At the Risk of Being Crude: There Must Be Fifty Ways to Flush a Toilet: Trip Report from Rome, Florence and Pompeii.

Ha, peanut breath!! More please, this should be a fun report, love your humor!

Yes, more please.
I did count 12 different plumbing solutions on one trip---it always intrigues me.

Can't wait for more. When we took our daughter on her first trip to Europe --probably about 10 or so--the journal she kept included drawings of the flushing mechanisms of every different toilet she encountered.

<<There Must Be Fifty Ways to Flush Toilet>>

Travel Rule 3: At a restaurant, the first person scouts the flusher location and reports back to the rest of the table.

Waiting of more . . .

This is great! Can't wait to hear more-

ttt

Loving your report already! We were also in Rome in March (my trip report is just finishing up here). I seriously considered calling my report the "bathrooms of the world" tour, so I think I get your meaning.

Great report; I'm looking forward to more.

Ah, to have a toilet that even thinks of flushing. On a trip by bus across Greece several years ago there were several rest stops with just holes in the floor. Looked like they had been there since Plato and Aristotle. The Roman Empire had a "heads up" on the glory that was Greece.

This is great! Can't wait for the next segment!

Thanks for the feedback! FLJudi – we had that experience at a Paris flea market but surprisingly of the toilet variations in Rome, that was one we missed…

We landed in Rome late afternoon after flying over the amazing Italian Alps. As a really nice courtesy, the Inn at the Spanish Steps picks you up, gratis, from the airport. Though dopey and a little weary, our excitement built as we headed into Rome. It hits you that you’re in a foreign city, first from the road signs and then slowly, pieces of old aqueducts began emerging in the landscape and before you know it, BAM!l like you’re Paris Hilton on the way to a club pursued by paparazzi, your car is swarmed by every scooter imaginable – men in business suits, women in high heels, students, all occupying every nook and cranny around your car and going in directions that defy traffic patterns and laws for that matter.

Our hotel was located on Via Condotti just yards from the Spanish Steps – it’s not too big and all in all, we loved staying there. The staff couldn’t have been more terrific. Apparently there is some unwritten Spanish Step rule that everyone who worked there must have a name that begins with the letter “F”. There was Francesca, Franco, Flavio and Fabio. They endured my frequent e-mails: Do you have irons? No, fire hazard rules – I did bring one and never used it even once… Can you help us with bookings, restaurant and otherwise? Yes, and all of their recommendations were wonderful and we never felt like they sent us to a tourist trap. And more than that, they went out of their way for us. Since we were there for 10 days, they felt comfortable enough to tell my husband that when he thought he was saying “Can you show me that on the map?” in Italian, he was actually saying “Can you show me that on the plant?” When we went to a friend’s house for dinner and asked them for the closest wine shop, they gave us champagne to take to them.

The thing about inns and as a lot of you might know by staying in apartments, there is really no uniformity in the rooms. I would stay there again in a heartbeat but I would scout out the rooms and find the ones that more suited our needs – we changed from two rooms to one midway through because my daughter left and the second room was more spacious.

We unpacked, freshened up, I put on my first scarf, tied Parisian style and we were ready to roll. Our first meal in Rome was a recommendation from a friend who lives there. Santo Padre (Via Collina 18 tel.: 06-475-5405.)
A little off the beaten path, but well worth it. We were the only non-Italians in there - it was casual but really warm and friendly and one of the owners must own race horses; there were jockey colors and racetrack pictures everywhere. Just before we arrived, our table was set with fresh proscuitto, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, some sort of sliced spicy turkey, and grilled zucchini. And as soon as we sat down, they brought out hot meatballs with Parmesan, ricotta cheese, mozzarella di Bufala and salami. All before we ordered!

We each had a great pasta and some tasty house wine and soon, I needed to excuse myself to the “Piccola signora’s” room. For as many artifacts that are dug up in Rome every minute, it seems like most of the bathrooms are in the basement. God knows what ancient storefront or bedroom was sacrificed for our convenience. And here was the beginning of my observations of the varieties of Italian toilets and surroundings. At the hotel, it was the two-panel on the back on the wall flush – not sure was the difference was – maybe water pressure. Here at Santo Padre, it was a wall flush but just where, oh where was the toilet seat? Hmmmm. Modesty dictates that I spare you the details as we all choose to deal with the no-toilet seat bathrooms in our own fashion, but this was now the second and wildly different commode that I had encountered. And my toilet travels had just begun. This is when I started to take notes. Finally we let the jet lag hit us as we headed back to our hotel at 11 PM to tuck ourselves in for the sleep of the dead.

4 AM – wide awake. So as not to wake my husband, I sat on our Inn bathrobes wedged between the sink and bidet, reading. It was hard to believe I was so tired just a few hours ago. Oh well – I read until 6 AM, showered, got dressed and went downstairs in search of the breakfast buffet ready to start my day. Let my family sleep away the first morning; I was up and alert. I asked a nice gentleman behind the desk where the food was in my best bad Italian and he told me breakfast wasn’t being served until 6 AM. Thinking it was a language thing, I asked again in English. Again – 6 AM. And then I said, “but it IS 6 AM. He politely said, “Madam, it is 3AM.” Argh! Somehow when I set our alarm, I changed the time by three hours and had only been asleep for an hour. Feeling like Scarlett Johansson in “Lost in Translation,” I wearily trudged back upstairs and read some more. Got redressed at 6, and wandered outside. It was a brisk dawn in Rome and I walked to the top of the Spanish Steps with not one single other soul in sight (a rarity at the Steps) and watched as the sun came up over the city. All was right with the world.

