up from your hotel room tap or the public water-fountains when turned back on. Mass use of bottled water is basically wrong for the planet and probably explains why there is a water shortage in the first place.

Any large supermarket.

Bottled water in Italy is everywhere and very cheap. Staying clear of the fancier names - San Pellegrino, Fiuggi, Evian etc you can find a 1 1/2 liter plastic bottle for as low as 17/19 cents- Carrefour, Eurospin and LD have very cheap offerings.

Ditto bilbo. Tap water in western Europe is perfectly safe. Please don't add to the plastic problem. If you insist on bottled water (why? why?) at least buy big bottles and transfer to a smaller one for walking around.

I read it to mean the OP wants to stock up a large coach for the passengers to have as needed. That would mean small bottles -- big bottles and 'decanting' wouldn't work.

But -- I honestly don't understand this need to always have a bottle of water.

janisj and others - with the current heat wave in Italy (yesterday in Florence the perceived temperature was registered at 50C - 122F) carrying some water is absolutely essential. Also with the problems in Rome I would not be so keen on tap water.

I agree with bilbo and others: instruct your group to each bring a travel bottle, and remind them to fill it up every chance they get. We do this traveling in rural Mexico and Brazil, lol--doing so in Rome would be a snap!

You can buy good bottles on Amazon, they come in a range of prices. Some even fold when not in use.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/w...tage.html?_r=0

https://phys.org/news/2017-07-health...ning-rome.html

The water from the fountains (in the walls) in the Roman streets comes from underground springs. It's delicious. The best Rome tip I got on this forum was to drink it! We just filled up our bottles again and agin.

Unfortunately, due to the heat wave and a severe drought, many of the fountains in Rome have been turned off. If I were organizing a large group for a coach trip, I would definitely want to carry water on the bus. I don't understand these people who think you're a wimp if you need to drink frequently when walking outdoors at temperatures over 40 C.

You can buy packs of six two-liter bottles of water in any supermarket at reasonable prices. If you want to offer half-liter bottles of water to the people in your group, you may need to buy them singly, but, again, a supermarket will have the best prices.

triple bilbo. The massive use of bottled water in countries with safe water disgusts me. In the US, this has grown massively in the last decade or so, and it baffles me. Every store (grocery, Kmart, etc) now has pallets of bottled water near the front door and many people buy massive flats of it, even low income people (I live in a transitional neighborhood with a lot of low income people, and see this). We live in a city with perfectly safe drinking water. People are so selfish and irresponsible about environmental issues, I really don't comprehend why people want to spend money on something completely unecessary. If they claim they don't like the taste of tap water (which is fine for me), they could be using Britta water filters with a pitcher or something, but no, they have to contribute massively to the plastic bottle water waste and pollution.

Check with the tour/coach company -- it is very possible they stock water on board . . .

Thanks Jean.

I really doubt the bus company stocks water.

Every supermarket in Italy has 12 packs of small bottled water & 6 packs of the large.

If the planet is going to collapse (and it probably is), I wouldn't blame this tour group or anybody sensibly trying to stay hydrated in hot weather.

Get a grip folks.

If you're not part of the solution, massimop, you're part of the problem.

Carrying one's own bottle is like carrying one's own grocery bags: it's better and more convenient, only people won't see it until they are forced to.

I wouldn't be surprised if the bus comes stocked with water bottles, though, that's a common feature of such tours.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the bus comes stocked with water bottles, though, that's a common feature of such tours."

True.

Then the bus company is part of the problem not the solution.

I think it is, yes! But just because there are disposable bottles doesn't mean one has to use them.

Again, bringing one's own personally selected water bottle is easy.

I remember having this argument years ago about plastic grocery bags, which the US refuses to outlaw (and most stores still don't charge for). Your own reusable cloth bags are better than the freebies.

Oh, also, these travelers ought to be bringing their own shopping bags from home, right? Heaven help us if they buy some souvenirs and are given a bag to carry them in. Let's not think. Let's not look at circumstances Let's all force people to adopt one-size-fits-all rules, and make a rule that if we "honestly" don't understand something, it must be wrong for other people to need it. . That has worked so well in the past.

It's efffffing HOT. These people are traveling. They need to be sure they can stay hydrated. Force yourselves to be rational. Leave other people to act sensibly. Just move out of their way.

The answer to the original post was and is: Supermarkets.

I don't understand your rant, I am being much more rational than a person who buys a case of water!

If I bring my own bottle, I can refill it any number of places, from a tap, to my heart's content.

If I am given a plastic bottle of water, and I drink it and toss it, and I am away from my bus, I have to find someplace to buy more water or return to the bus or stay thirsty.

Which makes more sense?