Kids--shorts in Italy?

Shorts and skirts at length you describe are ok and shoulders should be covered.

She can also have a skimpy miniskirt. All she needs for visiting churches is a light weight pareo that she can wrap around her waist over the skirt. Something like the photo below. Shoulders should be covered too, if she plans to wear a tan top.

https://goo.gl/images/9iiGqK

Knees and shoulders covered for adults. The 18 year old would be viewed as an adult. Not always enforced but good practice to follow. Remember the churches are current worship places and not a set at Disneyland.

Hi Jess. Your query bounces between two separate questions - (1) attire checked when entering churches and (2) what to pack / bring on your trip. As far as entering churches, note that for 99% of churches in Italy, there will be nobody checking attire, so what you wear won't be judged / affect anyone. For the very few churches that are checked (e.g. Vatican, Milan Duomo, etc.), knee length shorts are generally allowed. My point is - entering a church where there is a strict dress code enforced will be a tiny part of your trip; good to be aware of it, but it would be drastic overkill to plan your trip attire / packing around it. Enjoy your trip!

To guarantee entry to St. Peter's basilica the boys will need to wear pants. You daughter must have her knees covered but she can wrap a scarf around them or wear leggings if she chooses.

Donna

They are (or where when we were there) picky about bare knees and shoulders at the duomo in Milan as well. I saw the guards refuse entry to some young women in shorts and too-short skirts.

Did Bob really wrote that you must respect others' religious beliefs only if/when there is somebody forcing you to do so? Or did I missunderstood his message?

Roman catholics believe their churches are never "empty", by the way, so you would be effecting every roman catholic even if they can't see you. It may sound ridiculous to us, but... their churches, their rules.

thank you darioalb. Its not about what you can get away with; its about respect.

June will be hot! Maybe bring one pair of pants to get into the churches. For the rest of the time, shorts will be fine. I am an adult, and I wear shorts all of the time (except in churches). You don't want your kids to be hot, cranky, and miserable.

So for Saint Peters, isn’t it OK for boys or men to wear shorts that cover their knees?

If you are going to St. Peter's, buy the zip away ones. Bring a small bag for the bottom half of the pants and then you have the best of both worlds.

fredandkell, no, St. Peter's requires men and boys to be in pants. It's on their dress code sign. Shorts are not allowed for men or boys, even if they cover the knees.

http://stpetersbasilica.info/Pics/SQR/DressCode-JG.jpg

Notice the males figures in shorts says "no entry".

Donna

OK! Thanks, @Donna - I thought just the knees had to be covered so you are saving our family from some serious heartache! I do have the Boy Scout pants for my son that have the zip-off bottoms so I guess we'll go that route! Husband can maybe put pants in his backpack? The last time we went it was early spring so we were wearing pants anyway and never even thought about it, but this time in July, it will be hot!

Thanks, all! As a person of deep faith (although not Catholic), I asked this question not because we want to "get away with" anything, but instead because we want to be dressed appropriately out of respect for the situation and place. I recognize it is not Disneyland. Many thanks for the input!

"Did Bob really wrote that you must respect others' religious beliefs only if/when there is somebody forcing you to do so? Or did I missunderstood his message?"

Yes, darioalb and stan, you misunderstood my message. I was in no way suggesting to the OP to be disrespectful or try to 'get away' with anything. I was just trying to give some perspective, that in my experience in Italy, like most things in life, there are common sense approaches / gradations. An example of this is that on the day I visited St Peter's, although I made a point to wear long pants, it was a hot day and the guards were freely letting people in with shorts - even short ones.

The OP specifically asked "will they be prohibited from entering churches throughout the country? I am wondering if we need to pack almost entirely pants instead".
I was just trying to give factual information in response to the OP's specific question, and also give my opinion, like I said in my response, that it is important to be respectful, but that it would be overkill to have the kids avoid shorts for the entire trip.

Enjoy your travels!

However, if you and your daughter have a knee-covering skirt that's a little flowy, you may find it more comfortable than shorts on a hot day (greater air circulation.)

Sorry Bob. Its just a hot button issue for me.

At St. Peter's I would definitely have the kids wear pants. Our 2 boys were elem and middle school age on our first visit to Rome and were wearing khaki shorts that came to the knee or even abit below and the middle schooler was not allowed in but elem child let in. The gal at our hotel said no problem they would both be allowed in. Needless to say subsequent visits to St. Peters they wore pants. I have worn skirts that hit just above the knee and gotten in with no problem. Have watched people turned away trying to tie a scarf around their waist to cover short shorts. We always remember that first visit to St. Peter's with dad and son doing a pants switcharoo in the bathroom so he could get in.

To piggy-back on this- are there any churches that still require women to cover their heads? (We watched a rather old Rick Steve's video that said some did, but things change). I know some Catholic women still prefer to cover their heads in the US (although, they are few and far between), but I wasn't sure whether anyplace required it.

Eleanor, there's no requirement for ladies to cover their heads in Italian churches: that tradition went out of style some time ago although you may see some particularly devout women wearing them for prayer or services. The only time I think it's required is for formal, private audiences with the Pope.

Gentlemen, however, should removed their hats or caps, if wearing them, when entering a church.

Have to take the side of these "rules" should be followed at all Italian churches not just those with enough money to pay for security guards.
This is a respect thing not a written rule book.

The easy solution is just to bring or buy a couple of inexpensive scarf type wraps to cover knee/leg areas or bare shoulders and if you are wearing a hat just take it off inside.

Generally any type of guidelines only apply to those from say 10 and up. Under 10 they can be ignored.

I think your boys in knee length shorts are fine as long as they are truly knee cap length.
I think your daughter though, a knee length skirt could be seen either way (honestly it depends on the skirt) ; ideally a longer skirt could be worn to eliminate any grey area and of course the top should have the shoulders and waist covered.