In Italian bathrooms you will find nothing predictable. There are about 6 different ways to flush a toliet, and you never know if your getting one with a toliet seat (in public bathrooms 95%). There are pull strings -push strings, knobs and panels in the wall, (in hotels in homes) I think they try to test us. Some bathrooms accomodate you with a hole in the floor (ipublic bathrooms)....with convinient grooves in which to engage your feet so you don't fall in.
The most unrealistic and confusing are bathrooms in homes without a separate shower..there is a showerhead in the wall in the middle of everything. SO you take your shower and spray everything you own--drenching all .... how does this make any sense? Maybe they are linked back 2,000 yrs ago to the "OPEN ROMAN BATHING FACILITIES" I am stupified.
One more thing: I have found virtually no HOT water until 10 minutes of waiting, I can't wait to fly home just to enjoy a steaming bath.

Jacqueline......what are you talking about?????
What kind of bathrooms and showers are you talking about??????
Maybe the ones on a beach.....
And if for you, flush a toilet is challenging....maybe you didn't found hot water because you didn't found the way to open it.....

Giogiogio

Thank you Giogio for your very intelligent input, we need to hear values from all different sources I suppose. I do not think that I have used all the wrong bathrooms in Italy--I think you just get lucky-- You'll soon find out that I am not the only one that sees these bathrooms. There are pressure problems too, if you wash dishes, and someone is taking a shower, the hot water is used by one and does not arrive to the other. IF you never have noticed THIS your not living in Italy. And all these different flushes are true: they are found in houses, hotels, and in public places.

You made me smile jaqueline! Something is true in your story maybe you were a little bit unlucky with bathrooms ;-)
Anyway at least in Italy we have bidet that is so important!

Sapore di sale

You're absolutely right! Unless you'd like to make a forum only by yourself...
[/QUOTE]IF you never have noticed THIS your not living in Italy.[/QUOTE]
You're right again, I'm not living in Italy, I moved to the US 2 years ago, after 34 years in Italy....so, I think I know something about my country!!!
Maybe it's true, you have to wait a little bit before the hot water come out, but it's the same here...anyway 10 minutes is a long wait, absolutely untrue!
You see, we do not show like the americans with flags everywhere and stickers in every available inch of a car....but we do love our country and we are proud to be italian citizen....so we don't like when someone thinks to know and say things like this.
I've been living in the US enough to criticize it, but since every day I discover something new, i feel like (probably) I don't know it really well.....
Please do not exagerate (10 minutes wait; bathrooms are a horror ecc....), a real horror are the bathrooms without bidet (thanks Saporedisale) or that get clogged every other day.
Enjoy your staying in Rome!

Giogiogio

I've been living in Rome and Italy in general for over 40 years. The italian bathrooms really reflect the roman dialect word for them: "Cessi"!! Which in English language you could callem them "latrines" or "outhouses" ("head" in the NAVY). The origin, the old roman times, was the "Cesso alla Turca" (Literally "Turkish Latrine"). For obvious reasons it was more practical since all it is is a hole in the ground.
The flushing systems have been modified through time. From the classical bucket of water, to the chain hanging from a water tank placed upon your head, to a metal button mounted on the wall right in front of you (later replaced by a plastic one). The water system, in a regular house/appartment, at our present times, its something you don't see even in Africa. I had to inform everyone in the house that I was taking a shower in which time, if someone, had even dared to open up a faucet in any other part of the house I immediately froze or boiled (water pressure going apes!!).
I can't complain about the tubs...I only take showers!!
Next time I'll give you a "pearl of wisdom" on Hotels/Bars and Restaurant toilettes!!

http://pagentsprogress.com/?p=281

Speaking of Bathrooms, I have never seen a cat flush a toliet alone, over and over...they are smarter than I thought!

Four years back I was working in a hotel in Rome. I will never forget the funniest story someone told me:

There was a lawyer, and he stayed with us for one week. Some guests had a shared bathroom. And in this particular one, there was a panel on the wall flush. This man went in, and never came out....
No one could understand what had happened to him.
Well, he had to really GO, and spent 45 minutes in there trying to figure out how to flush the toliet. Imagine how embarassing that is to someone who was as classy as this guy was. He didnt want to come out and leave his doings in there... this gives a hint as to how difficult some flushing methods can be.

I did understand that the thread about Euthanasia could be a heated one but this one about the bathroom ...
How did it bacome a discussion ?
I loughted when I read Jacqueline comment so I dnot think Giogiogio should take it seriously ... We are all pro Italy here.

Let me add a true piece of email an I received:

...Wonderful site. Lots of great information and pieces of knowledge. I was impressed with the humourous pages, I can't stop laughing; it is always funnier when one makes fun of one's self! And it also shows a people who know who they are, love who they are and are not afraid of making fun of whatever particularities they have - which is always a sign of confidence and intelligence. Bravo amici! ......

This email made me realize that I do enjoy jokes about Italian ( I added many in the joke section ) because I know who I am and and I am sure of my country so much that a few jokes ...will make me lough ...
Paolo

First, saying "This is my very last conversation towards this person GGGG", I think is a very mature and intelligent way to act...you should't be a little less aggressive jaqueline.
Anyway, I have never such problems you told us, I changed 4 houses in italy and I visited many more.
The bottom line is that you can't say (mmccain) "this is the situation now in Italy" because it's just not true, that's your experience.
After 2 years here in the US I could say few things about americans, but if I said "this is America today" it should't fair, this is just my experience.
That's all I have to say.
Keep ignoring me....and again....enjoy Rome...jaquelina.

Giogiogio