Italy's highest court has thrown out a case brought by a tourist staying at a hotel in the Dolomites mountain range who sought damages for emotional distress after being forced to drink bottled water.

The case relates to her weeklong stay at the five-star ski resort Hotel Sassongher during the 2019 skiing season. The hotel describes itself as "a family-run hotel loved by guests from all over the world for its unique style and traditions" and says it has "90 years of passion for hospitality and the pursuit of excellence for exclusive stay experiences".

The terms of the guest's reservation included an evening meal, but not drinks, and when she asked for tap water, even offering to pay for it, she was instead brought bottled water, for which she was charged.

Court papers said that during her stay, the woman, whose identity and background have not been revealed, complained about "constantly being denied the opportunity to consume tap water, and instead being forced to purchase bottled water".

Local newspaper Corriere Alto Adige said her subsequent legal action was based on the principle that water was "a natural resource and a universal human right" and "the free provision of a minimum vital quantity is necessary to meet essential needs and must be guaranteed", likening it to "finding a bed with sheets, a warm room and soap in the bathroom". She is reported to have been seeking damages of 2,700 euros ($3,142).

However, after her case was previously rejected in lower courts, she took it to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, where judges threw it out, ruling Italian venues are not obliged to provide tap water to guests, and that it was up to individual venues to make their choice on the matter.

This is in contrast to the rules in France, where a carafe of tap water to accompany a meal is a legal obligation, and Spain, where since 2022, restaurants have been obliged to supply tap water for free. It is also the case in England and Wales that licensed venues must serve free drinking water on request.

The Times newspaper reports there is clear blue water between Italy and some of its European neighbors over the issue of hydration.

Some chefs claim the taste of tap water can go against some of the more delicate aspects of their cookery, and bottled water is often consumed in Italian households in preference to tap water, so it would not be regarded as being out of the ordinary to be served it in a restaurant, and for guests to expect to pay for it.