Again as was mentioned earlier, don't be surprised at having to use a 'telephone' shower. You pick it up to use like you would a telephone receiver; might take some getting used to handling that in one hand and a soap bar and wash cloth in the other....in a tight space.... while trying not to splash water everywhere.

Look out for toilets which flush by your having to pull a long chain hanging above your head.
Or some that have a knob you turn like those on a stove.

My wife tells me that sometimes when people, particularly women, ask about toilets in Europe the concern is really more to do with the presence/use of bidets or toilet paper - should we bring some. Not having travelled Italy, I don't know.

Once we rented an apt in Austria and the owner made a point of telling us that they were leaving the hot water heater on "all the time" for us. Apparently it was not the norm to leave on all day. Even so, the tank was small and did not accommodate more than 2 showers in a row. So we had to juggle our schedule a little for our family of 4. We sometimes have the same issue when visiting relatives; maybe we're just water hogs! I don't remember that being an issue elsewhere in Europe though, especially not in the pricier hotels that host many international visitors. Most of the toilets seem to work better than those in our home in the US --possibly they haven't got the anemic amount of water flow that is required in the US or are better designed...

Bidets come WITH toilets, not instead of. Use is entirely optional. Certainly doesn't hurt to carry your own toilet paper (squash a partially used roll), although I don't always bother for Europe.

Believe me, toilet paper has <b>improved</b> significantly in parts of Europe from when I first visited back in 1970.

A lot of places have the non-shower shower - just a shower head on the end of a hose - that is really heard to use - esp for a woman trying to wash and condition her hair every am. And the lack of shower curtains - this has been getting better - but is still a common problem.

So - what I do is take everything I need out of the bathroom and just shower as best I can. It's the maid's job to clean up - not mine. If she complains often enough - I always do on the way out - maybe they'll start putting up shower curtains - it's really not that tricky.

(I must admit this is the one aspect of european travel that drives me mad. Living in a pre-war apartment hour I'm used to a torrent of hot water coming from far above my head [11' ceilings] and most hotel showers een in the US drive me mad - too low, no water etc - but no curtain is the worst.)

nytraveler- Do you live in DUMBO? You have just described the shower situation in a few of my friends' apts there and I have never found them anywhere else. Amazing!

Paris Municipal showers, very nice and individual, now free last I heard- How bout other capitals, countries?