{"id":881,"date":"2026-10-26T15:07:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T14:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brokenhousecompany.it\/blog\/ilsanitario\/?p=881"},"modified":"2026-10-26T15:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T14:07:56","slug":"the-origin-of-vespasian-as-urinal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brokenhousecompany.it\/blog\/ilsanitario\/2026\/10\/26\/the-origin-of-vespasian-as-urinal\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Italians call a public urinal a \u201cVespasian\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The odd story of an emperor, a tax on urine, and a phrase that outlived them both<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cMoney doesn\u2019t stink.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The phrase is often attributed to the Roman emperor Vespasian, and it is the reason a public urinal is still called a vespasiano<\/em> in Italian. Until a few decades ago, these street urinals were a familiar sight in Italian cities. Today they have almost disappeared, but the name survives, and so does the story behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why urine was worth money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In ancient Rome, few homes had a private toilet, so people relied on public latrines or on vessels left at street corners. The contents did not go to waste. Urine breaks down into ammonia, which is excellent for cleaning and degreasing, and Rome\u2019s fullones<\/em> (fullers) used it in their workshops, the fullonicae<\/em>, to clean and prepare cloth, especially wool. Collecting urine was a trade, and a profitable one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emperor\u2019s tax<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vespasian ruled from 69 to 79 A.D. He inherited an empire whose finances had been drained by years of civil war and by the extravagance of Nero. To refill the treasury, he introduced new taxes and raised existing ones, among them the vectigal urinae<\/em>, a levy on the trade in urine. Historians still debate exactly who paid it, but it clearly targeted the commerce that had grown around public latrines and the fullers who bought the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The famous line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Roman historian Suetonius tells us that Vespasian\u2019s son Titus found the tax distasteful. Vespasian held up the first money it had raised, brought it to his son\u2019s nose, and asked whether it smelled bad. When Titus said no, the emperor replied that it nevertheless came from urine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Latin proverb pecunia non olet<\/em> (\u201cmoney doesn\u2019t stink\u201d) is a later, condensed version of that exchange, not Suetonius\u2019s exact words. The meaning is the same: money has no smell, whatever its source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the emperor\u2019s name ended up on a urinal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The link between Vespasian and public toilets is much younger than the tax. It appeared in the 19th century, when cities began installing street urinals. In Paris they were called vespasiennes<\/em>, and the Italian vespasiano<\/em> followed, a half-joking reference to the emperor and his tax. Wits of the time apparently found the connection too good to resist, and it stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From street corner to history books<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Modern cities now have shopping centers, caf\u00e9s, and public facilities, but the vespasiano<\/em> once filled a real need, especially late at night when everything else was closed. Its name remains a small reminder that a Roman emperor\u2019s pragmatism and his sense of humor are still part of everyday Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the disappearance of the vespasiani<\/em>, a very old problem has resurfaced: where to relieve yourself when there are no other public toilets, since open venues require a purchase to use the restroom, and, especially late at night, nothing is open.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why is a public urinal called a \u201cVespasian\u201d in Italian? 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