I've been told that often one will have to pay to enter public restrooms, but in those instances, the facilities are usually very clean. Are they hard to find?

I never understand this concern. Normally I would be spending much of the day visiting museums, churches, or other public places which will have restrooms. When I have lunch or possibly a mid-afternoon snack or drink, there will also be restrooms. If you are out, then look for a church, a major store, or a bar.

We didn't have any problems finding restrooms. There are some right at the foot of the Accadamia Bridge (by the Hotel Galleria). I forget the cost, but it was about 25 cents or so. Very clean and convenient.

Anne

There are several around town. Just look for and follow the WC signs. I think they're yellow with black writing.

The public Toilets (Public Restrooms) in Venice that I used were very clean (thank heavens!) and I was glad to pay to use them as they were maintained great, safe. As the other poster wrote their is a large WC sign with clearly marked arrows. I think I remember visiting the fish market near the Rialto bridge early in the day and used the Public Restrooms very close to that location. It was not a problem at all though, and local merchants, etc, all know their locations.
Venice is very "tourist friendly."

Good morning The VENICE CARD map has a numbere of these located on the map
grid....Also watch for signs for the public toilets some posted on the buildings and others on the pavement.
...also goeurope.abouot.com/ has about two pages of locations.
Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..

In general, you must pay to use the toilet all over Italy, not just Venice. If you can't find a toilet, just enter a cafe or and use its toilet facilites. Purchasing a coffee will grant you entrance. There are public toilets off of Piazza San Marco, past the Campanile, to the right along the canal. You will see WC sign along the pavement. You can also dash into Cafe Florian.

The reason that the public toilet facilites are so clean, and toilet paper is available is because you must pay admission. You should also tip the attendents, who mop and keep the facilities tidy.

Very interesting discussion. It just shows the value of this site, when an issue is addressed by the right posters.

Mea culpa!!!! I misspelled attendant. Sorry St. Cirq (who is probably mocking me right now).

I offer this again, with feeling.
http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com

I was thrilled to pay for "clean" restrooms all over Italy. The first dirty restroom I saw was after my 2 week trip to Italy, when I made a flight connection at the Newark airport. 50 cents is very much worth a clean bathroom in my mind!