And then I went back to bed and slept until 11…

NEXT: PULL ON THE STRING, BING – Restaurant bathroom #2

And Pizza breakfast, our late night tour of the Sistine Chapel and our first limoncello of many…

italy06,

Thanks so much for putting up your report - it was only when put mine up last year that I realized how much work goes into it!

Love you title - it seems that every country in Europe has a different way to flush a toilet...I too was a bit shocked with the lack of toilet seats, but really, it just sort of adds to the fun of the trip doesn't it?

Awaiting more soon!

Wonderful report so far! Comical but full with insightful details. Do continue.

Love your trip report, on those sleepless nights I usually do my reading in the bathtub. Makes it a little tougher for me when the room only has a shower Deborah

i have read on the bathroom floor myself when jetlagged! It amazes me that my son, daughter, and husband have no problem sleeping -- anywhere or any time!

I love your report so far!

How old are your kids? (sorry if I missed that!)

Your off to a great start! Can't wait to read the rest!

Wow, am I ever enjoying your report Italy06 ! Very interesting, amusing and charmingly written. And I like your title 'theme' too ! Well done. Looking forward to more.

I am enjoying your report!

No toilet seats? Is that common?

In toilets accessible to the public in smaller venues in Italy, there is often no toilet seat. An friend in Italy told me that it is often considered more sanitary since with no seat the toilet is easier to keep clean and also because no one would be expected to actually sit anyway.

and also because no one would be expected to actually sit anyway

No better than the hole in the ground.

<<No better than the hole in the ground.>>

I'm sure italy06 will be getting to that . . .

I'll never forget the gorgeous marble, tile, and gold fixtured bathroom we had in a Rome hotel about 25 years ago. Gorgeous and not very funtional!

The toilet seat was square--don't know about you, but that part of my body doesn't go well with a square opening. And the flusher was activated by a push button behind the water tank--took a while to find it.

The ornate, gold sink water spout was so close to the back edge of the sink that you couldn't get much more than your fingertips under the water.

The gold showerhead put out a fine mist that looked great, but took forever to wet you down, with no way we (or anyone from the hotel) could find to adjust the spray.

But it was actually quite a pleasant place to stay.

I have been enjoying this thread. We have lived in Italy for a year and half and can't believe some of the toilets. At brunch the other day, an american friend of ours was discussing how the drop zone is different in the toilets. We all new exactly what they meant. Experienced italian travelers probably do too. I always pack toilet paper and hand cleaner.

Timing is everything! We leave tomorrow morning for Rome and Pompeii! Will have to experience our own 'flushing' adventures and then compare notes. Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report on our return.

Really enjoying your trip report, italy06 - I knew I was going to like it the minute I saw the title. It brings back all the fascination (and sometimes disgust) I myself experienced with the wonders of Italian plumbing. Looking forward to the rest of the tale...

Wow! Nice to know I’m not alone in my amazement of the puzzle to be solved on every trip to the bathroom. And after a bottle of vino bianco, my brain is not necessarily firing on all pistons…. Next report on its' way!

I don't want to detract from the flushing theme, as I too have swung from puzzled to astounded to disgusted with facilities in Italy. There used to be one at Piazza Michelangelo in Florence that was so gross that no sentient being would step inside. I really hope that one has been corrected by adding a flush. But also watch out for the standup toilets with a flushing mechanism that goes all over your feet if you don't jump out of the way fast enough! As a Nonna with arthritis, I am not looking forward to them next month.

however, I also want to ask why it is that Italians devise so-called showers with no way to contain the spray and floors that slope AWAY from the shower towards the bathroom door, as we encountered in Positano. Our 20-year old daughter caused a flood that ran out and spread out right in front of the door to the room. Or the shower that sprayed all over a solid marble bathroom that became an ice- skating rink when wet and had not a single thing to hang on to, in Vernazza.

In Florence, they "solved" the shower pan problem by putting in a wooden rack over the drain that slipped back and forth like a balance board. Could not figure out what it was supposed to accomplish. Having been to Italy about 15 times, I could go on and on .........

Charness – we had the same problem with our hotel bathroom. It had a bathtub and a glass shower door that only extended out about two feet. Unless you plastered yourself against the wall with the shower head, the slippery marble floor would be filled with water as it was most times. We just requested a lot of extra towels to stop us from falling head first into the bidet…

But still, when I stepped out the door of the hotel, I wasn't in the San Fernando Valley... Worth the inconvenience as I'm sure you agree!

Our first full day in Rome now awaited us! Since I knew we would all be a little lagged, today would be where Rome would take us. First stop, a nice walk to Campo Di Fiori. Although the hotel happily gave us a new map every time we left, I will say the laminated map in the back of Fodor’s 25 Best was great. A little bigger and easier to see, especially at night and it never fell apart. We meandered our way down Via Condotti towards Piazza Navona drooling at all of the designer purses in EVERY window on the street. Girls, what is it with purses? It’s not like clothes that you have to change every day because they’re dirty. Or that someone will notice that you’ve worn the same handbag 5 days in a row… or that the exchange rate made the idea really stupid but my first reaction is always “I need that purse now!” It’s a hassle to take your crap and move it from purse to purse but still, so many pretty colors, so much supple leather that felt like butter and even the linings look like a designer dress! My daughter (she’s 23, Dina4) and I, though heavily pressured a couple of times, managed to refrain from actually buying one. Beside, I bought a new one just before we left.

