October 14 La Mandrie di San Paolo

We’ve been in seven different hotels so far. They are moderately priced and charming. Each room has had an en suite bathroom and each bathroom has had a bidet!

The bidet must be important for hygiene because space for a human-sized shower is sacrificed to make room for it. It sits next to the toilet, shiny clean and sparkling.

I have encountered these fixtures before in France and I know what they’re for. But I’ve never taken the time to learn to use one. So I consulted YouTube for instruction. I found an excellent and tasteful video where a fully clothed young woman demonstrated both the wall facing and the more conventional forward facing positions. (Search “how to use an Italian bidet” by Nima Ghods. You will find some other funny ones there too.) Please watch Nima’s video before you read on.

I gathered my equipment, soap and the special thin towel, ready to attempt the “girls” position. The bidet was as low as a preschool chair and there was just no room for my long legs. Straight on they hit the wall and I was not on board. There was no room to fan my legs out to the side either. This was a no go.

Thankfully the conventional toilet position worked great. I had to get used to the low seat and the warm spray but now I’m a believer.