Italian court rejects tourist's lawsuit over tap water refusal at restaurant

Italy's Court of Cassation has ruled against a foreign tourist who sued a restaurant for refusing to serve her tap water. The ruling upholds previous decisions, including one from Italy's Supreme Court, all of which denied her compensation claim.

Italy's highest court of appeal, the Court of Cassation, has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a foreign tourist who claimed she was wrongfully denied tap water at an Italian restaurant. The ruling was reported by Corriere dell'Alto Adige on May 25.

The tourist had sought financial compensation after staff at the restaurant declined to provide her with tap water. She brought the case to court, arguing the refusal constituted a violation of her rights as a customer.

However, the Court of Cassation upheld earlier rulings that had also rejected her claim, including a previous decision from Italy's Supreme Court. The courts consistently found no legal grounds for awarding compensation in the case.

The case has attracted attention as it highlights the longstanding practice in many Italian restaurants of not serving tap water by default, often instead offering bottled water as a paid option. While some countries have regulations requiring restaurants to provide free drinking water upon request, Italy's courts found no such obligation had been breached in this instance.