Can You Drink Tap Water in Positano?

Tap water in Positano is safe to drink and meets EU Drinking Water Directive standards throughout the village. Positano is supplied by the Campania regional water network managed by Gori SpA (Gestione Ottimale Risorse Idriche), which draws from the Sarno River basin springs and the Lattari Mountains aquifer system underlying the Amalfi Coast peninsula. The water undergoes conventional treatment including coagulation, filtration, UV sterilisation, and chlorination at regional treatment facilities before distribution through Positano's challenging steep-terrain pipe network. The treated water meets Italian and EU drinking water standards at the point of supply throughout the village.

Positano presents a distinctive water context because of its extraordinary geography. The village is built almost vertically on the cliffs of Monte Comune and Monte Sant'Angelo, descending in terrace after terrace of pastel-coloured buildings from the clifftop SS163 road down to Spiaggia Grande beach. Water distribution in this terrain requires an extensive pumped network to reach every property, and the pipe infrastructure serving Positano's hotels, restaurants, and private homes is maintained by Gori SpA across this challenging topography. The water is safe at every point in the distribution system throughout the village — from the clifftop hotels with panoramic views to the beachfront establishments directly on Spiaggia Grande and Spiaggia del Fornillo.

Italian restaurant culture means tap water is not always offered by default. In Positano's restaurants — perched on terraces above the Tyrrhenian Sea at some of the most spectacularly situated dining tables in the world — bottled still or sparkling water is routinely presented as a paid table item. Requesting acqua del rubinetto (tap water) is legally your right at any Italian restaurant, though in Positano's premium tourist context some establishments are notably reluctant. The tap water throughout the village is safe regardless of what any restaurant presents as its default option.

For visitors exploring beyond Positano along the Amalfi Coast — on bus, boat, or on foot along the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) — tap water is equally safe throughout the Amalfi Coast towns of Praiano, Furore, Amalfi, Ravello, and Vietri sul Mare. The entire Campania water network maintained by Gori SpA produces safe water meeting EU standards throughout the region. The mountainous terrain and the physical demands of walking the Path of the Gods make carrying a full reusable bottle from your Positano accommodation essential for any coastal hiking day.

A practical note for Positano visitors: the village has very few supermarkets or shops given its extreme terrain and size, and bottled water at restaurants and hotel bars is notably expensive even by Amalfi Coast standards. Filling a reusable bottle from your hotel tap before any beach day, boat excursion to Capri, or Path of the Gods walk is strongly recommended — not for safety reasons but purely for cost efficiency. Positano tap water is completely safe and free; Positano mineral water at a cliffside restaurant table is decidedly neither.