wunderbar2

It's amazing to me that the OP asks where to buy bottled water and gets a lesson in how wrong they are for buying it. Maybe it's not the only choice but still....why would they get a lecture on what some feel is a good or bad choice? We're all free to ask questions but sort of tired of the lectures many receive.

elberko

The OP's question concerns a CURRENT, TEMPORARY water shortage in Rome, and an Italian resident above has mentioned that some fountains have been turned off.

bvlenci

How on earth can you fill up your water bottle when you're on a bus tour? Do you think they make nasone stops?

Anyway, as I said above, many of Rome's famous nasoni (water fountains) have been turned off due to the drought. Roman environmentalists complained that this would force tourists to buy bottled water, but the city administration turned them off anyway. So the hapless tourist has a choice between bottled water and heat stroke.

NewbE

The hapless tourist is occasionally exposed to actual running water, no? As in, a sink? Or do you imagine the bus never stops? Does the Roman water shortage mean that running water has been suspended?

I think it's sad that older people are so resistant to change that they must resort to foolish arguments to cling to their familiar ways, even when those familiar ways are inconvenient, expensive, and bad for the environment to boot.

xcountry

"We're all free to ask questions but sort of tired of the lectures many receive."

Some posters are bored with offering travel advice. They see themselves as somewhere between an ethicist and life coach.

cdnyul

Look for a "Supermercado Carrefour"

vinoroma

Op: let's talk about the facts first - water (in bottles) is not scarce nor costly and definitely not more than wine. Any supermarket or corner store sells water, of course it is cheaper in some places than others.

The fountains that are turned off in rome: they are mainly the big fountains that you wouldn't fill your bottles from anyway. Of the nasoni, not even 10% have been turned off, there are still enough running at any corner.

Not getting into the ideological questions on the thread but a plastic bottle can be refilled and reused as well.

annabelle2

How about doing both: buy water at a supermarket as mentioned above to ensure your group starts out with water AND tell them to bring their own refillable water bottles and fill them whenever possible. I also made use of the water fountains in Rome; delicious cold water.