We made it to Piazza Navona and its’ beautiful Bernini Fountain of the Four Rivers and knew, without a doubt that we were in finally in Rome. The obelisk in the Piazza and the sculptures around it are in the process of being restored but stunning just the same. As the streets narrow, you always feel like you will never find what you are looking for and then around the bend, we heard music and knew we were closing in on Campo Di Fiori. It’s a wonderful market that made me want to be renting an apartment so I could buy all of the great fruit, flowers and produce we saw there.
Now starving, we headed to Forno (http://www.fornocampodefiori.com/main.php) for some morning pizza. My daughter and I had the Pizza Bianco, hot out of the oven, drizzled with olive oil and herbs and folded over in some paper and my husband and son had the cheese pizza. We stood outside as it rained lightly, oil dripping down our hands, drinking Coca Light and thought it doesn’t get much better than this. Who needs a fancy brunch with too many calories – this is way cooler. We did buy some herbs and spices in plastic bags that made it safely home – they mix them up into a Arrabiata blend, a Bruschetta blend and many more. And yes, just as I imagined myself, I wore a scarf and looked at the Zucchini Blossoms feeling lucky to be in such a great city.

The thing about Rome I love the most is that just as you are admiring the purses at Prada, you are literally tripping over some 2,000 year old dig that you didn’t know about. As much as we read before we went to Rome, you just can’t take it all in. So quite literally as we made our way down Via Del Plebiscito, my son asked “What are all those cats doing down there among those old columns?” And here we were at Largo di Torre Argentina. I had read about it but it was my 15-year-old son who found the sign that blew his mind – I saw him walk up to it, read it and back away. He said, “Last week, as we were all dying to get to spring break, we were talking about the assassination of Julius Caesar in history. And now I’m standing here looking at the place he was killed.” Nice, as a parent, to have a moment or two like that every now and then…

We were headed to Palazzo-Galleria Doria Pamphilj but detoured at the Museo del Palazzo Venezia (http://www.galleriaborghese.it/nuove/evenezia.htm)
and saw a great exhibit of the work of Sebastiano Del Piombo, a contemporary of Michelangelo. His painting of the Martyrdom of St. Agatha made our kids wonder why we’re so cautious about the internet…. Let’s just say nipples and pliers and leave it at that.

Museo Bathroom: Unisex , no seat but lovely marble floors…

Too tired for one more museum, we headed back to the hotel for a little nap and some rooftop snacks before our tour of the Sistine Chapel.

I know a lot has been discussed about Helen Donegan’s Sistine Chapel Tours and we thought long and hard about it because of the price, but in the end, we knew this would be our one big splurge. I will tell you it was worth every over-inflated Euro.

We met Marie and her daughter who work for Helen at their offices near the Vatican and were soon joined by just a few other people. Our guide Jay, who by day is a translator in the Bio-ethics department of the University led us to the Vatican’s large fortress door and at 7 PM on the dot, it opened and the guards let us in. For the next magical two and a half hours, Jay, who is a walking, talking encyclopedia of ancient Rome, took us through the Vatican Museums, the Raphael rooms, the Etruscan treasures, the map rooms and finally through the tiny door that opens up into the Sistine Chapel. And for the next 30 minutes or more, 9 of us had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s masterpiece. No one said a word, we just looked up in wonder. No crowds, no tired crying kids, just the lucky nine of us.

After the tour, we invited Jay to join us for dinner – he recommended his favorite hang near the Vatican and we were treated to our first crispy carciofo (artichokes). Delicious! The owner was great and complimented my husband’s Italian and 2 bottles of wine and much food later, we headed home, stomachs full of great food and heads full of great art. The restaurant was:
Le Sorelle – Via Belsiana 30, 06 679 4969

Restaurant bathroom: A seat! Pull string to flush.

NEXT: CHECK OUT THE TOWEL, CAL – stupidly expensive restaurant bathroom #3

And Museo e Galleria Borghese

Wonderful report. Don't work or clean house or laundry, TYPE!

I was just the right height to flush our toiled with my head.

If it matters, I'm 5'3".

We stayed at the Albergo del Senato and had the two button wall mounted flush mechanism!

Hi italy,

what a great theme for a trip report. i grew up with a grandma with kidney problems [which meant she drank about 8 pints of tea made with sennapods!!!! per day] so our family knew every public convenience south of the Wash. and there was NEVER any chance of her sitting on any toilet seats, whatever their condition.

I don't actually remember the facilties in rome being particlarly bad. my "worst loo of all time" award goes to one a spent a lot of time in being ill in an open-air restaurant near Bordeaux - i was so ill i didn't care.

my best loo award goes collectively to the toilets of northern spain, discovered on the same trip. suddenly at the spanish border, plumbing improved out of all recognition. Perhaps the spanish got a grant to put in decent toilets? who knows - i just remember my relief.



keep it coming,

regards, ann

I am absolutely loving your report! Can't wait for the next installment. We'll be in Rome in June and I've already made the mental note to give everyone packages of Kleenex and little bottles of Purell. I'm glad to hear Helen's tour is worth every Euro, we've also signed up. Did you bring binoculars with you to see the ceilings better?

At last! Someone else fascinated with the wonderful variations in how to flush a toilet. My ex discouraged me from taking pictures of each mechanism. Boo to him. I've experienced the hole in the floor toilet in the train station in one of the Cinque Terre towns, but my favorite one was in a restaraunt where you stepped on what looked like a small red rubber ball on the floor in order to flush.

