no shower curtain suggestions

No further suggestions except to note that, as previously mentioned, keeping the toilet paper dry is probably concern number 1. Just make sure you temporarily place the TP outside of the bathroom, or you’ll be sorry later. I ran into this no curtain issue in Paris…one of our rooms had a shower with a curtain, while the second room had a tub with shower but no curtain. No problem…simply mop up the sink and floor a little bit with your used towel when you’re done drying. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s been a couple of years, but I seem to recall that we encountered the same thing in Vienna. I haven’t seen this anywhere in Italy.

Well, mostly don't put your clean clothes and towels where they'll get wet. I suppose you could pack a tension rod and your own curtain, but you should be fine.

I did 21 days up and down the length of Italy and don't recall ever lacking a shower curtain (or other shower enclosure).

However, if I ever found myself in a bathroom without a shower curtain/enclosure, I'd just do as suggested above and make sure that nothing that I wanted to keep dry was exposed, and then I'd just take a shower and let the water go where it was going to go.

If the hotel owners aren't worried about water all over their bathroom I'm not going to be.

The simple answer is you shower. It's not a dilemma at all. If there is no curtain, it's going to be in an enclosed washroom designed for curtainless showering.

Just keep your toilet paper dry and everything will be fine :)

Pete

We ran into this problem on our 1st trip to Italy, in 1984 (back in the last millenium). We have made nine more visits since then, and I don't recall ever having that problem again. Relax and enjoy your trip.

I've had this happen pretty often in Prague and sporadically all over Europe (didn't run into it in Italy at all, though). Honestly, it's not a big deal as long as you're aware of it. Make sure you have enough towels and just keep all your dry clothes/valuables, etc., out of the way.

Saves on maid service if your guests clean the bathroom while they shower, maybe? ;-)

Having stayed in 4 locations in Italy, we had shower curtains at 2 and sliding doors at 2. The bigger problem I usually have is the step up into the shower can be quite high.

On the off-chance you do run into this, everyone else has good advice--remove anything you don't want getting wet (valuables, toilet paper, spare towels) and have at it.

It occurs to me to wonder if some hotels lose their curtains to light-fingered guests?

We found this to be the case in France. I learned later that the idea is to sit in the tub and use the shower sprayer while you were sitting down. We didn't do this though, and just got water all over the floor, and tried to mop it up with the towels as best we could.

We've had a lot of bathtubs with shower over tub. The tub has a glass swinging door that extends half the lengh of the tub. On my first trip to Europe, in Venice we had a toilet/shower. There was a huge shower head on the ceiling about 14 feet up. There was a drain in a non-sloping floor. The shower head was directly over the toilet. The water ran out under the bathroom door into the bedroom. Things have improved in the last 37 years.

Many on this forum fail to understand that European hotel plumbing is actually a conspiracy to make sure Americans realize that they're now in a foreign country, really foreign.

I remember the Provencal plumber (in the book, A Year In Provence) describing to Englishmen Peter Mayle the new toilet the plumber has selected for Mayle's house in Provence:

"Even an American would be impressed with this toilet!"

Before reading that, I didn't realize the international reputation we apparently have for being picky about toilets and other plumbing fixtures.

Rick says the plumbing in the Paris Ritz is just fine.

I have never been to Italy, but on my last two trips to Europe, I stayed in B&Bs where the shower was on a wall in the bathroom. These baths were all tile. It was odd, but it worked. You just had to be very careful where you placed your clothes and towels while you were showering. The only bad thing is that the floor was always wet, but that was just a minor incovenience. I have gotten to the point where things that might have bothered me in the past now seem like interesting novelties.

Kim described it well. I was going to post the same thing earlier. Most European bathing is not designed to be like American fixed point shower that you stand under and use lots of expensive water. The shower head is hand held and is to be used to spot wash and rinse body parts. If it is handled properly you do not get water everywhere. Years ago an European remarked to me how sloppy and messy Americans were when using a bathroom. They get water everywhere. But the locals are getting smarter. I am seeing more shower curtains and enclosures than many years ago.

I suspect that Europeans have perfectly normal showers and tubs at home, and that they put these in hotel rooms just to have a giggle at us. My tub and shower in Paris had a tub that was almost V shaped. It was only as wide as one of my feet, so I had to stand with one foot in front of the other. Now, what sense does that make?

Like many things you'll encounter in Europe, bathing and bathing facilities can be a little different. Shower, shower head, sprayer with hose, spray nozzle...whatever you call it the issue remains that, unless you're willing to bathe like some Europeans as previously described when using a tub with no curtain, you'll have plenty of water splashing about if you're not careful. It really isn't a problem.

It's interesting to note that some Europeans bathe this way, and some Europeans actually shower in the same fashion as their American counterparts when in their own homes (imagine that). My friends in Reykjavik, for example, shower just like I do, and their facilities are just like mine. I don't think there's a right/wrong (or better/worse) way...just different approaches.

I wonder if Europeans share similar commentary back home after visiting anywhere in the U.S. I suspect they may.

The OP was about Italian hotel plumbing. But some of the posts have mentioned Paris hotel plumbing, and I wanted to add that:

One of the pluses of Paris hotel plumbing is that additional plumbing fixture they include just for soaking tired feet, after walking ten miles on Paris cobblestones. You know the fixture I'm talking about, right? I think they call it a bidet, a hotel clerk once assured me that bidet means foot soaker in French.

I mean, that has to be the use for it...I really can't think of any other possible use for it....

Oops...thought that was specifically designed for filling water bottles!?!

Oops...thought that [the bidet] was specifically designed for filling water bottles!?!

Michael: Actually, the bidet is a dual-purpose contrivance. First fill the water bottle. Then soak the feet. The correct sequence is considered important by most seasoned travelers.

You see, these Paris customs aren't so difficult to figure out, once you're getting expert advice.

And to think, some people here are worried about drinking Paris tap water....

Got it...thanks for ensuring I have the sequence down right :)

Well, we thought the French were just child friendly and put a kids sink in there to make it easy for them to wash their hands and brush their teeth. Darn, I could have soaked my feet. oh well, maybe next time. Thanks for setting us all straight Kent. You're a keeper!

YIKES, who knew I would start a deluge and so much fun as well.....Cheers!

Imagine what Parisians visiting the US think-oddly, the toilet is in the same room as the sink and shower. They feel claustrophobic from the curtain around the shower. And if they want to have a little wash up down low, they have to take a full shower-no bidet in sight.

But the poor Brits! Hot and cold water actually come out of the same faucet. Plus, they can't believe we actually heat the bathrooms, and don't leave the window open to the winter air. Oh, the horror.