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Fountains in Florence: free public water that gets rid of both thirst and plastic

Fill your water bottle with free Florentine water. Here is where the fountains are located in Florence.

Let's start by saying that the tap water in Florence is good and you can drink it! But when we are around the city we have another solution: in Florence you can fill your bottle with public water controlled in various points of the city, helping to eliminate the accumulation of plastic bottles that pollute the environment.

Where to fill your water bottle in Florence

This is an initiative signed by Publiacqua, the company responsible for the water service of some of the main Tuscan provinces, including Florence. Born in 2009, the first fountain marked the beginning of an eco-friendly turning point in the city and metropolitan area.

Where are they? You can find the fountains scattered throughout the city - look at the MAP! - and from 2015 also at a metropolitan level in Fucecchio, Empoli, Montespertoli, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Figline and Incisa Valdarno, Pelago, Pontassieve, Dicomano, Vicchio, Scarperia San Piero, Campi Bisenzio.

The free and controlled water of Florence: a sustainable choice

Still or sparkling, the water is rigorously controlled on a chemical and biological level. Quality and safety are in fact guaranteed by the management work of Publiacqua's systems.

Filling your water bottle is now a sustainable choice that everyone can make: you save money, drink controlled water, and contribute to saving tons of plastic!

Plastic-Eating Machines in Florence

Do you have an empty plastic bottle? In Florence you can find 'plastic-eating' machines, the technical name 'eco-compactors', which reduce bottles into small cubes ready to be recycled. The eco-compactors already in operation are located at

  • Santa Maria Novella station on the Via Valfonda side
  • Niccolò Galli Gardens in Campo di Marte
  • Fortezza da Basso
  • Coop of Gavinana
  • Coop Ponte in Greve
  • Coop via Carlo del Prete

Water-friendly and plastic-free walking or jogging itineraries

For those who love running, walking or cycling we have thought of two water-friendly and plastic-free itineraries

1. Jogging in Oltrarno

Starting from Fountain- Via Villamagna you can start refreshed, enjoying the breeze of the Arno and the shade of the numerous trees of the Anconella Park, the green lung of southern Florence.

Leaving it behind, the choice is yours: accumulate some lactic acid until you see Piazzale Michelangelo and then walk along the walls of Porta Romana, or continue on the Santo Spirito plain. In both cases the direction is Fountain– Piazza Tasso, a real neighborhood square with basketball and football pitches, benches, murals, and eccentric characters.

Caught your breath? The last piece is the most challenging but, in the total calm of everything that is just outside the centre, you reach the final finish line: Fountain– Via Canova. Stop, wet your wrists and temples and enjoy your well-deserved rest, yes, in the Villa Vogel Park.

2. Jogging Beyond the Center

Even from the "famous part of Florence" there are many possibilities to pass the monuments and remain within reach of drinking water and corners to discover! Fountain- Piazza Vittoria, a bit of stretching under its pine trees, a nice glass of water and you are ready for your second stop, but not before stopping at the adjacent Horticulture Gardens with their historic greenhouse.

2 km and you find yourself in Fountain – Viale Manfredo Fanti, right in front of the Artemio Franchi Stadium. The perfect place to travel far and wide breathing in pure Florentine spirit, with its fan base kissed directly by the hills of Fiesole. And with one last cut, you're almost done, you end at Fontanello – Via del Mezzetta.

Recover all the mineral salts, feel the water balance the tiredness you have gained, and finally, lie down in the San Salvi Park, always unique thanks to its former mental hospital complex.