Thanks, everyone! I envy you, pkdof - you'll have a blast. Two other things about the Sistine Chapel, one about Helen Donegan's company and one about the bathrooms. I'm sure a lot of you know this, but years ago, the Vatican Museums were for the privileged few and even the Royals weren't above scrawling graffiti on the precious works of art in the rooms. You can still see some of it if you look closely. Also, someone on this board once said they were allowed to lie down in the Chapel to look up at it. Our guide, Jay told us that in general, the guards frown on this as it is disrespectful. And no, I didn't think to bring binoculars. But it didn’t at all take away from the impact and for me, even as a non- Catholic, it sorta would have felt out of place.

Another thing happened with Helen Donegan’s company and no, I don’t know her nor could I pick her out in a crowd. Since we were there after hours, the gift shop was closed and we had several requests from home to bring something back from the Vatican. Marie arranged for us to meet up the next morning with another guide, Roberto or as I call him, the Alec Baldwin of Italy, at their offices. Not only did the charming and funny Roberto treat us to an early morning espresso at the café next door, he took us past the burgeoning line at the Vatican, waved hello to the guards and took us straight into the gift shop. They knew we weren’t butting in on the tour but you still can’t get in the shop without standing in line. We found a couple of things and then unprompted, Roberto took us to another shop in which he thought we might find other things. This one was around the corner in front of St. Peter’s. Since it wasn’t open yet, we were treated to another espresso at another café and then shopped and found a couple of lovely things to take home to our relatives. Roberto waited patiently for us and we thanked him profusely and try to pay him at least for the coffees but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said, “You’re in Italy, when an Italian takes you out for an espresso, it’s his treat - it’s what we do.” In others words, he graciously went out of his way for us all in the spirit of the moment so I have nothing but praise for their company.

And pkdof, before you imagine the Italian bathrooms to be an OCD nightmare, far from it. There were a few, just like here, but mainly they were all just so different. Have fun!

I'm enjoying this so much-please keep writing!

Wonderful report, thanks for taking the time. Love your style.

Great report. I will be going to Rome, Florence and Venice, leaving May 9th. I can't wait for your Florence report to pick up your recommendations.

I actually have taken photos of most of the toilets from our last two trips to Europe. Hands down, the most luxurious toilet I found was in a restaurant restroom in Lezignan, France...when you flush, it automatically whisks off the clear plastic seat cover, and replaces it with a fresh one. I should have taken a short movie of it...

It was 1997, just outside Siena, one of the best meals in my life in a tiny place I honestly cannot remember (damn that chianti) with only 12 tables. I kept coming back to tell the waiter I couldn't find the "bagno" or "toilette" and he kept saying latrina and pointed to the tiny kitchen at the back. Finally, I walked through the kitchen, and out the back door to see a horse stall that had been converted.(I vaguely remember the restaurant was a converted stable).
Inside the stall was one extremely low toilet designed for standing,(or leprechauns) crinkle 1960s toilet paper and the front door only covered the area from shoulders to knee. I couldn't stop giggling (which didn't help) as I tried to maintain my balance. All I remember after that is that I stopped drinking any water with the wine.

To narrow down the location of Julius Caesar's assassination for your son go to
www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34646917

Scroll down to 'Part 6' 'Curia Pompey'.

Great trip report! Regards, Walter

This is great - I had a friend many many years ago who made a point to photograph urinals while traveling. At the time I thought it was weird. I retrospect I wish I had done the same over the years - there is an amazing assortment of the things out there in our world!

Glad I’m prompting memories down bathroom lane! Thank you for your encouragement – it prolongs the pleasure of the trip a little, I must say. And Walter, thanks so much for your detailed report on Julius Caesar – my son will so appreciate it.

CORRECTION: See, this is what the wine does to you. The restaurant we ate at with our guide from the Sistine Chapel was La Soffitta (Piazza Risorgimento 46, 06 688892977). Le Sorelle was later in the week.

Our first good night’s sleep, the breakfast buffet and we were ready for our 2nd day in Rome. We made reservations at Galleria di Borghese for 11 that morning. We got there a little early, booked an English Guide, pasted a number on our shirts for them to find us when the tour started and wandered outside. The Villa Borghese itself is absolutely beautiful – it was really the first spring day we had, lots of sunshine, not too hot and the gardens and grounds were gorgeous. As our guide came to tell us, this once was the retreat of the elite. Scipione Borghese’s little place in the Hamptons to get away from hustle and bustle of Rome and show off his art collection and do some serious partying.

And art he had! Caravaggios, amazing Bernini sculptures, the Raphael painting of The Deposition of Christ among many. Some of our favorites were: Canova’s sculpture of Paolina Borghese – for those of you who haven’t seen it, she’s sitting on a daybed, lounging and the intricate detail of the marble is incredible. And then there’s Bernini’s Pluto and Proserpina (Sometimes called the Rape of Proserpine) – Pluto’s hands are squeezing the leg of Proserpina and her skin is indented, the sheer size of it is overwhelming and the fact that it’s carved from one piece of marble is astounding. Bernini’s sculpture of Apollo and Daphne is fantastic as well. I so recommend hiring the guide – we got so much more detail than we would have on our own. We also got information that wouldn’t have been on the audio guide. We could have stayed for hours, but in order not to have crowds like they have at the Uffizi where I felt like a sardine, they do move it along. (http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm)

Hungry and needing a place to rest, we headed out to look for lunch. We thought we’d hit one of the cafes in the park but after several wrong turns, my kids started sniping at each other about who should be in charge of the map. It got a little heated in the middle of the lovely gardens and as they were arguing, I realized we all still had our numbers pasted on our shirts. Nothing like a stern parental, “Number 5, give the map back to Number 6 and calm down.” It broke the ice, we all laughed and for the rest of the trip our kids were forever Number 5 and Number 6.

