Italy’s highest court has ruled that hotels and restaurants are not legally required to serve tap water to guests, upholding the refusal of a five-star Dolomites hotel that charged a tourist €7 for a bottle of mineral water instead. The case was taken to the Supreme Court after being rejected by a court in Rome and an appeals court. The ruling, which judges delivered in November 2025, entered the public spotlight on Wednesday, May 27, sparking immediate debate across Italy and internationally.
The woman stayed at the Hotel Sassongher, located in Italy’s northern Badia region, between December 26, 2019, and January 3, 2020. She was on a half-board package that excluded drinks, for which she had paid €5,712. Each evening during dinner, she asked for tap water but was refused. The hotel instead provided a 0.75-litre bottle of water at her table each night, which added €7 to her bill.
The woman pursued the case through three courts, arguing that water is a fundamental human right. She sought €2,700 in compensation for economic damage and emotional distress. Her legal argument held that tap water was an integral part of the service at any restaurant or hotel — as basic as finding sheets on the bed, a warm room, or soap in the bathroom, according to court documents cited by Corriere Alto Adige.
Both the first and second-instance courts dismissed her case. She then appealed to the supreme court of cassation, which confirmed that no law in Italy obliges restaurant managers or hoteliers to serve customers tap water. The court dismissed the compensation claim in full.
Silvio Belardi, the lawyer representing Hotel Sassongher, said the ruling was clear on the core question. The court held that “there is no obligation to supply tap water,” he told the newspaper Corriere Alto Adige.
In a statement, Hotel Sassongher told CNN on Wednesday that it “fully respects the decision of the Supreme Court,” but declined to provide any further comment.
The ruling has drawn attention beyond Italy’s borders, in part because it formalises what has long been an informal cultural norm. Asking for free tap water at a restaurant in Italy is generally considered a breach of etiquette, especially if the server has already offered bottled still or sparkling water. At the same time, consumer habits are shifting. More restaurants now offer filtered water, reflecting growing customer demand driven by environmental concern and a desire to reduce plastic waste.
Access to tap water has exposed cultural differences between the United States and some European countries. American travellers sharing observations on European tap water practices has become a recurring theme on social media. The Italian ruling adds a legal dimension to a debate that until now has largely been one of custom and expectation.
The decision carries practical implications for tourists visiting Italy, where tens of millions of international arrivals pass through hotels and restaurants each year. Consumer groups and environmental advocates have not yet issued formal responses to the ruling, but Italian media reported widespread public commentary following its publication on May 27.
Background
Italy receives more than 50 million international tourists annually, making its hospitality sector one of the largest in Europe. Bottled mineral water — both still and sparkling — has long been the default option served at Italian restaurants. The debate over tap water rights has continued as environmental and consumer awareness grows, with increasing numbers of travellers seeking to avoid single-use plastic bottles. The case that produced Tuesday’s ruling originated during the 2019–2020 ski season in Corvara, a resort village in the South Tyrol region of northern Italy. The woman filed her initial complaint with a court in Rome, according to Italian media reports. British Brief
What Happens Next
The ruling by Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation is final and cannot be appealed further within the Italian judicial system. No Italian legislative body has announced plans to introduce legislation that would require hotels or restaurants to serve tap water. Consumer advocacy groups in Italy may lobby parliament to address the gap identified by the court, though no such initiative had been formally proposed as of May 27. The ruling is expected to be cited in any future litigation involving similar disputes between guests and hospitality operators in Italy.
