Please sign in to post.

Question: Italian String

In every Italian hotel I stayed in, I noticed a long string hanging high on the wall above the shower head, attached to a small plastic box. Would anyone know what this is?

Posted by
1895 posts

It's an emergency call cord. Should you fall or have an accident in the shower/bathroom, you pull it to call for help.

I know that it works because last fall I took my daughter to Rome and she pulled the cord, not knowing what it was. I got the call from the front desk of the hotel asking if there was an problem. I didn't know my daughter had pulled the cord - she was just curious to see what it did.

Posted by
135 posts

That's an "in case of emergency" string, and will ring at the hotel desk (i believe)

Posted by
805 posts

Yup, very similar to the ones common in retirement homes in the United States. They are if you fall and cannot get up. You pull the cord and it sets off an alarm.

Posted by
7737 posts

My guess is that they're required under the law (since they really are everywhere) but there's no requirement as to the length. The shorter they are, the less likely they are to get wet and mildew. Welcome to Italy.

Posted by
6792 posts

But...as described, the string is quite high up. You would need to be standing in order to reach it, wouldn't you?

Posted by
448 posts

I was wondering about "the string" too..there was one in our apt bathroom, but not near the shower or toilet..i pulled it a few times in the first hour "at home", but didn't touch again..i thought it was an alarm of sorts if one got locked in...

Posted by
1317 posts

David, I had the exact same question when I saw the cord in our hotel room! There's no way you could reach it once you've fallen. Maybe you are supposed to grab it on the way down?