Is Rick's day pack allowed into museums, churches: Rome, Venice, Florence

Check each individual sights’ guidelines. Some will let backpacks in while others won’t. If they are not allowed, a clear one or RS one won’t make a difference. Some sights will strictly adhere to the guidelines while some may not. Also, not everybody in Europe will know who Rick Steves is.

Definitely not allowed at St Mark’s Basilica

There used to be a free bag check down the alley but I saw a comment recently indicating that it has moved and is now self serve lockers

Colosseum and Forum should be ok

Vatican museums definitely not allowed

It’s the size not the contents so a clear pack won’t matter if too big

The Borghese collection will not allow them in - be sure to check it in their bag/coat area before you get in the scrum to enter at your designated time slot.

Rick suggests that in some cases it may help if you wear the backpack over one shoulder under your arm, sort of like a purse. That will not prevent a problem if the sight has a hard and fast rule, but it won't hurt to try that in those cases when the sight's policy is "no large backpacks" or something like that.

Of the places you inquired about, we were only in Venice. At Doge’s Palace we had to check our bags. We were doing the Secret Itinerary Tour so not sure if that is the case with general admission.
At the glass museum in Murano and the Academia we were told to wear our back packs on our chests rather than our backs.
I had a smaller back pack (the Rick Steves one) than others in my party but we were all treated the same.

My husband carried the Rick Steve’s Civita daypack in most of the major sites you mentioned in Italy. Nobody said anything/stopped him. But he carried it under his arm like another poster described, and it contained just a couple of essentials (sunscreen, snacks, water bottle). I think they would make you check it if it was an overstuffed/large backpack. They also don’t want you hitting artwork/priceless objects with a large pack worn on your back.

Backing up avirosemail here, the bag definitely won't be allowed inside Galleria Borghese. If you're visiting this one (I hope you are!!!) it must be checked (free) into the cloakroom before your appointed timed-entry slot. Arrive at least 30 minutes early.

https://galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it/en/info/servizi/

Thank you all for the info and personal experiences

Have any of you tried to use a clear "see-through" daypack and enter a church or museum?

The restrictions aren’t really so much about what is in the bag, but rather about the size of the bag and how you are carrying it. If you’ve ever ridden public transit and gotten smacked by someone’s backpack as they turn around, you’d get how easily someone wearing a backpack could cause damage. Some museums will let you carry a backpack but they won’t let you wear it in your back.

You don’t necessarily need 40 to 50 pages and multiple books on any given day. I use a cross-body purse which works for most museums (Borghese makes you even check that). I tear out the chapters of the guidebook for the places I am visiting and just carry those pages with me. If that doesn’t work for you, most museums will have a cloakroom where you can check the bag. Just make sure that you don’t keep valuables in it.

I carried a cross body antitheft purse, and it was permitted everywhere in Rome. Is there anyway you could take photos or create a file of the information you need to reference snd add it to your phone or tablet?

I have to agree with Aimee. If your need to carry a backpack is because you have papers to carry, you need a plan B. What if those papers were lost/stolen/spilled on? You need a digital backup. You could save them to your phone - either by saving the file directly, by taking a picture. You could also email these documents to yourself. Your grandkids would probably be happy to help.

I am a compulsive planner also, so I relate to a travel binder with all the “essentials”: restaurants; sights to see with all the details of hours, how to get there, dishes to try; copies of critical documents (passports, insurance cards, credit cards, etc) etc. I used to carry a physical binder with all this paper. It now all lives digitally either as notes in my phone or photos. If my phone is lost or stolen I don’t lose all those hours and hours of planning.

I always type our itinerary and add it to Google Drive. I then check to make it available offline.