So I walked out of my building this morning to go to work and saw two women saying "che schifo!". I walked two steps out of the building and almost ran into a guy peeing on the middle of the footpath on my street (a busy street full of parents taking their kids to the school at the end of my block). Yuk! The guy was a normal looking middle aged guy - didn't look like an alcoholic or homeless. And this was 8.30 am!
I seem to run into men peeing on the street once every couple of days. Sometimes they look like homeless guys but often they look quite respectable. What is going on here?
I'm used to seeing the occasional guy "having a slash" late at night after a long night at the pub. But at 8.30 am? On a busy street with kids around?
Oddly enough, taking the dogs for their walk this morning, there was a cove having a wee. At least he found - what he thought was - a private corner at the intersection of two walls. There's only one public dunny around here, and that's outside the town walls.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a otherwise normal looking middle-aged man taking a pee against the wall of someone's garden. I'd say it was about midday. The street leads to the supermarket and there were several other women walking there, some with small children. We all just looked at each other and shook our heads in disgust.
Disclaimer: the content of this post is specific to my personal experience of Italy and may differ from received opinion about the bel paese.
Happens alot in the square and carpark outside my house too. Some are homeless, but some have just parked up and can't wait - must have a bladder problem as there are 2 bars very close by!
Private public corner or footpath, it's all the same to me. This is a constant source of disgust for me. The ultimate in bad manners and social ignorance.
I don't know about here, but it's a crime where I come from, and rightly so.
Posts: 83 | Location (City & State): Milano area | Registered: 18 January 2007
Originally posted by Graeme: Oddly enough, taking the dogs for their walk this morning, there was a cove having a wee. At least he found - what he thought was - a private corner at the intersection of two walls. There's only one public dunny around here, and that's outside the town walls.
I'm beginning to believe all of the Italians who tell me that "English" and "Americano" are two completely different languages. "Oh, I'm not learning Americano, I'm learning English."
Originally posted by alyson: must have a bladder problem as there are 2 bars very close by!
quote:
Originally posted by Ramona: It always seems strange to me as there are tons of bars around where I live and you can use the facilities without buying anything.
Maybe they have been frequenting the same public bathrooms that I had in the past? In that case, it's probably more sanitary for them to just go outside! lol All kidding aside though, I knew a coworker who on her way to work saw a homeless man just drop his drawers and relieve himself on someone's front lawn on a main rode, in clear view. And, ummm, he wasn't peeing! Ewwwwwwwwwww
Well, I have seen the same thing over and over again but was very shocked to see an old woman lift her skirt and pee at a very busy bus stop in the middle of the day!
Posts: 187 | Location (City & State): Roma | Registered: 04 November 2005
quote: Originally posted by Graeme: Oddly enough, taking the dogs for their walk this morning, there was a cove having a wee. At least he found - what he thought was - a private corner at the intersection of two walls. There's only one public dunny around here, and that's outside the town walls.
I'm beginning to believe all of the Italians who tell me that "English" and "Americano" are two completely different languages. "Oh, I'm not learning Americano, I'm learning English."
This is a true story. Three years ago a young Bologna architect got a dream job in NYC. After a couple of weeks he was out clubbing one Saturday night, and on the way home just had to go, so he walked into an alley and peed. He was arrested on the spot by a cop and had to appear in court. He was confused, upset and bewildered. He hadn't a clue that anybody could take it badly, especially when he went into an alley! He paid a $350 fine and was told if he ever did it again, he'd spend the night in the drunk tank.
When his best friend, my friend, went to visit him, they made a point of finding a quiet place and having a protest pee.
Go to France and someone will come to your house and instead of asking where the loo is, they will casually stroll out into your garden and do it there without much discretion.
In Italy it seems acceptable with a modicum of discretion but not in your hosts garden.
In Switzerland, any passerby will have a fit even if it happens to be a small child.
In Britain you dont do it unless it is late at night and you have had a skin full. I remember on one occasion a policeman politely asking a man to refrain in a public place and the man got shirty. The policeman (still polite) informed him it was actually a sexual offence and as such if he was forced to make an arrest, he would go on the sex offenders list.
In southern Spain it was pretty normal to see men peeing in the street. They usually do it in small back alleys, forgetting that people live in those alleys and get a clear view - its a lovely site to look out your window and see a guy take a leak right below.
There were certain sidestreets in Granada that I would avoid as they were literally used as the washroom for the groups of young people or ¨hippy¨ types who would gather to drink in a nearby plaza. This is changing as the authorities and police are getting tougher on drinking (and peeing) in the streets.
The worse was always during major festivals such where the streets were running with pee (and worse at times). Neighbours do complain and the authorities promise to install more portable toilets the next year, but there never seem to be enough.
In southern Spain it was pretty normal to see men peeing in the street. They usually do it in small back alleys....
Neighbours do complain and the authorities promise to install more portable toilets the next year, but there never seem to be enough.
This sounds like Venice. My neighbors live there, and complain that tourists pee and crap all over the little alleys where they live. The city never bothers installing sufficient public toilets, so the problem steadily grows worse as the number of tourists increases.
All kidding aside though, I knew a coworker who on her way to work saw a homeless man just drop his drawers and relieve himself on someone's front lawn on a main rode, in clear view. And, ummm, he wasn't peeing! Ewwwwwwwwwww
We stayed in Morocco many years ago. One night as the call to prayer went out a guy appeared in the wasteland behind our hotel with a large empty coke bottle.... Need I go on! He wasn't needing a pee either. When the coke bottle didn't do the trick he started on the rough wall in front of him. My OH and I were mesmorised as you can tell, not an image that goes away easily !!
In South Africa this was commonplace, as was defecating on the side of the road (I am from a more rural environment by way of explanation).
Here one of my colleagues has a real problem with men urinating against the side wall of her house (it is a laneway) as they live just a few paces away from a pub. What annoys her is that these men are usually leaving the pub and could just as easily have gone in there first.
The other day (about three months ago now) I saw a guy across the street from my bus stop just stop in the middle of the sidewalk, whip it out and take a leak. Was quite shocked - he did not even search for a corner or more discreet location, just went right there (there being right in front of a video rental store, just next to the car park for Tesco - a grocery store).
Expats in Italy Forum 
The guy was a normal looking middle aged guy - didn't look like an alcoholic or homeless. And this was 8.30 am!
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