clothing

Grazie; I have the shoes and longish skirts for churches. I wanted to wear some shorts for other parts of italy and didn't want to stand out too much.

Shorts are fine for normal touring and I would suggest at least mid calf to knee length. For visiting churches knees and shoulders will need to be covered so shorts won't do. Capris are a good choice. Other than that, wear what is most comfortable for you. There's no need for a special wardrobe, what ever you would wear during a normal day out should be fine. I would suggest investing in a really good pair of walking shoes and being sure to have them broken in well before the trip. The cobbles are murder on the feet. Donna

Just a funny note - I had told my husband about how Italians don't wear shorts much at all (I wore capris, a mid-length skirt, and only wore shorts while hiking the cinque terre). At a train station in a small town, he eyed some local female teenagers wearing VERY short shorts, and said, "I guess they didn't get the message!" :) Oh, I forgot - I actually wore shorts for part of a day in Rome because it was hot, but my sandals were bothering my feet (even though I did break them in), so I had to wear sneakers, and didn't want to wear a skirt with sneakers. I didn't feel self-conscious at all - we were in mobs of tourists (no mistaking us for locals), and it was HOT. We took an afternoon siesta, and when we went out in the evening, I wore the skirt and sandals.