Traveling to Venice, Florence, Rome areas in September (trip concludes 9/20). I understand the dress codes for churches, etc but wondering how common it is for men to wear shorts in those cites when sightseeing, strolling shops and restaurants etc during the day. My thought is big no, as someone who grew up with a significant amount of European travel experiences, but my husband is a big shorts guy. Thoughts on appropriateness, and how common it is...., Not talking about gym shorts and printed tshirts but rather nicer shorts with golf, button down or solid t-shirts.
Thank you
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
159 posts
We just returned from 3 weeks in Italy (Rome, Orvieto, Florence, Monterosso and Venice) and everyone was wearing shorts. My 55 year old husband wore tailored shorts with a linen button-down, polo or plain t-shirt daily and was at times overdressed even when we ate at restaurants for dinner. He did bring a pair of grey linen pants which he wore exactly once in St. Peter’s. The dress code at churches was never an issue for him; it’s seems to be more enforced for women and girls with bare shoulders or very short skirts/shorts - not surprising this “rule” is not applied equally. My husband (and many others based on what I observed) wore shorts at St. Mark’s, the Pantheon, the Orvieto Duomo, and many small churches we just popped in to view. My teenager daughter and I always covered our shoulders with wraps we carried, and we did see other women being given paper shawls to cover their shoulders before being allowed in a few churches. Never once did we see anyone turned away when wearing shorts.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5493 posts
Given that you will be visiting major tourist cities during the tourist season, you'll see lots of men wearing shorts. None (or few) of those men will be allowed inside a church without first covering their knees. It would be a shame for him to miss seeing some of the most beautiful art and architecture that Italy has to offer. He might want to look at getting a couple pair of loose fitting lightweight pants, or the convertible pants with zip off legs that turn into shorts. Bring the leg portions in his day bag.
Posted by
11 posts
Our experience (RS Italy My Way, June 2024) was that men's shorts that covered the top half of the knee, or about covered, were fine. Never saw a man turned away with shorts, but did see bare-shouldered women turned away. Solution there is to pack a scarf. As ^^ said, very common to see shorts, especially in the heat.