Fashionable men's hats in Italy?

If you ask me the baseball cap thing has long since past it's expiration date. Then again, American men aren't really known for their willingness to stand out from the crowd (quite the opposite, actually). Unless you're playing centerfield for the Sox, leave the cap in the closet. For a more original look, try this: www.goorin.com/men Italy, by the way, is home to some stellar hat makers. Would you expect anything less from the country that makes the finest suits in the known universe? Also, for what it's worth, according to my girlfriend and her friends, the first thing women think when they see a guy in a basball cap is "well, there's another guy trying to hide his receding hairline".

Rick, I also like Cavanaugh and Bailey. Their hats may or may not be Italian made depending on the style. Kangol makes a wide variety for the younger set also as well as a few classics. In Seattle we have a wonderful hat shop called Bernie Utz hats. I would think in Boston there must be something similar if you poke around a bit. Hats are much like shoes, it takes some time to pick the right ones and some patience.

Agree with the observation. We are just hung up on most the health fads/recommendings. Carry water to be hydrated, sun screen for protection, hats and long sleeve shirts for sun protections. Had my vit D test last month it is was so low it almost didn't register. However, I do avoid the baseball caps (even in the US) and use a wide brim straw hat which I do see occasionally in Europe.

How about a nice Italian driving cap? They seem pretty prav Borsalino makes nice but expensive ones. There are many others. I wear them all the time, wool in the winter and linen in the summer.

It's not a crazy question. We just got back a week ago from Italy and I noticed the same thing as on our previous two trips. Italian men (especially men under around 60 or so) just don't wear hats. Period. I really prefer wearing a hat in direct sun, partially because without it I get nasty glare on my sunglasses and it keeps me from having to put sunblock above my eyes. (I'm not crazy about ballcaps because they don't give any protection to my ears.) I haven't been able to find the perfect hat either. In my book, it needs to be collapsible (for packing), brimmed all the way around (for protection from sun and heat), and stylish. On this trip, I sacrificed fashion for comfort/health and wore a fairly silly looking (at least to me) soft cotton brimmed hat that I could roll up and shove in my waistband or pants pocket whenever I wasn't in sunlight. It looks like a fisherman's hat and screams "non-Italian" but it was a lot more comfortable for me than going hatless. (Seeing how many Italians smoke, it's clear they don't put health considerations at the top of their list. Apparently it's better to "fare una bella figura.") If you find anything good, let me know. I'm always in the market. Good luck.

Michael, there are crushable straw hats that work well. Matt and the Bishop were wearing white straw when they were in Rome. That might be my next purchase.

Great to get these responses as this has been bugging me since I came back in late April. The fashion sense of Italian men impressed me a lot when I was there, and now that I'm (sadly) back in the US and summer is here I do want to protect my face but I don't want to go back to my old baseball-cap-wearing habits of my pre-Italy life... Mike, I checked out the Borsalino web page and their hats look real nice. You mentioned that there are other brands that you like?

"Then again, American men aren't really known for their willingness to stand out from the crowd (quite the opposite, actually)." And American men are unique in this? Men in general are unique in this?

I would think a nice, light, straw fedora type hat would look snazzy! Italians probably don't wear hats that often because, 1.) it would mess up the hair-do and 2.) being of a bit darker complexion, they don't have to worry about getting burned

Tilley has some really nice brimmed hats in several styles. My husband has worn one for years, both on trips and at home (the old scalp gets a little pink otherwise!)
http://www.tilley.com/default.aspx They're not inexpensive, but lie flat packed in a suitcase, retain their shape, are machine washable, and according to the website have survived being passed through an elephant!

I told my husband he can NOT wear a baseball cap in Italy. I bought him a really nice "golfer's cap" in a light color (taupe) linen at Lord & Taylor. It was actually made by "Stetson" of cowboy hat fame. It's really light weight and can pack flat. I was thrilled with the find; I think it will solve our problems! My husband wears a baseball cap all the time, except in church and at work!

Ruth, those Tilley hats look great. This is a real find. Thank you. These may be exactly what I'm looking for.

Ruth, you gave us our chuckle for the day re: the hat passing thru an elephant. I Googled and found it evidently happened 3 times. I can't imagine digging through elephant mess to pull out and clean one's hat (3 times)........how funny :) What a great product testimonial. I wonder if the elephant might be interested in a Rick Steves' day bag???

I love my Tilley hat, but not enough to rescue it from a pile of elephant poop. They do wash up really nicely in the washing machine, though. I can vouch for that. I concur with Jo's comment about Italians in general being less concerned about sun damage. I was waiting for a bus in the Dolomites a few years back and tried offering my seat in the shade to an older woman (meaning older than I am). She smiled and declined, saying she preferred to sit in the sun. She was dressed in a sleeveless top so her neck, arms, etc. were exposed to the sun. We made small talk about this and that, and she was very friendly so I finally asked if she didn't fear skin cancer. The answer was "Of course not. Why should I?"