We left the park at Via Veneto and stopped at the first outdoor café we saw. We gave our drink orders and as he brought them with the menus, we realized we were at Harry’s Bar. We should have left then but we were tired and cranky. We had really just a snack and it was by far, for what we got, the most expensive food we ate in Rome. There are so many fabulous places to eat in the city and although the service was good and the food was fine, it was a total rip off. Only ourselves to blame.

Harry’s Bar Bathroom: in the basement, quite nice, push button on back of bowl, great hand towels with the Harry’s Bar logo imprinted and I took one, no idea why, but mainly so I wouldn’t feel so bitter about my 11 Euro (yes! 11 Euro) Coca light…

2 PM – “Pretty Woman’d” on Via Babuino….

My family wanted to read but feeling a little restless, I headed out for some shopping. I will tell you that on a whole, we tend to dress nicely when we travel mainly because we hardly do at home but being in a European city makes me want to try a little harder, be a little more fashionable. So I strolled up Via Babuino, one of the trendier shopping streets in Rome wearing my three quarter length black leather coat, nice pants, cool boots, great scarf, killer purse and bought a few things. On a whole, everyone in the shops was very nice, tolerated my feeble attempts at trying to speak Italian and I actually bought a couple of things for myself and as gifts for friends. A shirt in a storefront caught my eye and I wandered in. Immediately, I felt like Julia Roberts fresh off the streets of Hollywood in “Pretty Woman.” No, I didn’t look like a hooker but still felt the icy stare from a haughty salesperson who radiated, “what do you actually think you’ll find in here that will suit you?” Undaunted, I checked out their clothes, saw a shirt I really liked and politely asked, since there wasn’t a price tag, in Italian, how much did the shirt cost? She looked at me first with perplexity, then, as if talking to a three year old in pre-school, she said slowly in English, “It’s a shirt.” Dang! I had asked her, “Che cos’e questa?” (what is this?) instead of “Quanto costa?” (How much is this?). I thanked her, slunk out and immediately walked across the street for my first glass of wine of the day. It made me appreciate how hard my husband had worked the last year to learn Italian and made me want to work harder.

Later that afternoon, we walked down the street to Ara Pacis Augustae. It was something that caught my eye in the guidebooks and having just finished the biography of Augustus Caesar, definitely wanted to check it out. It’s a bas-relief from 9BC to celebrate Augustus’s success in battles abroad. It’s intricately carved and depicts in life size figures all of the people in his life that were important either socially or politically. Romans have mixed opinions about how it’s housed. Famed architect Richard Meier built a glass, stone and steel, very modern building and it leaves some people a little cold. The bas-relief was pretty interesting and promoted a discussion amongst us and I put it out to you: When is the last time you can remember an American having a monument built in their honor while they were still alive? There are scores of things in Rome and other ancient cities that are built during the lifetime of someone famous. For us, Mount Rushmore was at least ten years after Teddy Roosevelt died. Although we might rename airports and schools, we don’t tend to build monuments in our honor. We launch magazines like “O” or “Martha Stewart Living” instead…
http://en.arapacis.it/

That night we had reservations for one of our fancier dinners in Rome at Agata E Romeo. Great food and unlike Harry’s, worth the price. Some of the dishes we had were:
Flan of Aged pecorino Cheese with Pear sauce and honey
Risotto with fresh Fava Beans and lamb with braised artichokes.
And the wines were great and not too pricey as well.

For those of you with kids who might be a little finicky, I will say that every restaurant we went to was willing to prepare plain pasta for my son when he wasn’t feeling adventurous.
Agata E Romeo (Via Carlo Alberto 45, 06 446 5842)
http://www.agataeromeo.it/homepage_in.html

Restaurant bathroom: Had a seat, wall panel, but had to step on a pedal to wash hands.

NEXT: STRADDLE THE HOLE, COLE – the joy of Pompeian bathrooms
And Ancient brothels & the Amalfi Coast…

Your report is so informative and entertaining - I'm loving it!

I have always commented that one could make a great picture book of all the flushing mechanisms. I remember a unique way on the Train between London and Paris (unique) to say the least but of course the very worst are the holes in the floor in some places in Italy. At the Swarovski factory, their seats whirled around a bit and were sparkly (somewhat like their crystal jewelry). Always very interesting but at times challenging. Halfpint.

What a coffee table book the pictures would make!

Quick side bar about my husband and our dinner at Agata E Romeo.

Since our first trip to Italy in 2006, two of my husband’s favorite stories to tell around the dinner table that didn’t involve art or monuments had to do with food and sex, sort of. The food story is about the famed porchetta truck that travels from market to market in Tuscany and on it, sits a whole cooked pig. They slice thick slabs of pork and put in on crusty bread and it is, to this day, the best sandwich either of us has ever had. We chased that truck from Greve to Radda but never found it again. Like Harry Lime in “The Third Man,” it would disappear around corners leaving us in an empty town square, mouths watering for more pig.

