public toilets in Italian cities

B Vaughan wrote:

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 11:54:50 +0000,
(David Horne) wrote:

Phil Richards wrote:

Going back to charging for papadums, not surprise in central London. In
my own experience in areas where you'll find an abundance of Curry/Balti
restaurants (or houses) for instance around Brick Lane in East London,
certain parts of Birmingham then often papadums are "on the house".

I think I'm correct in saying that the curry mile at Rusholme
(Manchester) has the highest concentration of Curry/Balti restaurants in
Europe, and they _do_ tend to charge for papadums.

I think the point of the post was that they couldn't use the toilet
without buying something, so were charged for papadums.

I admit I lost the context. If it was London (think it was) then paying
anything to go into a toilet was unnecessary. You can go into any pub,
or for that matter the various free museums and large shop during the
day. There are of course paid toilets in train stations etc., but London
is pretty well stocked for non-paying loos, Trafalgar Sq. underpass,
Covent Garden. I certainly never pay to go if I'm in the centre.

David

--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Derek F wrote:

That sound an expensive way to "spend a penny" There is an outcry in
Edinburgh at the moment as the new Edinburgh Park railway station has been
built without toilet facikities.

It's a bit of a silly outcry. It's a commuter station with frequent
services- all of which (from Dunblane, Glasgow Queen St. etc.) have
onboard toilets IIRC. Lots of commuter stations serving just as many
passengers don't have toilets. Think about the tube!

David

--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

"David Horne" wrote in message
news:1g5z0ix.1rxuyyf67qmddN%this_address_is_for_sp ...
Derek F wrote:

That sound an expensive way to "spend a penny" There is an outcry in
Edinburgh at the moment as the new Edinburgh Park railway station has
been
built without toilet facikities.

It's a bit of a silly outcry. It's a commuter station with frequent
services- all of which (from Dunblane, Glasgow Queen St. etc.) have
onboard toilets IIRC. Lots of commuter stations serving just as many
passengers don't have toilets. Think about the tube!

David

With my prostate, I do think about it when making a long journey on the
tube:-) Very few Tube stations have facilities.
Derek.

In ,
B Vaughan typed:

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 10:40:10 -0700, "Ken Blake"
wrote:

[snip]

Every restaurant charges a coperto, or pane e coperto (cover
charge, or bread and cover). It's normally very little--around
a
Euro or two (perhaps a little more in more expensive places).

Actually, that's not true. I would say it's confined to
restaurants
serving the tourist trade. There's not a single restaurant near
where
I live that charges either for pane or coperto.


Then I bow to your greater knowledge. I've been in parts of Italy
where tourists hardly ever go, and to the best of my knowledge
there was always a coperto there too. But it's possible that I
just don't remember.

Nevertheless from a practical standpoint, a tourist in Italy can
expect to pay a coperto charge, if not always, at least the great
majority of the time.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 11:34:24 -0000, Phil Richards
wrote:

Standard with most Italian restaurants is a cover charge ("Coperta")
which will include bread. Expect to pay about EUR 1 to 1.5 per person.

Careful - there is no longer a cover charge ("coperto") in Rome - it
was abolished a couple of years ago - and bread is charged for by the
piece. (As a result, waiters now bring the bread basket as soon as you
sit down.)

Margaret Coffin
InfoRoma - The Rome Experts
www.inforoma.it

In ,
Margaret Coffin typed:

Careful - there is no longer a cover charge ("coperto") in
Rome - it
was abolished a couple of years ago - and bread is charged for
by the
piece. (As a result, waiters now bring the bread basket as soon
as you
sit down.)


I've been Rome three times in the last couple of years, most
recently last month. There was a coperto everyplace I ate.

Bread was *never* charged for by the piece.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 21:09:30 GMT Margaret Coffin
said...

Careful - there is no longer a cover charge ("coperto") in Rome - it
was abolished a couple of years ago - and bread is charged for by the
piece. (As a result, waiters now bring the bread basket as soon as you
sit down.)

What, in *all* restaurants? Surely it's down to the individual restaurant
to set the price rather being some local regulation or whatever?

I've seen restaurants in the big tourist centres offering set meals which
include cover (& service charge). However if you choose to order
separately then normally you get charged Coperto.

--
Phil Richards
London

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 13:51:47 -0700 Ken Blake
said...

serving the tourist trade. There's not a single restaurant near
where I live that charges either for pane or coperto.

Then I bow to your greater knowledge. I've been in parts of Italy
where tourists hardly ever go, and to the best of my knowledge
there was always a coperto there too.

My experience too having stayed in again many towns well off the tourist
trail. Perhaps restaurants drop the charge for locals or their regular
customers?

--
Phil Richards
London

It's a bit of a silly outcry. It's a commuter station with frequent
services- all of which (from Dunblane, Glasgow Queen St. etc.) have
onboard toilets IIRC. Lots of commuter stations serving just as many
passengers don't have toilets. Think about the tube!


All the newer metro (subway) stations in S.F. have toilets that you
can access if you ask the station agent for a key.

You never know when nature might call...

Lil

My fault for the misleading subject header. I started thinking about
some practical questions, the first of which was the toilet issue.
Then I started thinking about coperto, and how we ended up paying for
something like that in London--when we ended up paying for papadums.


B wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 11:54:50 +0000,
(David Horne) wrote:

Phil Richards wrote:

Going back to charging for papadums, not surprise in central London. In
my own experience in areas where you'll find an abundance of Curry/Balti
restaurants (or houses) for instance around Brick Lane in East London,
certain parts of Birmingham then often papadums are "on the house".

I think I'm correct in saying that the curry mile at Rusholme
(Manchester) has the highest concentration of Curry/Balti restaurants in
Europe, and they _do_ tend to charge for papadums.

I think the point of the post was that they couldn't use the toilet
without buying something, so were charged for papadums.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup