Packing questions for Italy

Plenty of bottled water in Italy, Pelligrino being a noted brand. About walking shoes: Can you walk long distances in your Naots? If so, you'll be OK. As for passports, I always have mine on my person, in my under-clothing money thingie when I travel. Your adult children should be responsible for their own passports and should carry them safely in a money belt.

And, the water in the neighborhood fountains are safe to refill your water bottle, unless it says non potable. They are referred to as 'nasones'...watch Rick's Rome dvd where he talks about it. The water in Venice is particularly good as it comes down from the Dolamite mountains. I purchase a bottle when I arrive (naturale, not the kind with gas) and then fill it up as I go. For shoes, I take a pair of Reeboks that are really comfy and a pair of Clark sandals for an alternative and for dressier times. As a previous poster said, the important thing in shoes is if you are comfortable walking in them for extended periods and over uneven surfaces.

Be advised...under Italian law, all visitors must carry their passports as official identification. This is also a contradiction since your hotel will probably hold your passport for awhile when you check in so they can register you with the police. That too is the law.

However, the chances of you being stopped by the police and asked for your passport is slim.

re: walking shoes. you want to make sure you can not only walk long distances in them comfortably, but also, you want to make sure they have a thick enough sole that the uneven cobblestones in Italy don't dig in to your feet. Naot sandals should be fine, they're known for their comfort!

Cliff bars are a great idea, especially because most of their varieties don't melt and get messy. I always travel with a few granola bars, like you said, just in case. I often return home with most of them but it is a nice comfort to have. That said, finding food is not usually hard in Italy!!! :)

I also hate water with gas, so I always look for "naturale" on the bottle. Btw, if you can find a supermarket, you will save a lot of money. Restaurants and street carts will charge a euro or more for a 500 ml bottle, whereas in the supermarket you can get them for a fraction, or you can get bigger ones if you want. it's amazing how tasty the fountain/tap water is in much of Italy! I ONLY use Brita water at home and I have refilled water bottles all throughout Italy, from hotel taps, fountains, etc, and it has almost always tasted fine.

I've personally never had a hotel in Italy keep my passport. They always take down the info they need or make a copy and give it right back to me. I usually keep mine on me, but in my money belt.

Sandra,

As the others mentioned, bottled water is easily available in Italy. I normally buy a bottle after going through airport security, and then just refill if required.

As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend pre-reading Europe Through The Back Door as it will provide lots of information to help ensure that your trip is trouble free.

I'm not familiar with Cliff Bars, but I assume these are similar to other "Energy Bars". I normally bring some for long train rides, and have never had a problem with them. However, you'll probably find that there are lots of places to "pick up" snacks.

The subject of good walking Shoes is not something that should be taken lightly. You'll probably be doing a LOT more walking and covering greater distances than you do at home. If you decide to buy walking shoes, it's VERY important to make sure they're well "broken in" by the time you travel. There are some posts here on the HelpLine on that topic, but I'd have to search to find them.

I always carry my Passport with me, as I feel it's more secure in my Money Belt than in the Hotel room. Also, as Frank II mentioned, there's a slight possibility I could be asked to produce a Passport for identification.

Sandra,

In addition to ETBD, if you're going to be solely in Italy, I'd suggest packing along a copy of the either the Italy or Rome Guidebooks, as I've found they're excelent reference during trips. If you're only going to be in Rome, then the book for that would be appropriate.

Walking shoes usually just means shoes that you will be comfortable in, walking many hours, sometimes on uneven or unpaved surfaces. Naot are fine.

If you get hungry, there's always gelato nearby :-)

Thanks everyone for all the replies. What did I ever do without the internet, lol, guess I just worried more! I haven't traveled a lot and it helps to have other people's ideas.

I did get Rick Steve's Europe through the back door, and am really finding it helpful. I just need to have hubby read all the pages that I marked so I am not the only one who has all this great info.

Thanks for the tips!

Ken,

I am going to do the usual tourist spots of Rome, