Some observations of Italy

Italian Time

On many walking tours, the guides would tell us to keep to Swiss time, not Italian time, when meeting back after a break. Clocks are rare in Italy. It is not unusual to find train stations without a time keeping mechanism of any sort. If you do find a clock, it is not usually working, and if it is ticking along, it does not necessarily tell the correct time. Are the lack of clocks the reason for Italian time, or are Italians so casual with time that they do not even attempt to time keep by having clocks that tell the correct time?

Toilets

We have been told by many walking tour guides to not use public toilets. Just go into any cafe, invest €1, get a cup of espresso or macchiato, and use their toilets. Good advice. The toilets are usually clean, and there's even toilet paper. What is optional though, is a toilet seat. You sit directly on the cold pedestal.

There's a sink to wash your hands, and even a soap dispenser with soap. No cake of gunky cake of soap. Italians might be late, but they'll come with clean hands. The one thing I had to get used to is that often, males and females share the same sink. The cubicles are marked male or female, but the sinks are common. So, you have to get fully appropriate before leaving your cubicle. No fumbling with zip or arranging the many winter layers at your betweens as you're leaving the cubicle. It is when your hand are in the most embarrassing place that you will find a man washing his hands and looking straight at you from the mirror in front of him

Don't worry if you don't see a contraption to manipulate to get water out of the tap at the sink. It is often a pedal on the floor that you step on to get water out to wash your hands with. Sometimes, you have to pump the pedal with your feet. Step on the pedal gently, as the water pressure varies. I am sure that waiters have a good laugh at spotting the tourist who emerges from the toilets with wet hair, face and top.

Smoking is rampant

Lots of people smoke. Lots of parents smoke whilst pushing a pram, holding the hand of their child, even whilst carrying their baby. Fortunately, smoking is not allowed inside eating places, but if the streets have people, it will have cigarette smoke. Waiters in front of restaurants tout for business whilst puffing smoke into the faces of potential customers. Train passengers go for a quick puff just outside the train doors whilst the train stops momentarily at stations, then walk through the train reeking of smoke.

Dogs

Smoking might not be allowed in restaurants, but dogs are. They are allowed everywhere. In restaurants, in churches, on trains, in supermarkets and even at the butcher. We saw two big Alsatians in rather posh restaurant in Varenna, Cinque Terre. Most dogs are well behaved and quiet, but there was one who got a bit excited at the butcher. For the number of dogs, streets of Italy were mostly clean except for Milan and Bari, and we witnessed dog walkers picking up after their dogs in Assisi and Florence. Rome had surpassingly clean streets, however it took 3 days to totally clean up after New Years Eve.Read more