Jacket or no jacket

I would suggest a jacket for your husband Carol. And you as well. Something light and comfortable. The nights may still be cool in the north particularly.

Thanks Pat, he will have a jacket (more casual, rain type jacket) for warmth but I was thinking more about being dressy enough.

The Italian men do tend to dress beautifully, and looking good at the end of the day means feeling good too. I saw a lot of ( Italian) men in linen jackets in May, but of course they crush. Does David Jones still have a sale on?

You will not need a jacket for dinner in Italy unless you plan on going to ultra fancy restaurants. The typical restaurant, trattoria, are very casual. Have fun!

If by jacket you mean a sport coat, it is not necessary - dress slacks and a golf shirt will work nicely.

Thanks that's what I needed to hear. My husband does have a light jacket which I could iron as we came to every accommodation but who wan't to do such a thing on a holiday! With the way the euro is I think our eating will be more casual. Carol

Travel Smith has some super packable no wrinkle travel jackets/blazers that you can do almost anything to - but since its summer a nice shirt button down and slacks-looking pants are fine. Unless you go to a super fancy place but that will be $$$!

Keep in mind that you probably will need a warm jacket for May. Two years ago we were in Rome the first week of June and it was so cold that the sidewalk cafes did not open one night. You should plan for some cool weather possibility.

I took a Navy blazer with me and it turned out to be my one "essential" clothes item. It dressed up whatever I was wearing, was great to have in the evenings when it got cool, and the extra pockets were very handy to store non-valuables like maps, guidebooks, water bottle, etc. To save space in my luggage (I only did carry-on) I wore it with me on the plane.