Just back from Italy and have a question

This could be an exciting business opportunity! I heard that the Saudi guy made millions when he could not find any of those cheap folding cardboard windshield screens in the US. Everybody in Saudi used them to keep the sun from sending the internal car temperature to 160 when they parked them in the sun. So he started making and selling them himself. Amazingly simple idea that no one thought of doing here.

Me too, Jo! Just got back from three weeks in Sicily, and we were eaten alive. We ended up using bug spray. Like many things, the Italian takes things in stride - like no A.C., and if they do have it, many of them are afraid of it. I may ask one of my friends who lives there. In the meantime, I'd love it if Roberto would chime in!

Q: Why don't they have screens on the windows in Italy? A: They do have them (the Italian word is ZANZARIERA), but they haven't caught on, so people rarely install them. It's one of those things that would be helpful, but somehow people have not embraced. The same is true for garbage disposal (very rare in Italy but standard in the US), or the bidet (extremely rare in the US, but standard in Italian bathrooms), or the rolling shutters (very rare in the US but standard on Italian windows). One challenge may be that Italian windows are french style windows that open in the interior (like a door) rather than sliding windows. Another challenge is that in the US windows are flush with the wall on the outside (i.e. the window sill in the US is on the inside of the house), whereas in Italy the windows are flush with the wall on the inside (i.e. the window sill in Italy is on the exterior). This presents challenges because the screen has to be installed in an area that does not interfere with the opening of the window on the inside (ie. it must be installed outside the window), but not to interfere with the rolling shutters (which are flush with the wall on the outside). However there are products in the market in Italy that have solved that problem. I've seen some with some old neighbors in Florence (see below example): http://www.finstral.com/web/it/finestre-pvc-allumiminio-portefinestre-pvc-alluminio/pvc-finestre-portefinestre/Dotazioni/Zanzariere-U1254834546735U.html The difference in flushing (in the US windows are flush with the wall on the outside) make it difficult to install rolling shutters in the US. This is how this Arizona company has solved the problem for the US: http://ww2.azsunblock.com/products/rolling-security-shutters/index.html?gclid=CNvFveTphboCFeqDQgod5QoATQ

I don't know why they don't have screens. But I do know I stayed at my friend's father's house in Norway and they did not have screens. And this was a private house. I stayed at hotel in London on a RS tour and the hotel room I had did not have screens. Both stays were in the summer. It must be Europen thing and not just in Italy.

My house in England, and all the previous I have lived in here have never had screens. I don't know I would get ti the handle to open the window with the screen in the way. And it is fun to find butterflies and bees in the house. I found, BTW, that is windows are left open that flies will eventually go back out the way they came in. Bees will too but butterflies often need to be helped. We are lucky not to get mosquitos here, not until global warming warms us up a touch more. Bob and Jenny's B&B in Vicenza, a most excellent location and place DOES have both screens on their windows and electric and strap shutters.

In America's early days there was a lot of malaria. I guess that is why America got screens on windows (to keep out Mosquitos). I think shutters in France and Italy help keep out flying insects.

Thanks for all the replies. Most of the mosquito bites are now healed except the one on my pinky finger which may be infected. Next time, I will wear the repellant to bed.

I sleep with windows closed in Europe. Windows keep out noise and insects, maybe burglars.

In insect prone areas we use products on the skin, but we never put it on at night. In the room we plug in a coil which works very well...

Has anyone tried taping mosquito netting over windows? You could use something like painter's tape that comes off easily, so as not to damage paint. I think the netting & tape would take very little space to pack. I am seriously under-traveled at my age (62), though I am about to start making up for lost time. But I do know that mosquitoes drive me crazy, and the mosquito issue in Italy is freaking me out a bit.

Shutters will keep out many insects during the day, but not at night. We have rolling screens for just that reason, although we still get a few bites from the little devils sneaking in through an open door.

I've noticed that most if not all European countries I've been to (France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Italy) don't have window screens. I always wondered why they don't - the suggestions / answers given in this thread are really interesting. I also really like the two-way windows available in Europe - they open at the top one way and swing out like a door the other way. Why don't we have such great windows in the U.S. / North America?

