La not so dolce vita. One popular tourist destination in Italy is discouraging visitors this summer for one unfortunate reason — they’re running out of water. Agrigento, a hill town in Sicily, has been forced to reject tourists as the combination of extreme weather and an ancient, dysfunctional water supply system has left the city nearly bone dry.
The city, which was named the Italian Capital of Culture for 2025, is now unable to guarantee running water for its guests and must make a dedicated effort to find outside sources. News of the limited supply has spread, deterring those hoping to clap eyes on Agrigento’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its preserved Greek temples. “Rightly, people ask us for reassurances before coming, but we don’t know what to say,” Giovanni Lopez, owner of the Le Cinque Novelle bed and breakfast, told CNN .
“The situation is quickly impacting the entire tourist accommodation sector, which risks serious economic consequences, given that tourism is a sector almost everyone in this part of Sicily relies on.” Locals have claimed that it can take over half an hour to fill a bucket at times — and that hotels have had to buy their water to have enough to meet requirements for hosting guests. Sicily first implemented water restrictions in February, when the region officially declared a state of emergency.
Cities throughout Italy have been experiencing severe droughts, but Sicily’s situation is one of the worst, having been listed.
