A couple who claimed their neighbours' noisy toilet flush kept them up all night has won a legal battle which lasted almost two decades.
The husband and wife were awarded £420 for every year they had to live with its thunderous flush, totalling £8,000 after the 19-year row.
Their ordeal began in 2003 when four brothers bought a new loo for their seaside pad next door in Italy's Gulf of Poets, named after the famous writers who lived there.
The couple complained about the loud toilet system and took the case to court in the nearby city of La Spezia.
They told how the flush was "intolerable" given that their bed was next to the connecting wall and the bedroom was too small for them to change the layout.
But the judge threw out their claim which they then took to the court of appeal in Genoa, triggering an inspection of the two flats.
Investigators found that the flush "prejudiced" the couple's quality of life because it was so noisy.
But the four brothers then stepped forward to challenge the verdict at the Supreme Court in Rome.
Despite the brothers' attempt to save the lavatory, judges ruled in favour of the couple and said the noise "infringed on their right to a good night's sleep."
The brothers were ordered by the court to get rid of the toilet and pay their neighbours €9,500 in compensation.
Italy is known to have a slow justice system where cases take years and sometimes decades to pass through court.
There are two levels of appeal including the appeals court followed by the Supreme Court in Rome.
