Italy ... Bathrooms

There are several words for bathroom in Italian, are we surprised? It is most commonly known as il bagno or il gabinetto, but if you are in a bar or restaurant, or any public place, it is sometimes referred to as the WC (water closet). Using the bathroom in Italy can be quite an experience for the first time visitor in both public facilities and private homes. You have to have a sense of humor and the ability to adapt to ... shall we say ... their quirks, because no two bathrooms are the same, and all have a unique personality.

Toilets
For some reason it is impossible to be inconspicuous about going to the bathroom in Italy. Italian toilets seem to amplify every sound so that the smallest amount of liquid falling into the bowl produces a resonating echo. After a few tries, you'll develop a technique to minimize the sound, but even with impeccable aim and restraint, the loud splash is unavoidable. In many public bathrooms you are forced to squat due to the lack of a toilet seat, combined with the very popular and uncomfortable square toilet bowl. As a special treat, some public bathrooms offer only a small hole in the ground with two porcelain footrests on each side, which become very slippery when wet. Your first reaction to one of these may be "this is a horrible mistake! What am I supposed to do with this?" My only advice, if you should happen to end up in one of these, is to take your time, and hold on to something because the last thing you want is to slip and come in contact with the floor. Also, never use this type of bathroom for a number two! If you choose to ignore my advice and attempt this highly challenging maneuver, you better have good aim and watch out for the back splash!

Once the target practice is completed, you enter phase two; the flush. Just in case someone in the house is unaware of your activities leading up to this moment, the sound of the flush is sure to clue them in! It usually resembles the sound of an airplane toilet with a loud whoosh. You would think this supersonic flush would be capable of stripping anything off the sides of the bowl…think again. In our experience, 50% of the time you are forced to flush again, and it bears mentioning that it takes an unusually long time for the tanks to fill back up...but don't jump the gun, because if you re-flush too soon there won't be enough water to accomplish the task at hand and you will be forced to endure another filling cycle. You may also have difficulty figuring out how to operate the flush; one mechanism that is often misunderstood is the cord that hangs down from the ceiling. Only use this cord to flush if it is located directly above or next to the toilet because many bathrooms also have emergency cords that you can pull if you fall in the shower or need some kind of help, and they look exactly like the toilet flushing cord.

Showers
Once you have taken a shower in Italy you will understand the need for the emergency cord. Most showers are not equipped to minimize water splashing all over the bathroom. If you are lucky enough to have a shower head above a bathtub, chances are that there won't be a shower curtain hanging around it. Best-case scenario there may be a short glass partition that only comes up to your shoulders and covers approximately one third of the tub. In some cases the shower is simply a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor and a showerhead mounted on the ceiling. As a result, by the time you finish showering the room looks as though a hurricane had blown through. Most bathrooms have smooth tile floors that become dangerously slippery when wet, so watch your step on the way out or you may find yourself face down in the Bidet.

Bidet
Ah, the mysterious bidet. Most people have no idea what this funny shaped, low, cross between a sink and a basin is used for. The answer is quite simple; it is for washing your behind after using the toilet. It is also useful for many other things such as rinsing sand off your feet when you come home from the beach, cleaning dog poop off your shoe, soaking a stained garment etc. The tricky part of the bidet is that each one has a different faucet. Some shoot water out from under the rim all around the basin (similar to flushing a toilet), some have a normal spout and some have a spout in the bottom center of the basin that shoots water up like a sprinkler. This last kind sometimes shoots water way up into the air, so don't stand with your head too close to the basin the first time you use it. I'm not exactly sure why this curious yet useful device never caught on in this country, perhaps it has to do with saving space? Or maybe we just don't want to explain to our guests what they're meant to do with it? Whatever the reason, I don't think we're going to see a surge in bidet installations any time soon. One thing is for sure...the Italians, and most Europeans for that matter, must have exceptionally clean bottoms!

Summing it all up
Having said all this, we feel it is important to mention a few of the positive qualities you will encounter when visiting and Italian bathroom. First of all, the Italians have perfected soap. I find that soap is always on my long list of items to bring back to the States. Second, the tiles, though deadly when wet, are usually exquisite, with beautiful glazes and patterns. Third, many of the public bathrooms offer more privacy than their counterparts in America. Unlike the stalls we have in the States, with short partitions generally having large gaps between the door and the partition walls, Italian stalls have actual walls that go from floor to ceiling and a real door that locks. Also, in some Italian public bathrooms, an employee monitors the entrance. Their job is to make sure everything is clean and that all the necessary items are stocked such as toilet paper, soap, and hand towels. This "bathroom monitor" will generally ask for a small donation as you enter the bathroom. Lastly, if there happens to be a window, it probably offers a magnificent view.

Analyzing the differences between American and Italian bathrooms has left us wondering what one would find in other countries. I suspect that in many cases, travelers have to endure much worse. We become so accustomed to our way of doing things, that anything different seems wrong. In the end, on either side of the globe we find a way to take care of business.