Appropriate Clothing for Italy Trip Sept 16 to Oct 6, 2018

It will be warm to hot and humid as you travel south. We have been in all of your locations plus Sicily during your dates. Lightweight, breezy tops work well. Capris and slacks in daytime. There are attractive walking shoes or the new modified looking sneakers available. Take a rain jacket, and a cardigan sweater too.

I just got back from walking in the Amalfi Coast then Pompeii and Rome topping 25K steps in one day.
I wore Birkenstocks. I think you would need a shoe with the same quality of support as a Birkenstock to handle cobble stones.
You have to go to the shoe store and test walk stuff; and ugly walking shoes is in the eye of the beholder.

Yes, "ugly" is definitely a personal call even for those who consider themselves to be fashion conscious. I have terrible plantar fasciitis and have been breaking in a couple pairs of Vionic shoes for my trip to Italy in June:

https://www.zappos.com/vionic-women-shoes/CK_XAWICpRjAAQHiAgMBDBg.zso?s=isNew/desc/goLiveDate/desc/recentSalesStyle/desc/

They have lots of different styles and are very comfortable for walking. I also have a brand new pair of birks that I am saving for the trip.

Hi lynnp

Break those Birkenstocks in real good before you go. All I know is they hurt before they are perfect. I did not break the ones I have now in before another trip 4 years ago and ended up having to buy a pair of Crocs

Lol, I will break them in, Jazz+Travels. I was just waiting for it to finally stop raining in Chicago!

I like to think I am fashion conscious - and I like Merrell and Keen hiking sandals. I have also travelled with Bernie Mev shoes - not the super high ones, but the ones that look like Mary Janes with a more rugged sole. I had these in black: https://www.zappos.com/p/bernie-mev-comfi-jeans/product/8436656/color/2494.

I was in Italy during that time period about 5 years ago. It was hot! However, you have time to monitor the weather forecasts. I would imagine a combination of sleeveless, longer sleeves, and sweater/jacket would cover most contingencies.

Thanks for all your responses. I see I will have to go on some serious shoe shopping. I have a hard time finding something comfortable, my Bernie Mev hurts and the Birks were surprisingly not comfortable. So far all I’ve got are Fitflop and Clark’s for sandals but nothing for closed travel shoes. Someone recommended Sketchers with memory foam.

Here is a nice pair of shoes which look confortable and also a perfect match for the fashion conscious American

I have somewhat high arches, and inexpensive shoes like Skechers do not work for me when I'm doing a lot of walking. Shoes are an extremely individual thing, and it is very difficult to know whether a particular pair will work for a 7-mile or 10-mile day until you've walked that far in them on hard surfaces--at which point they are probably not returnable.

I now look only at shoes that retail at $100 or more, because they seem more supportive. Sometimes I'm lucky and catch a sale. I'm currently wearing something from the On Cloudrunner line with Aetrex memory-foam insoles (also not cheap). I favor very cushy soles, which the Cloudrunners have. I developed plantar fasciitis during last year's trip, when I was wearing a different (quality) brand of shoe with a sole that was, I guess, too firm for my feet, even with the memory-foam insoles.

I don't see how well-cushioned soles can ever be a bad thing, but you also need to be sure they are grippy, for those days when you must traverse slick surfaces, including the deadly wet cobblestones.

OMG Roberto, those are hilarious!

I also have high arches and have had plantar fasciatis in the past. Not fun! I love the look of ballet slippers but can't wear them for the above reasons. I like Clark's because they are lightweight and many styles have a slight heel and flexibility. I'm also looking at Taos sandals (recommended by my sister). I love my Ecco sandals but they are not attractive IMHO. That doesn't stop me from wearing them with pants or skirts, but I would not wear them out for a nice evening.

Good luck shoe hunting!

We always travel in the fall to Europe.

I wear lightweight slacks and a few short sleeved and long sleeved shirts. I also pack a lightweight coverup for chilly days and a Scottevest jacket with zip off sleeves to become a vest (I don't carry a purse),
things go in the vest/jacket.

For shoes the best thing that I ever did was buy Munro closed toe shoes. They are great on the cobblestones and I wear them at home also. My feet get chilly in all kinds of weather, so I don't wear sandals, not a problem since we don't go in the summer.

I also take a backup pair of closed toe shoes from Soft Walk. Memory foam inside that is really nice.
Whatever you decide about shoes, please break them in before you go!!

Have a Great trip
Mimi

Ok Roberto those shoes made me laugh!

Having just finished 5 intense days in Rome I can recommend Dansko’s Fawna shoe. It is a MaryJane style shoe with great support for high arches as well as my narrow foot with wide toe box. I made the mistake of wearing ballet flats (with really good inserts) for a half day and I have blisters to show for it. I’m 60 and fashion conscious but after walking on cobblestone streets and sidewalks with holes that your foot can disappear into I strongly urge you to wear sensible and comfortable shoes and forget fashion for a bit. Sore feet can ruin a good time. Enjoy your trip. You will love Italy!

Thank you, some good ideas here. I am really excited about the trip as it's a trip of a lifetime. We want to travel light. I bought a suitcase that is just one size larger than a carry-on. Now to figure out if I need clothes for very hot weather, or cool chilly weather. Looks like I might need a little of both. Can't carry too much. The shoes are a bigger issue. Stores don't have the styles or sizes. I have to buy online, but it's hard to buy shoes without trying them on. Anyway, I still have 3 months so no big hurry.