Looking for dual-purpose women's shoe for touring around Italy

Krista, try a "trail runner" shoe. They are available from several companies. Check at REI for their selection, or at a specialty running shoe store in Seattle.

Brooks makes a nice one. Trail runner styles will work fine for cities (they are darker colors, not WHITE!) and have better cushioning than running shoes or walking shoes that come in WHITE. you should be able to walk around town on cobblestone streets and then hike the Cinque Terre trails with no problems.

Just give up on the fact that there really is ONE shoe that will work for all situations..make the best of packing light, and expect that your feet will be comfortable, but not always "stylish" in all situations.

Hi Kristina,

One thing to note is that unless it is raining and muddy, you can do the Cinque Terre in a comfortable pair of sturdy walking shoes. Last year, I walked the trail in a pair of Mephisto Ladina shoes. My shoes are black so they work for city. They are really not the greatest with dress pants, but because they are black they don't stick out like a pair of white tennis shoes or even hiking boots. I usually take a pair of black dress pants and either wear sandals or if I need a closed shoe, I just wear my ugly black walking shoes. I agree with the prior poster that a pair of trailrunners in a dark color would work well.

There's another entire thread on this message board about Keen shoes. I wore the Vancouver Mary Janes on a 3 week tour of Italy - in town walking, out of town walking. I did the entire 7+ mile Cinque Terre trail in them with no sore feet and could have gone farther. I wore Peds brand sock liners (in black, they match the shoes), but they also make a wide variety of socks for the new styles of low cut shoes. Keen has even cuter styles now that are less clunky than the Vancouver version and they look like they'd go with anything. Try Zappos.com they have the widest selection and free shipping (both ways).

I have some solid black Keens with a little tread on the sole. I would feel ok wearing them for the CT type of hiking. They aren't dressy-looking, but with black sox could look ok with dark slacks for a dressier look. I always take sandals so I can give my feet a rest at the end of the day. I have some Crocs and am considering taking them instead of the sandals on my next trip. A pair of Crocs weighs about 8 oz less than my sandals. If you can stand flip-flops at all, they may be ok for and end-of-day change. I don't wear them because they tend to wear a blister between my toes.

Thank you to everyone who has posted. I appreciate the input. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a pair of Keens that I can wear. There is something about the general shape of the sole that just hits me in all the wrong places.

I am planning on bringing a nice pair of comfortable flats to change into at night or on days of less walking/standing. I was just hoping that I would only need one other pair of shoes, but might have to rethink that.

I am really hoping to find a nice, comfortable, supportive pair of oxford type shoes that would also be suitable for the Cinque Terre hiking. I am still looking though.

Kristina... I like Ecco shoes . They go with everything and feel great. We were in Italy for the month of May and I wore the same pair of Ecco shoes avery day because they were so comfortable. Although I did not do a lot of hiking in the Cinque Terre , I did do some and these shoes are not hiking shoes . They just look like a nice closed toe shoe. Mine have a zipper on one pair and one pair has elastic. They are not cheap- around 100.00 dollars.

I like Merrill mocs even though they are not oxford type shoes, I think they meet the rest of your requirements. New Balance also makes nice walking shoes that are the oxford type and they come in lots of sizes.

TAB

I found that Sketchers makes a croc type Mary Jane with velcro that weighs next to nothing and would look cute with slacks or a skirt. they are pretty comfortable for strolling but I wouldn't want to hike in them or wear them for long days.

Kristina, Do you have any idea how steep and rocky the trails that you're going to hike on and for how long? I'm sorry I'm not familiar w/Cinque Terre but I do alot of hiking and walking and standing. Maybe I too can offer a solution.

Try the Keen Calistoga shoe. I wore them to the Louvre as well as hiking the Swiss Alps. They were very multi-purpose. www.rei.com

I notice that you live in Seattle. After much looking other places I found (I think its called) Shoe Advantage in the Roosevelt area to have what my picky feet needed.
Black New Balance walkers served me very well for winter hiking and city touring in China. I also liked my black lace-up Eccos.
Last summer I hiked the CT in Keenes. I found ones that fit me after trying on many styles and always wear them with socks.
Good luck-its worth the effort to keep traveling feet happy.
ps. In my opinion, anything that works for you on cobblestones will work for the CT

Last winter my husband bought me a wonderful pair of goretex boots in Germany. He wouldn't let me see the price, but I saw the identical pair in the travelsmith catalog last week. They are not cheap, but my shoes are incredible. I have worn them for everything from hiking to just walking around, and they look like an expensive pair of european boot, fine with jeans or a skirt or dress pants. And they are definitely waterproof and skid resistant.

Ditto Eccos black tie shoe. They were recommended to me by an Euopean.

The Paul Green brand of shoes is incredibly comfortable, durable and good looking. About $150 generally and worth every penny.