I get it that Italy in early spring will be much like where I'm from at this time of year--in the 50's with a mixture of cool, rainy, sunny, cloudy days. So layering is important.
But as I'm trying to adhere to RS suggestion of only bringing one carry-on plus a smaller (sling or cross-chest bag) bag, I don't want to bring a lot of unnecessary clothing.
I've already done as he suggests, buying quick drying underwear and socks (including Merino wool as well as Coolmax blends, nothing 100% cotton). Easy to launder.
And I have a North Face thermoball jacket, which is ultra-light but still warm. And a couple of pullovers.
It's the pants/shorts that are of concern to me at this point. I ordered some Royal Robbins walking shorts (100% nylon or some other synthetic, quick drying, wrinkle resistant, light, but sturdy enough to be used by serious hikers--in the summer, I'm thinking) as well as Haggar waist-expandable, 100% polyester or micro-polyester pants as an alternative to wearing something heavier like jeans. I just really enjoy the "freedom" of having part of my legs free from being swathed in cloth, although I understand that Italian men do not wear walking shorts that often (or expose their legs other than at the beach), unlike North Americans.
But now I'm wondering whether the bottom half of me will be cold much of the time. I do wear walking shorts at home in an apartment heated to probably around 65 degrees simply because they're comfortable and I'm not uncomfortable at all (quite the contrary). And whenever, it's over 60 degrees outside, I generally prefer to wear walking shorts (Old Navy 100% cotton of varying thickness), as I don't get that cold, especially if I'm doing brisk walking, which I think is pretty much the idea of RS tours (although I haven't done any before this one).
The itinerary of the Best of Italy 17-day RS tour begins in the North, on Lake Como and the Dolomites and down to Venice and then central Italy and finally Rome.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/best-italy
I'm wondering at this point if I'm loading too much on the light, quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant synthetic pants. I think maybe something cotton for both pants and walking shorts.
Anyone else have experience travelling in Italy in early-to-late April and the clothing that most fit their needs at that time, keeping in mind that RS has a drastically scaled down version of "a 'travel' wardrobe," if you can call it that, one that I wholeheartedly subscribe to?