Don't Expect This Common Feature To Be On Every Toilet In Italy

You're visiting Italy and enjoying a leisurely glass of wine at a cafe. Later, as you wander around, marveling at the gorgeous architecture and historic squares, you realize you need a restroom. You spot one, and just in time. That's when the differences between public bathrooms in America and Italy become very obvious. First, you likely have to have coins on you to even get into the room. When you go inside the stall, yet another surprise awaits: There is no seat on the toilet. 

Some customs and circumstances can be unexpected in Italy. For instance, tourists may be surprised by some differences like not expecting a quick dinner during their trip or the unexpected added fee when eating a meal in Italy. Bathrooms are no different. You may be asking yourself how people deal with this here, or if this is just a strange fluke. Nope. This is very common in Italy, believe it or not, and you just have to adapt — unless you can hold it until you get back to your hotel or rental, that is. Forget restaurant bathrooms; they're just as likely to have this issue. Here's why you are likely to find many toilet seats missing, and a few other things that differ between public toilets in America and Italy. We've also got a few tips to help you out. 

The reason you're likely to find toilets with no seats isn't because they were made that way. No, there were seats there in the beginning. Apparently people often stand on the seats to avoid putting their bum on them, and that breaks them. Talk about taking "hovering" over a toilet seat to a new ... height. While this may seem like a questionable move, as anything falling from that distance above the water is going to splash at your feet, one cannot underestimate a human's need to avoid grime and germs. It's also a good argument for hovering as you never know what has been on that toilet seat, no matter where you are.

Americans may also have to get used to paying a fee to use a public restroom. It's usually between half a euro and a euro, so bring coins with you if you can. The fee is supposed to go to keeping the bathrooms clean, and if there is an attendant, paying them. However, this fee doesn't seem to extend to new toilet seats. That said, one thing many Italian public restrooms do have is floor-to-ceiling doors, which means no kids peeking at you through the cracks or waving at you from under the stall. You have far more privacy, which is something that many people welcome. 

So, what do you do if you can't sit on the seat? Considering that many of us try to use our leg muscles to hover anyway to avoid germs, that's still an option. You could also use your elbows to prop yourself against the wall for balance. It's not ideal, but there isn't a lot of choice here. Thankfully these bathrooms aren't like the ancient ones from the time of the Roman Empire (seen above) where there was no privacy at all. (Or at least, very unlikely, according to many historians.) You just hung out with several people in a line, doing what nature states we all must. 

Another thing you can do is bring a pack of tissues and line the top of the toilet — and possibly use it for toilet paper as there might not be any of that either, no matter where in the world you are. It's also worth bringing a bottle of hand sanitizer in case there aren't soap dispensers or hand dryers. You'll also find two buttons to flush with, a large one and a small one, depending on the amount of waste to be flushed. You might want to use the tissues here as well as many people flush with their foot. Finally, just in case, if you need to ask where to find a restroom, say, "Dov'e il bagno," (pronounced doh-vay eel ban-yo), though you may see it marked as "WC." (You can also try Google's translation hack for a stress-free trip.)