Bathrooms in Italy

When I first started traveling globally I made a decision to take a picture of a toilet in each country I visited. This may seem odd, but it really stood out to me how different and yet the same they could be. Toilets serve the same purpose whether they be a hole in the ground or a heated toilet with indoor plumbing. Yet, how they function and execute their purpose impacts the culture of a community - what people wear, how they interact, and even in some cases their health and fears.

So, I arrive in Italy and discover that the toilets are quite nice. In some cases, even nicer than in the United States.

Public Restroom

In Italy the men's and women's restroom often occupies the same room. There is a door to the bathroom.  Upon entering that room there is a sink and an air hand dryer and then usually three smaller rooms. Each of these smaller rooms functions as a stall for the toilet with walls that go floor to ceiling and solid doors. Each is labeled usually with one being for men and the other two for women, but people are comfortable going in to use the toilet of a room labeled for the opposite sex if the one they need access to is occupied.

In every bathroom I visited there was an ample amount of soap for washing hands. I'm not sure if this is because Italians prioritize the use of soap or the exact opposite - the lack of use causes a lot of soap to remain unused.

Some public restrooms, such as at the train station, may require placing a 1 euro coin in a slot in the entrance gate in order to gain access to the restroom.

The seats on these toilets can also vary. Some have toilet seats, some do not, and some toilets automatically flush when the toilet seat cover is placed down.

Instead of a handle on the side of the toilet, as most US Americans are used to, there is a large button located behind the toilet for flushing. In some cases this button is square and the lower part is pressed to flush and the upper part is pressed to stop the water from circulating.  In other circumstances there are two buttons, either round or square that indicate the pressure needed for an affective flush. The smaller one would be used for a liquid flush, the larger if there are solids.

Hotel or Private Residence Bathroom

The bathrooms in hotels and bed and breakfasts are different.  In addition to a flushing toilet there is a bidet. Hanging beside or across from the bidet are two hand towels that are to be used for drying yourself after the use of the bidet.  It is likely because of the presence of the bidet that the toilet rolls are smaller. So if you or a family member go through toilet paper quickly, you may want to consider some back up for your trip.  And you can't rely on facial tissue as a back-up, as the only place we found facial tissue in Italy was in small packets for tourists at the pharmacy.

Also in the shower area you may find a string hanging from the wall.  These strings are attached to a call alert system that use to be required by the Italian government in all showers used by travelers. Most of these alert systems are no longer in service, but the strings remain.

I was quite impressed with the European bath towels found in nearly all of the places we stayed in Italy.  They are full body, although a bit thinner than what you would find in the U.S.  Generally the shower stalls were also much smaller than what you would encounter in modern U.S. homes and hotels.  Overall though the function of turning on and off the shower is the same.  Usually you'll want to place the handle at about 7:00 before turning it on to get a nice warm, but not too hot temperature.

You will not find wash clothes in bathrooms in Italy, unless you are staying in an expensive American hotel with a lot of business travelers (as my husband has in the past).  When I asked one of our bed and breakfast hostesses about this she looked at me and asked what a wash cloth was.  I asked in return how Italians put soap on their bodies while in the shower. She answered, "with your hand of course."  So if you don't want to use your "hand of course" then you may want to pack a wash cloth or sponge in your luggage.

Also, the bathrooms are small in Italy and you won't find much counter space, if any at all. So if this is something that will make your getting ready in the morning or evening more challenging, plan extra time for this.