Bottled Water and You!

It's no secret that in Rome during the summer, it's hot! You can't be out and about and not keep your fluids up otherwise not only do you risk being ill and not enjoying your vacation, but you could also be putting yourself in danger.

Recently in the news, you might have heard about how a town in Australia has put the stop on the sale of bottled water calling it wasteful and damaging to the environment. While I don't foresee that happening in Rome anytime soon, there are things that you can do to cut down on waste - that is, throwing away your water bottles -- here are some tips:

1. If you've ever been to Rome, you'll notice that there are a lot of fountains - the grand kind that you see in the piazzas and also the small ones (fontanella), which are drinking fountains. The water is safe to drink unless you see a sign that says "Non Potabile" or "Acqua Non Potabile" - if you don't see the sign, then the water is ok to drink. These small drinking fountains are all over the city and also outside the city. Instead of buying bottled water, consider refilling an aluminium or plastic bottle brought from home to rehydrate. The water, according to my tastes, has a slightly metallic taste, and I don't like it, but it varies from fountain to fountain. As I said, the water might not taste as good as bottled water, but it's clean, safer for the environment and just as good for you.
   
   
2. You can also drink water from many of the large fountains in the city, but use your judgment. For example, I wouldn't drink the water from the Trevi Fountain, but many of the other fountains in the city are good water sources. Remember, that's what the fountains were intended for - they only became great works of art much later!
   
   
3. If you do buy bottled water, save the plastic bottle and refill it later or throughout the day at a fountain or fontanella. Not only will you be recycling your own plastic, but you can save money on buying more bottled water.
   
   
4. Try to avoid buying bottled water from tourist traps and near busy tourist areas - you'll pay 10 times what you would pay in a supermarket. There are tons of supermarkets in Rome. Don't be daunted if you find that all the water bottles come in packs of six, 12 or more. You can break open the pack and take just one or two bottles. There's a great supermarket on Via Ostiense near Andreotti - it's small, but you can buy a small bottle of water for 0.15 euro and reuse the bottle - that's the cheapest bottled water I found in the city.
   
   Consider also buying a few larger bottles and leaving them in your hotel or lodgings for the evenings. The nighttime is a good time to rehydrate for the following morning.
   
   
5. And lastly, if you can't or don't like to reuse your plastic bottles, at the very least, recycle it. There are recycling bins all throughout the city, and they are pretty clearly marked. Hopefully, this will insure that your water bottle doesn't go right to the landfill.
   

Read what others are saying about drinking water from Rome's fountains:

• http://www.romebuddy.com/loves/toconsume.html#fountains
• http://www.aboutroma.com/Fountains-of-Rome.html
• http://blog.traveling.com/jennyscott/albums/rome-italy/6098026
  This is a good photo that shows you how to drink from a fontanella :)