Hats?

I highly recommend a loosely woven packable straw hat, especially since you'll be dealing with hot weather. They're available in many stores, and can be found for cheap. Shop around, and you'll eventually find one that doesn't look too dorky. Sunburned ears and scalps are no fun (I learned my lesson the hard way). A baseball cap gets sweaty and gross (doesn't have good air flow or protect your ears) in a hurry. Oh, and if Pompeii is windy, you'll want a strap or ribbon to keep it on your head. :-)

I never pack a hat.

I travel Spring and Fall so heat isn't as much of an issue as cold. If it gets really cold, I go to a department store and buy a knit cap and gloves. I use them and bring them home as souvenirs.

Maybe you can do the same. If you feel like you want a hat, see what people are wearing that you might like. Then go to a local store and buy one (hopefully that you will also want to wear at home).

Hats arent for style. They are for protection from the sun. If you dont care about sunburn and general discomfort, dont wear a hat- baseball cap or otherwise.

I've been to Pompeii in July and there is not alot of shade and it gets really hot, you will need either a hat or ?bandana or something on your head ! I will be at Pompeii this July too, I found a cute straw hat that rolls up, does not look like an "old lady" hat. Have fun ! :)

Go to your local outdoor store EMS/REI or such. They will have lots of options of hats that are fashionable and protective, designed for the sun. I don't reccomend a baseball cap simply because they won't protect you all that well (people do wear them in Europe). DO wear a hat, the sun can be brutal, and there is a lot of walking to and from, and waiting etc...

Hi - I took a hat - a baseball-style cap, although the team was Jameson's Irish Whiskey, on our recent trip to Italy. I used it for sun once, but I used it for rain a couple of times, to help with my hooded windbreaker. And I wore it for warmth on Mt Vesuvius.

Just bring a hat. Leave the one with 'USA' or the Stars and Stripes at home, but basically anything is fine.

I took the Berlin, Prague and Vienna tour last summer and I was very, very happy to have a hat. It was really, really, really hot and we were walking in the sun. It's not for looks, it's to keep the sun off your head and face. I can still remember standing in Vienna at 6 PM and it was stifling and the sun was beating down and there was no shade! That was the city tour when our guide went off and bought everyone a bottle of water. I think he was really worried about heat stroke! So, if you're going to Italy in summer, get a hat. Maybe you can buy when you're there and make it one of your souvenirs. I bought my hat in Provence and so I get to think of Provence every time I wear it.

Pam

Both Gap and J. Crew sell hats that don't look "old lady-ish" - I'm sure their designers take that into consideration since their target market demographic is generally people in their 20s and early/mid 30s.

If you aren't a hat person, go to the drugstore & buy a good sunscreen with a high SPF. Apply it every day, because if you don't, you'll look like an "old lady" by the time you hit 35 - and there's not a hat on earth that will cover that up.

Italian people in Italy look at other people's clothes, shoes, hats. They may look, and point, and smile, and talk about it to their companions. But that does not mean they think a hat that they have not seen before is unappropriate at that place. Wear a hat that has a round brim, for protection from sun burn.

Travelsmith (www.travelsmith.com) has some attractive hats.