The public wash-houses in Rio nell'Elba

The public laundry of Rio nell’Elba is located inside a building with a trussed roof and large windows, near the Fonte dei Canali, from which it is supplied.

Over time, it has undergone various transformations. Initially, it was located inside the building where the current water pumping station is situated. In 1873, following a significant increase in the population, the Municipality had it enlarged.

The construction of the new laundry, due to the need to improve and optimize the distribution of drinking water, was completed in 1911. To prevent pollution of the source, the new laundry was equipped with eighteen self-draining basins instead of a single basin. The interventions carried out on the public laundry were intended to safeguard public hygiene as stipulated in the "Regulation for soil and settlement hygiene" of 1917, which provided guidelines for the preservation of water purity and regulated the use of the laundry.

The laundry remained with the separate basins until the 1960s, when it was reduced to only two large basins: one higher for rinsing, the other for washing. With the disappearance of the health emergencies and concerns of the past, it began to be frequented very rarely.

The public laundry was a place for women's socialization, where they often gathered to do the laundry together. In the past, even the miners, after work, would stop at this place to wash before going home.

The public laundry, now commonly known as “Lavatoi”, has been recently restored and is currently, in addition to being freely accessible to visitors, also a location for exhibitions, events, and ceremonies.