by Cesare Cacciapuoti
“…in 1975, Italy passed a law requiringevery home to have a bidet.”
There are certain things that, once you’ve experienced them, you can’t live without. If you’ve ever lived in Italy, a good espresso. A quick nap after lunch. And… the bidet.
The humble bidet is a staple of Italian bathrooms, yet in much of the world, it remains an exotic mystery, a misunderstood fixture collecting dust in fancy hotel suites or relegated to the realm of bathroom folklore. But here in Italy, the bidet is as essential as al dente pasta and public outrage over bad coffee. It’s a non-negotiable part of daily life, an unshakable pillar of personal hygiene, and dare I say the nation’s most underrated cultural fixture.
La Toilette intime ou la Rose effeuillée by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845)
Despite its deep-rooted Italian identity, the bidet was actually invented in 17th-century France. The word itself comes from the French term for a small horse or pony—named for the way one would sit atop the appliance, much like mounting a saddle. Initially, bidets were a luxury of the aristocracy, a delicate alternative to full-body bathing in an era when personal hygiene was more of a suggestion than a rule. But while the French interest in their own invention slowly waned, their neighboring Italians adopted it with fervor.
So much so that in 1975, Italy passed a law requiringevery home to have a bidet. No bidet, no house. The law had the added benefit of preventing architects and developers from cutting corners on bathroom design. Unlike in other countries where bathrooms shrank to the bare minimum, bidets remained an indispensable feature in Italian bathrooms, from seven-room Tuscan villas to 25-square-meter Milanese studios. Here, you’re more likely to see a bathroom with a bidet than a toilet with a toilet seat.
Bidet design from between 1784 and 1785; Photo courtesy of Rijksmuseum
There’s nothing as frustrating as reaching for a square of toilet paper only to see the bare cardboard of the roll instead. But with the bidet, this isn’t cause for alarm. It’s also why there were no supermarket aisle brawls over the last roll of two-ply during the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy. Thanks to the trusty bidet, Italians simply shrugged and continued their business as usual. No panic-buying, no rationing, no existential dread over running out.
Beyond eliminating late-night, one-item trips to said supermarket, the bidet is also an environmentally conscious choice. The average person uses somewhere between 85-115 rolls of toilet paper per year… Multiply that by millions, and the environmental impact is staggering. By reducing the need for paper, the bidet helps conserve forests, cut down on waste, and lower household expenses. It’s a triple win.
Despite its benefits, the bidet remains a curiosity in much of the world. In the U.S. and U.K., bidets have long been viewed with suspicion, perhaps in part due to historical ties with brothels. Meanwhile, in countries like Japan and Argentina, they’re as commonplace as in Italy. Another misconception is that you need a massive bathroom to accommodate one; but modern bidets come in all shapes and sizes, from standalone porcelain fixtures to high-tech toilet attachments that integrate seamlessly into any space.
We Italians use it throughout the day—for freshening up in the morning, after a workout, before bed, or whenever one simply feels like being pristine. Just no pet grooming or foot washing allowed in the basin—the bidet is for bums only.
Penthouse bidet in Las Vegas; Photo by Ben Stanfield
