How strict are churches besides the Vatican about skirt length?

It varies a lot. Even the same church might have erratic policies according to who is in the door enforcing (or not) the rules. As a general rule-of-thumb, covered shoulders and anything covering the knees is kinda safe bet for women (no sleeveless shirts, no shorts for men as well).

I agree with the above. A few years ago my 10 year old was asked to cover her shoulders when she entered a church wearing a sleeveless top. They were very nice about it but if she hadn't had a sweater with her they would have asked her to leave. I wouldn't risk it if you really want to visit these churches. You can always take a pair of capri length leggings to put on before you enter the church and then take them off once outside. Donna

It does indeed completely depend on who's enforcing the rules. We were in St. Peter's this past May and there was a guy wandering around in shorts above the knee. I was amazed. And we saw one Italian woman kept out of a church in Padova because she had bare shoulders. She argued violently with the guard, but he wasn't budging. Then we walked in with one of us in shorts above the knee wondering what might happen to us. The guard walked up to us and we thought we were busted. Turned out he just asked my partner to take his hat off, and in we went. Go figure. Happy travels.

I think an inch above the knee should be okay. I've noticed lately that rather than turning people away, churches offer some really awful-looking "jackets" or shawls to cover shoulders - worth packing a short-sleeved t-shirt just to avoid using these.

we went inside many Churches and I made sure I had a top that had sleeves on it so that before I went in I took my top out of my bag and put it over the sleeveless top. As for the skirt, I wore them all the time. We went in July and I liked them better then shorts.

Only you can decide if it's worth it to take a chance. Good luck.

Thanks everyone! I will for sure carry a sweater for unexpected trips into churches and possible cool May weather. I may risk the skirts. Most are right at the knee or slightly above.

Honestly, I dress up a little more than I would in America when I'm in Italy. I know we're all on vacation, but by wearing nicer clothes (like most Italians do) I could stride into as many churches as I wanted to without giving a second thought to whether I was dressed appropriately.

Me too Chris. I'm not one of those good light packers like RS suggests you be. :) thanks all.