lavatoio

A lavatoio is a washing place, usually an outdoor facility, where clothes are cleaned by hand. In Italian usage, it can denote a public washhouse with several stone basins connected to a water supply, or a domestic washing area inside a building. The term derives from lavare, “to wash.”

Historically, lavatoi were widespread in Italian towns and rural villages from the medieval period through the 19th century. They served as practical infrastructure for daily laundry and as social spaces where women gathered to wash clothes and chat. Public lavatoi were often constructed near springs, streams, or fountains and relied on a constant flow of water.

Typical features include a row of stone basins or troughs, sometimes sheltered by a portico or canopy; basins may be arranged at different heights to facilitate scraping and wringing; nearby benches or washboards and drainage channels are common. The exact design varied by region and era, but the basic principle was a shared, water-fed washing facility.

Today, many lavatoi are preserved as historical monuments or cultural attractions. Some remain functional in rural communities with access to clean water, while others have been restored as outdoor heritage sites highlighting daily life and social history. They are often included in catalogs of architectural and urban infrastructure heritage.