The other story involves Italian women and their ability to walk across cobblestones, bumpy roads and dodge Vespas in the highest of heels imaginable. My husband would watch from a café in awe as if he were figuring out how they built the Verrazano Bridge. Not to be outdone and as a goodwill gesture for his new found Italian language skills, I decided to buy the spikiest of high heels to wear out to dinner on a few Roman nights. I thought to myself, I’m an American, dammit, I have the “can do” spirit, I have the “audacity of hope” that I won’t topple over and make a fool of myself. So after some heavy research, I bought the Cole-Haan Nike Air patent leather Fiona high heels. Nike Air! They’re BOUND to be comfy! I’ll be able to run across Via Del Corso and yell “Ciao, Aldo!” with the best of them! They felt good the 30 seconds I had them on in the store so I forked out the dough and left. As we stepped out for dinner that night, my husband looked down at my shoes and couldn’t be happier. We walked up to the taxi stand at the Spanish Steps and I would say within 5, oh, 3 minutes, I could no longer feel my toes. What gives? Does some sort of Novacaine come with Italian high heels? Or is more alcohol involved so they don’t care? All I know is, that as soon as we got to the restaurant and my feet were hidden under the table, I took my shoes off. And in the several hours we were there, some small Italian cobbler must have snuck under the table and replaced my shoes with a pair that had to belong to a toddler. I could barely get my Nike Air comfy high heels back on my feet. It’s the one time I didn’t feel bad about ordering grappa – it was what got me home that night. My Cole Haan Fiona heels have now been retired to “sitting shoes.”

Your stories are marvelous- would you write my trip report when I get home?

Spinch, where are we going and when do we leave?

Aah, that we could all get paid for what we love doing best....

Sicily for 5 days, then 2 weeks in Greece. If we were paid for it, I would keep traveling!

I love this report!
Of, the joys of finding the flush in my first Italian bathroom... that made me feel like I am actually becoming local

Agata E Romeo -- my husband and I had a great meal here, too, on our first trip to Rome. (we left our kids, 14 and 11, in the hotel with room service!)

The funny I thing I remember about that place was we were knocking and knocking on the door, and no one would come. we waited and waited and almost left, then started banging and someone finally answered!!

very chic place...

I'm enjoying this report a great deal and planning to pay more attention to the various facilities available on our next trip.

But I have to say that what I recall most clearly about several toilets in Italy was being stuck inside the stall or room because I couldn't under any circumstances figure out how to unlock the door!

Once in one of those modern hotels I used the bathroom attached to our room while my husband went to the desk with a question, without taking his key. By the time he got back I was in the bathroom, yelling as loud as I could through the doors that I was locked in. I think he finally went back to the desk and got someone to let him in the room and tell me how to open the bathroom door, but I can't swear to it; I think I've suppressed that memory!

Another time my sister disappeared from the table at a restaurant for an inordinately long time. I finally went to look for her and she was furious because she couldn't figure out the mechanism to unlock the stall door and thought it had taken me entirely too long to come look for her.

I don't think it's some familial genetic disability; someone else must have run into this problem, right?

dina4

That's bizarre! The other thing about Agata E Romeo and one other place we had dinner, is they had what looked like little foot stools next to the table. I wasn't sure if they were actually for my throbbing feet (doubtful) or a place to put your purse so it wasn't on the floor. We set our purses on it...

Italy06, you said, in speaking of showers,

"But still, when I stepped out the door of the hotel, I wasn't in the San Fernando Valley... Worth the inconvenience as I'm sure you agree!"

Absolutely! That's why were going back for the 15th time!

italy06,

Really enjoying the trip report. What a great theme! Isn't it the truth? I've been hugely entertained by the variety of flushing methods in Europe, not just Italy.

My best was the one in the British Pub in Montemarte, Paris. Yes, the plastic covering tube over the seat revolved when you flushed. WHERE did it go???? I was the first to use and could hardly stop laughing as I told the others to "wait and see"!

Do continue!

Dayle


I thought the same thing! Where did it go? Plastic revolving seats coming in our next restaurant and surprisingly one of the most efficient bathrooms was the Autogrill on the highway. Pompeii and Amalfi next....

And Charnees, when do you leave?

What a great trip report italy06, I just read it today and chuckled the whole time.

I always remember my first experience with the hole in the tile floor..back in the 1970's, I was sooooo glad I was wearing a skirt and not pants, lol.

italy06, my husband and I, along with 2 other couples, will be in Italy for 2 weeks in September. Your report is immensely helpful (such an anemic compliment) and I plan to send this thread to my friends.

I am loving this report . . .

Reportage splendido! Keep it coming.

must hear about Pompeii bathrooms! i'm worried about drinking too much to find my way out of the bathrooms, sounds like its hard enough sober! my 15 yr. daughter & i leave june 5 for 3 weeks of Rome, Capri, Greece, Greek Isles, back to Rome then fly to Paris.

i am soaking up every single morsel of information here, thank you so much!!!!

Thanks so much for your patience - silly things like my job keep getting the way of what I love to do best next to actually traveling. Pompeii coming up@

Not Europe, but about 25 years ago in Seoul, Korea we were at a fairly nice local reastaurant, and I had to use the WC.

After several turns and twists thru dark corridors, I find the nice, new, clean urinal attached to the wall right in the hallway. OK, fine--I'd had a lot of OBs, so modesty was out the window.

I start up and immediately hear splashing sounds. When I'm done, I peek under the urinal--there's no drain pipe. The liquid simply poured out the bottom with most of it pouring into a 6-inch diameter hole cut into the floor--at least the portion that didn't splatter onto my shoes.

I thought I had done something wrong, but was assured by the men waiting in line behind me that this was indeed the set up that this restaurant provided.

I always wondered what was beneath that hole in the floor as the restaurant was on the 3rd floor of the building.

My husband had some of the same fun you did with toilets on our first trip to italy. His favorite story is from an Autogrill stop. While standing at the urinal the elderly lady attendant came in and cleaned the one next to him.

I'm sure your employer will understand if you finish this report before your work...

Thanks for sharing.

