Taking my mom to Italy
Jan 27th, 2003, 06:38 AM
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Taking my mom to Italy
Mom would like to go to Italy. Interested in Florence and Venice. Not interested in Rome. But the one thing mom doesn't want to do is pee in a pit. I know that wasn't phrased elegantly but that is how mom said it. <BR><BR>Should this be a concern or are there more 'American' style toilets in Italy now.
Jan 27th, 2003, 07:26 AM
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Please take your mother to Florence and Venice and show her that these places are civilized and clean, moreso than many cities in America, and that they are also home to some of the greatest art treasures in the world. All thte great museums here, from the Uffizi in Florence to the Accademia in Venice, have perfectly wonderful toilets, fully appointed cafes and gift shops, and are close to transportation (the Accademia is on the Grand Canal!!!!!). Please take your mother. She will be overwhelmed.
Jan 27th, 2003, 08:17 AM
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Traveled all over Italy last year and only encountered the squat toilets one time, and that was on the upperlevel of St. Peters Basilica, when we descended from the dome. Maybe we were just lucky!!<BR><BR>I was surprised to find public chemical toilets in Venice, until I thought about the potential difficulty of running sewer lines.
Jan 27th, 2003, 08:52 AM
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A "turca" toilet is not at all a pit. It is a usually clean ceramic thing that you can flush and use just like you would use a "modern" toilet. And unluckily it is disappearing. Why unluckily? Well, in first place the squatting position is very comfortable and "helps" a lot. In second place, a turca is more hygienic, since you do not risk sitting on someone else's waste product. Obviously it is also pretty uncomfortable for the elderly, but than large public toilest could still have 1/3 Wc and 2/3 turche.<BR>I invite you to notice (or remember if you ever noticed) footprints on the toilet's rim when in Italy. Well, many Italian perfer not to sit on public tpoilets and opt to squat on WC just like they would on a turca, just standing on the rim of the toilet. I do too: it is so much cleaner!
Jan 27th, 2003, 09:19 AM
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Thanks everyone for the comments. Mom is in her late 60's and I don't think she would want to squat. She grew up with an outhouse and doesn't want to go back to a pit in the ground. <BR><BR>I didn't mention in my first post, but she wants to see the mountain/lakes area. I don't know much about the area, so I'll read up on it before asking questions.<BR><BR>Thanks for taking the question seriously. I waited until the registration process was required just to prevent some troll comments.
Jan 27th, 2003, 09:43 AM
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Since your mother is on the elderly side, ans as well as she finds squatting uncomfortale, she might also find stooping above the toilet uncomfortable. The best solution is to buy a pack of specifically designed liners for the toilet seat. They are made if thin but strong and nearly waterproof (it does not stand saoking for a hou, but keeps you dry for a couple of minutes) paper, a ring of paper with a hole in the middle that you can lay on the rim of the toilet so that you are not directly in ontact with it. I do not know about the Usa, here in Italy you can easily find them in supermarkets and pharmacies.
