I

know where the Duomo is, but where are the toilets in Florence?
By Jane Gilgun

Duomo, Florence, Italy. Photo by Jane Gilgun, May 31, 2012.

Summary Florence is an ancient Italian city full of art, beauty, and history. I had one complaint: the public toilets were few and far between. At times, lack of facilities became hard to bear. Advice: go to the tourist information office in Florence and get a map where the public toilets are marked. The addresses of the tourist offices are in this article. They are hard to find, too, and they dont have public toilets. About the Author Jane Gilgun is a writer and professor. Through experience, she has learned to find out immediately where the public toilets are, especially if you have an appointment to get into a museum and dont have much time to hunt for bathroom facilities. See Janes other articles, books, and childrens stories on scribd.com and for Kindle, iPad, Nook, and other e-readers.

I know where the Duomo is, but where are the toilets in Florence?
I just spent five wonderful days in Florence, an ancient Italian city full of art, beauty, and history. The Uffizi Gallery has paintings by Michaelangelo, Giotto, Botticelli, da Vinci, and Reubens. Among other works of art are the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and Michelangelos Holy Family. The Galleria dellAccademia has Michelangelos David and his unfinished prisoner sculptures that look like the figures are straining to free themselves from the marble. The paintings, sculptures, and architecture of the Basilica of Santa Croce are incomparable, especially the Capella di Niccolini, with its mix of pagan and Christian sculpture, its frescoes on the domed ceiling, and the light that streams in through the opening in the ceiling. Must-sees are the Ponte Vecchio at sunset and the jewelry stores that have been on the bridge for centuries. The Pizza de Michelangelo is not to be missed. From the piazza, you can see the city in its eternal beauty. Its a site that a bronze copy of David enjoys every day and has for hundreds of years. A Problem with Florence Yet, I had a problem. Florence has a shortage of public toilets. Unless you spend money in cafes and restaurants, you cannot use their rest rooms. A couple of times, as I took long walks around this most walkable city, I had to go the bathroom really bad. At the Duomo, whose picture is above, I saw a sign for toilet. I followed that sign but never found the toilet. I had lunch at a sandwich shop off the Duomos piazzagreat sandwich, by the waybut, they had no toilet. Later that day, still bereft of a toilet, I saw rich brown loam pouring out of the back of a dump truck. I couldnt look. The falling dirt and the pile it made reminded me of my own need. I finally walked by a well-hidden tourist office to ask if they had a bathroom I could use. They didnt. The helpful young man gave me a map that showed the public toilets in Florence. The nearest toilet was a 15 minute walk from where I was. I would never make it. Besides, I had to get to the Galleria dellAccademia for a 3 pm appointment to see Michelangelos David. Further down the street, I saw a McDonalds. After a search up and down stairs for the bathroom, I found it. No one noticed or cared. I didnt have to buy anything. For the first time, I was thrilled that there are McDonalds almost anywhere in the world. They have bathrooms.

When you visit Florence, be sure to hunt down the tourist office and the map with locations of public toilets marked. Here is information about the tourist offices. There are two. Tourist Information Office - APT Firenze Address: Provincia di Firenze, Via Cavour 1r Opening times Summer (1st March - 31st October): from Monday to Saturday from 8.15 to 19-15, Sunday and Holiday from 8.30 to 13.30 Opening times Winter (1st November -28th February): from Monday to Saturday from 8.15 to 19.15 Phone: 055 290832 Website - More info: http://www.firenzeturismo.it/index.php?lang=en_EN APT Firenze Address: Via Manzoni 16 Phone: 055 23320 Website - More info: http://www.firenzeturismo.it/index.php?lang=en_EN The public toilets are located at the train station, near the central market, by the Piazza of Santa Maria Nouvella, the Piazza de San Giovanni, the Piazza of Santa Croce, and the Piazza of Santo Spirito. There are two others, one to the left of the Ponte Vecchio on via dello Sprone and one on the via dellAnguillara. Be sure to visit the tourist office to get the map that shows where the toilets are. An extra special thing to do is to take a day tour of the Tuscany region, where Florence is located. I took a horse riding tour with Fun in Tuscany (http://www.funintuscany.com/), which included lunch at a medieval castle, wine tasting, and award-winning gelato. Lots of toilets. A great day. Enjoy Florence. Plan your pit stops.

Bronze copy of Michelangelos David, Piazza de Michelangelo, Florence. Photo by Jane Gilgun, May 31, 2012.