Oh, I forgot the cool March day driving on the Autobahn on the way to Cologne from Amsterdam. Stopped at a rest stop. Stainless steel, seatless toilets. Difficult not to touch that COLD steel with some portion of exposed skin. Would normally have taken the train for that portion of the trip, but some special stops on the way made that very impracttical.

Bookmarking

I know I have wasted about 20 hours of my life trying to figure out how various European toilets flush! My daughters didn't believe me until we were having lunch at the Taverne Henri IV in Paris and my oldest daughter Alex was taking the longest time coming back from the loo. Finally my second daughter went looking for her. Alex had spent so much time looking for the flush mechanism that the timed light in the bathroom went out, and she was trying to find her way out in the pitch black! Maybe they will believe me in the future!

Italy06, your trip report is really fun to read. As is your conversations with other posters.

FYI you asked when we were going back for the 15th time: We leave in a week!! May 14!! Florence, Lucca, Orvieto, Rome. Come home June 4.

Someone mentioned being glad they were wearing a skirt in some of the bathrooms -- I think I will slightly revise my packing list! Had forgotten about the logistical problems in some places ----

mnapoli, your story reminds me about an experience my sister, b-in-law and I had in Italy. We were in Pisa at on out of the way restaurant. After we ordered, my sister decided to visit the ladies' room. She had been gaone a short time, when a linking light went off and all sorts of alarm bells. All sorts of people were running toward the toilet. BIL and I looked at each other, but no one seemed to be carried out feet first, so we sat tight. Pretty soon, sis reappeared. It turns out that once she was in the room, there was no light and as she felt around for a switch, she grabbed a string. She thought it was one of those kinds of lights, so she yanked on it. Turns out it was the "Help me; I've fallen and can't get up!" alarm.

After a crazy work month, I finally am able to get back to my report – thanks for your patience.

Bright and early on a Friday, we left Rome for all points south. After reading everyone’s helpful posts about Pompeii, we debated about taking a train or renting a car and decided instead to book a car with an English-speaking driver.

He picked us up at 7:30 AM and we hit the road. As most of you who have been there probably know, getting out of Rome is not a quick trip to the local freeway entrance. It takes some winding around before you actually get on the highway. And our wandering around took us up the Appian Way, which was a treat in itself. Nick was our driver and more. My husband used the opportunity of being in the car for a couple of hours to sharpen his Italian skills and Nick was patient and helpful and he also wanted to sharpen his English skills so we all learned a lot.

As I mentioned earlier, before we left, we rented a BBC documentary on Pompeii. The first part was a dramatic interpretation of the events leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius and apparently before it erupted, there wasn’t even a word in the language for volcano. The premise of the dramatization is based on artifacts and bodies that they found and what their stories could have been leading up to the moment of eruption. Interesting though fairly fictional with some real citizens thrown in. But it is followed by the scientific explanation and here’s my question: is there not an unattractive woman in Italy? Even the volcanologists look like Monica Bellucci! As most of you know, what killed the citizens of Pompeii was not lava but a pyroclastic flow of gas that reached up to 1800 degrees, killing people instantly. It traveled down Vesuvius at over 60 miles an hour and although earthquakes and raining pumice stones preceded it, most citizens did not leave, unaware of what was about to come. Because it was not lava, the town was virtually preserved under the ash and rediscovered centuries later. Out of their tragedy, we are able to see an amazingly preserved town that was once a rich seaport.

When we arrived at the site, there were a few people lingering outside the gates who had badges and our driver walked up to one of them – a woman named Elvira (pronounced Elveera) and found out she was an official guide. After we paid 90 Euros, she took us on a private tour of the site. Well worth every Euro spent. She was terrific, we could ask lots questions and we were with her over three hours.

What an amazing, advanced town. They had running water (although in lead pipes that some surmise led to disease and death among many citizens in Italy.) They had the equivalent of fast food places – you can still see the kitchens and urns that contained food. They had a red light district (it was a seaport, after all) with a brothel that still has intact frescoes detailing what pleasures you might get in any particular room – very efficient, in my mind…
And in case you had a little too much house wine at the café nearby, the streets had sculptures of penises leading the way. An early GPS system perhaps. And the brothel had a bathroom – a marble hole in a room that no doubt had some ancient tourist wondering why all the bathrooms in Italy were so different….

There are plaster casings around people and animals that were quite literally caught dead in their tracks. We actually took a picture of a living dog lounging near the plaster cast of a dead 79 AD dog. Must have been cousins. And houses and temples and amphitheatres galore. You can easily spend a day there. I don’t know about the rest of you, but Pompeii is one of those places that just calls out to you from your 4th grade history class. I can still remember my teacher telling us stories about the events that led up to that terrible day. It was really a privilege to finally get to see it.

And it’s easily doable on a day trip from Rome.

BATHROOM IN POMPEII - Nothing special (no seat BUT there was a bathroom attendant and it cost a Euro to use.)

Since it was also my mother’s unrealized childhood dream, I bought her a beautiful book about Pompeii and asked our guide what else would be a keepsake of the area. She mentioned a hand carved cameo place and the second we walked in, I could feel the Murano Glass cold sweat pouring down my forehead. You know when you’re offered something to drink in a store that sells cameos that there will be a pitch involved. You’re not buying a cameo! You’re buying history! The same thing happened to us on Murano in Venice and we barely escaped buying champagne glasses for 300 Euros apiece. We ran away and bought postcards instead….

Since we got there fairly early, we decided we had enough time to explore farther down the coast. We headed towards Sorrento and as the cliffs started dropping off at alarming rates, we found a great restaurant hanging on the side of a cliff that had an outdoor patio and stunning views of the sea. It was in the Hotel Mega Mare. After a nice lunch of fresh fish and a bottle of Vino Bianco, we headed back to Rome.