Maybe just older buildings? When we moved to San Francisco I was shocked that our flat had no screens. And when we bought our house a couple years ago no screens either, we only added them when we replaced the windows. Lots of people here don't have screens. Kim

I asked the same question to my aunt in Calabria many years ago and she told me the air was fresher without the screens. After traveling in Italy for 33 years I've seen some places with them, but most do not. Buon viaggio,

Ever heard of Premethrin? You spray your clothes, and forget about bugs, indoors or out. No smell. Just back from Africa without a single bug bite.
Sold on Amazon.

I can't answer for Italy or the rest of Europe, but here in the states, we do not have screens on our windows. Why? The light is better when it filters through clear glass and not screens. Aesthetically is is a more beautiful view out the window- greens are greener, tress are sharper, etc. Purely an artistic choice for us.

They don't have screens but they do have ... Venetian blinds and Roman shades ... ha ha!

When is the mosquito season in Italy? Are they around in April?

Paul - It varies in intensity from year to year and the part of Italy visited but I have encountered the little b*****s from March through to November. November was in Venice which did surprise me because the weather was cold. I now always go prepared. In the north of Italy there is a growing incidence of the Tiger mosquito. We noticed a public information campaign in Emilia Romagna to persuade people to remove standing water from their gardens, balconies etc. Flower pot stands were given as an example. A quote from Wikipedia "they were most likely brought to Italy in used tires from Georgia (USA)"!

I am presently reading the diaries of Cecil Beaton, "The Wandering Years, 1922 - 1939". In Rome in 1934 he mentions going to bed and getting under the mosquito net. So is that how the problem has been dealt with over the years?

Thanks Linda! We will be traveling for month starting in Nice and ending in Positano. So I guess we will run into the little buggers.

Norma, I am presently viewing reruns of House Hunters International, and saw a bed in Italy with a mosquito net.

Aha, Karen ... so there you are. Pack a mosquito net when you go to Italy. I know there was a time (I think in the 19th century) when malaria was rampant in Rome.

We stayed in a villa in Tuscany that had screens on the bedroom windows only...other rooms had no screens. But we also had a mosquito coil...had a four letter name that now escapes me. Lit the coil, let it burn and it seemed to keep the bugs away. Might have been Vape? Villa had a supply on hand for us to use. My daughter lives in Switzerland and no screens there...her night time entertainment was significantly improved when a bat flew in one night. She gave the neighbors a language lesson I bet they still haven't forgotten!

I have been in Italia now for 2 months and i think not having screens is connected strongly to famous historical/literary events. Per esempio, Commercials on Italian TV show a scene bathed in warm golden sunlight and then a handsome man rides by on his bike and then a woman throws open the wood shutters and leans out the window to greet the man. Like Romeo and Juliet style. Italian women love to lean out windows and smooze with people below. Can't do that with a screen in the way, although i have seen some smart windows with screens that roll up and down like US window shades. In that case the gal just rolls up the screen, leans out the window, then rolls the screen shade all the way down when done smoozing. Those rolling screen shades are smart, i wish they would catch on, you can have the old-fashioned romance of no screens and the practicality of screens!

I found Tea Tree Oil Wipes to be a good mosquito repellent last month in Turkey. I think they are made by Body Shop; I ordered them from Amazon. They smelled good, kept mosquitos away & made my skin feel smooth. I especially liked that I could use it in the evening and not have to wash it off before bedtime like I would with most repellents. They came in a soft plastic pouch, easy to pack. I stored mine in a ziplock bag to prevent drying out if the pouch accidentally opened.

That's a great tip Charlene! Mosquitoes love me but I won't put repellant on my skin and I can't stand the smell so I'll get some of those wipes.. thanks!

No window screens? When I went to college in Austria in 1970, they didn't have drive in markets. Gas stations were downtown on the curbs. Some small grocery stores weren't even self serve. You'd drive thru Italian cities and see feet and legs in a booth spraddling a trough for a public restroom (both men and ladies.) And they've now come so far. Except window screens are rare.
Now if they would quit using natural fertilizer on their fields, my Spring trips would be more enjoyable.