Informal dress as a traveller on an RS Best of Italy tour: Limits on acceptability (?)

Yes, you are. I like your choice of words when you describe your clothing preferences-"simple, neat, no-nonsense" and a "relaxed dress code". This is exactly the kind of "dress code" I have seen on all of my many RS tours. Have a wonderful time!

You don't need to dress up but there are some dress codes you need to be aware of. You won't be admitted to churches unless your knees and shoulders are covered, so shorts above the knee will prevent you from visiting any of the wonderful churches of Italy. Other than that, unless you're going to a fancy dinner or a show you should be fine. No one cares what you wear (aside from specific instances such as churches) so wear what you're comfortable in.

Donna

I agree with Donna and Andi that you will be fine. Do heed what Donna says about having your knees covered for churches in Italy. This goes for men and women. On my 21 day tour, one of the guys was a mail carrier who wears shorts every day (I think even in the snow, knowing him, lol!) and yep, he wore nice shorts almost every day. He did have long pants for the Vatican day but I can't remember whether he had the kind of trail pants that zip off into shorts or if he had an actual pair of long pants. Of course we were only in Italy for 8 days as opposed to the amount of time you will be there.

None of the men on any of the various tours I have been on wore a dress shirt/slacks combo! You may find that 1/3 - 1/2 the people on your tour are from the NW anyway.

yes, denny, you should be fine. just watch out for nip slips

Basics are great. You are mostly in cities. Not camping, so no camping clothes. Otherwise jeans, shirts neat clean should be fine.

It's not true that all churches have those dress codes. St. Peter's has the strictest, and many of the larger churches/basilicas have some level of restrictions, but smaller churches don't usually. That said, it is important to show some respect. For example, I always take off my hat when entering a church (or, frankly, any building in Italy). It's just good manners.

Thanks to all for your words of advice. I am reassured, me who was always the object of critical attention when my family went out to dinner ("Don't you have any nice clothes?" and "You can't wear that, you've got to wear a jacket and tie.").

I am not going to Italy out of interest in European (apparel) fashion, anyway. At the same time, respect, definitely, where needed. I guess I can always get by buying items in a deli and eat in my hotel room if others are going to go to dinner somewhere "fashionable." I'm not much of a connoissieur of wine and fine dining. (I hope I'm not a slob, at the same time).

It's the art and architecture first and foremost, for me...

Certainly Denny, but then again, you're not going to Italy to "get by" and sit in your room! See it all, do it all, taste it all, enjoy it all, and stretch your envelope just a bit! And in general, have a wonderful trip!

Denny, I have to tell you that some days on various tours I did just that and had a picnic in my room for dinner either because I was pooped from a heavy day of touring or because I just did not want the amount of food you sometimes get. On my first trip to Rome (before my RS tour even started) my nephews and I walked so much all I could do was eat a Clif bar and drink a bottle of water while lying on the bed, lol!! I gave them money and sent them out! (There were adults.)

'Some others might find it odd to be wearing shorts in 50 to 60 degree weather.' Isn't that shorts weather? It's 9 outside now and I just saw two people that I know in the grocery store in shorts. I agree with everyone else that you should wear what's comfortable for you. I would avoid things like holey, dirty, or saggy shorts. Socks with sandals I would also avoid as that stands out like the Hawaian shirts (but you are still welcome to do it). If I remember correctly Europeans tend to wear shorter shorts than we wear here. For women who like shorts I would recommend getting a cheap lightweight long skirt to throw in your bag when you need knees covered or want to look more dressed up.

One of the nicest things about the people that pick RS Tours is that they are not the judgemental type. People choose to wear what fits their style. We've had the guys with sports shirts and dress slacks and the guys with the convertible pants and travel tees. Many people will be wearing stuff that can be washed in the sink. Some may choose to go to a fashionable restaurant, but the majority of your travel partners will be opting for great food in friendly environs and your guide will know where to send you.