RESTAURANT BATHROOM: Quite homey and the most American bathroom we had seen so far.
Hotel Mega Mare – about 30 minutes south of Pompeii on the coast
http://www.hotelmegamare.com/index.php?LinguaNew=Inglese

It was an uneventful trip back as we slept most of the way but we did stop at the Autogrill for a soda and a bathroom break.

AUTOGRILL BATHROOM – very efficient. The soap dispenser was automatic, the faucet was automatic and the dryer was automatic – all in one convenient package - no need to touch anything. Of course, it made up for the seatless toilets….

After a quick nap at our hotel, we headed out to a delicious dinner at 59 (Via Angelo Brunetti 59 – 063219019)
http://www.ristorante59.it/indexing.html

Their fish dishes are wonderful as is their rolled veal breast stuffed with Parma ham, sage and saffron.

59 BATHROOM – Panel flush- but had a seat!

NEXT: COVER THE BOWL. JOEL
And hurricane hand dryer from hell….

italy06,

I'm so glad you decided to continue! I'm laughing out loud already. Can't wait to hear about the hurricane hand dryer from hell. I can just imagine.

Your report is wonderful! So glad you're continuing your tale.

I read an article on Pompeii in a Weekly Reader newspaper back in 4th grade and had wanted to visit there ever since. We took a day trip to Pompeii from Rome in 2005 and loved every minute of it of our time there. We listened to an audio tour downloaded from iJourneys.com and uploaded to our iPods as walked around Pompeii, and we enjoyed it a lot. It was truly one of my favorite travel excursions ever (I was going to say one of my favorite travel days ever, but on the way back to Rome from Pompeii, we stopped in Naples, which I absolutely HATED).

I loved your retelling of your high heels in Rome debacle. I had a similar experience in Rhodes, Greece, trying to navigate cobblestone streets in little stiletto sandals on the way to dinner. I think I ended up taking off my shoes and carrying them much of the way because it was apparent I was either going to break a heel or my ankle if I continued wearing them.

Looking forward to the rest of your story!

Eloise

OHMYGOD! I am totally relating to this thread. The first time I went to Europe was in 1967, and I was 5 months pregnant with our son. I had morning, noon, and evening sickness, so puked at every stop. I titled my journal "Europe As Seen Through The Bottom of a Toilet Bowl". BTW, I felt great the rest of the time, and we had a fabulous time.

When we got off the plane in London I went to the "loo", and came running out with a strip of toilet paper (what we called crepe paper in high school)---laughing to my husband all across the airport. Every little square of the paper had printed on it "Property of Her Majesty The Queen" or something to that effect. That was my very first impression of Europe, and I thought it was hysterical.

We just got back from Italy last week, and you are sooo right. Every time we asked where the "toilette" was, we were told it was downstairs. Usually very dark and steep stairs! My sister and I would just roll our eyes, as if "Of course, it is downstairs"! The same with everything being being "A 5-minute walk" or "It's about 50 meters" when it is actually a few miles away!

Ah, one of the great adventures when traveling .... the squat toilet. You're more likely to encounter these in other parts of the world; nevertheless, older buildings in certain parts of Europe, the occasional aged train station will still have the 'hole in the ground'.

And if you've not had the experience, here's a how to on Worldhum website.

http://www.worldhum.com/how_to/item/use_a_squat_toilet_20060923

Recently, I saw a listing for a pensione in Naples. Yet, when I went to look it up again, I couldn't find it. Does anyone know the name. Thank you.

not toilets, but urinals in Germany. The basic one was a trough at the base of a wall. You would go against the wall and it would run down to the trough where it went down a drain.

Next I ran into a restroom with a nice porcelain urinal like in the U.S. You went into it, but the bottom was not connected. The urine would run out the back where plumbing would normally be connected. It would then be directed against the wall, where it would run down to the trough at the base of the wall!

ttt

Thanks for topping this post. Love the trip report, italy06.

FYI - the smaller panel on the wall which flushes the toilet is for "liquids." The larger panel, which will usually push down the smaller panel as well is for "solids."

I can't wait for my return trip to Italy next year!

I'm still waiting for "Cover the Bowl Joel" (As I'm sure are others)

Please continue when you find the time. I depart for a 3 week trip Sept. 27th and I need more flushing information!

italy06, these reports do take forever to write, especially when written as well as yours. Thanks for posting and hopefully there's more to come!!

on the ferry from naples to capri they actually had a sign reading: please flush the toilet
on the door
what a novel idea
perhaps for the Greeks who might be visiting
( they are encouraged not to put paper down the toilet - paper goes into a waste basket- cute idea but it's not catching on)

This is a series of great and VERY informative posts. Where did you stay in Florence?

And thanks for your post on my forum.

Thank you! We stayed at Hotel Santa Maria Novella in a junior suite. They have one great suite that has two balconies overlooking the Piazza. Although there was construction going on while we were there, the view was fantastic and the room even better. And not that pricey for what we got. And it's mere steps away from the Farmacia de Santa Maria Novella - one of my favorite places in Florence. It's like a church that smells really, really good. And great special treats to take home for presents. To this day, every time I put on the lotion I bought there that I meticulously mete out, I am transported back to Florence; its' beautiful churches, its' incomparable art and its' stunning sunsets over the Duomo.

"The bas-relief was pretty interesting and promoted a discussion amongst us and I put it out to you: When is the last time you can remember an American having a monument built in their honor while they were still alive?"

Don't you build a library for each of your presidents?