I think the reason I mentioned getting deli or take-out food and bringing it back to my hotel room is that I sometimes, like others have mentioned above, get pooped out by a lot of activity with a large group of people (in an even larger "group" of people, i.e., a city), and just need
downtime for myself. I describe myself as largely an introvert who, nonetheless, likes to do things with people, but not all the time. So I'm hoping to strike a balance. A good friend of mine who goes frequently to Slovenia mentioned to me the thing about the deli and how he often he resorts to that, as he has no interest "to be seen for the sake of being seen." I think people-watching is perhaps more interesting in a cafe sipping wine or drinking coffee. Again, I'm not much of a foodie, much less of a cook. I eat to nourish my body so I can undertake activities that are important to me; that's about it.

That said, I understand that Italians take eating pretty seriously (as do the French), so it will be an opportunity being there to see the cultural side of eating. I hope not to see people there texting and checking their smartphones all the time while eating out.

Thanks, Maggie, for your inside "take": it's so reassuring to have it from someone like yourself with a first-hand knowledge of things like this! I'm, in a way, opposed to being fashion-conscious, from various points of views, including ecological and also because I couldn't simply care less what a person is wearing, as long as it's clean and simple. I've read on other blogs and sites about how the Italians are so style-conscious, which has been making me dread this trip. Along with the language and other cultural barriers, as well as the whole tourist thing (no, I don't want to be a tourist, please), it's been somewhat overwhelming (not but least because I haven't been out of the U.S. in 25 years!).

Plus, I've got weird feet that sweat a lot, which has led me to wear Chacos sandals in 40 degree weather, not having been able to find anywhere shoes that or sneakers that "breathe" and repel water at the same time.

Maybe at my age, I've got now the freedom to choose...along with the enlarged prostate and post-herpetic neuralgia and IBS...

When push comes to shove, I've had to chose comfort whenever and wherever possible.

So glad to hear that I don't have to worry about being "dressy" at all. Sounds like people are tolerant, on RS tours, too.

As a guest in someone else's country, I usually prefer to err on the side of formality. I try to wear what the locals are wearing. I don't think that you will find many men or women (except the young) wearing shorts, other than at the beach, in seaside resort towns, or hiking in summer. In Italy, I have been turned away from churches because I was wearing a sleeveless dress. So now I make sure to wear something that covers knees and shoulders. For men, I think that casual long pants (but not jeans) and a cotton open-necked shirt, rather than a T-shirt, would be appropriate pretty much anywhere. That's what I normally see Rick Steves wearing in his TV shows! Again, I don't recall seeing Italian men wearing loudly printed shirts. I find that sandals are not very comfortable for walking on cobblestones. Walking shoes with thicker soles are more comfortable (and safe) than sandals.

Cynthia writes:

For men, I think that casual long pants (but not jeans) and a cotton open-necked shirt, rather than a T-shirt, would be appropriate pretty much anywhere.

That used to be true, but these days in Italy you see men of all ages wearing blue jeans to all but the most formal of places, although they often dress them up with a nice shirt and a sport coat or stylish jacket. One minor point - a former Italian instructor of mine once told me that you NEVER see an Italian man wearing a tie without a jacket. (Jacket without a tie - all the time.) She's still kind of surprised to see that here in the States.

On the Rick Steves sight that has the daily news, go to Thursdays news. The New York times has a piece "what to do in Rome" check out how the Italians are dressed. Not too formal at all. Even in restaurants and bars. Neat clean and well put together, but not formal.

Judy's talking about this site:
http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/travel-news/european-headlines-archive

When I was most recently in Italy, I happened to be having dinner in a restaurant where Sophia Loren was also dining at a nearby table. We exchanged smiles, and then, much to my surprise, she invited me to share dessert and cafe at her table. As you can imagine, I was sure glad that I was dressed nicely on that occasion! Oh, and I'm joking, sorry about that. But a guy can dream, no? (:->))))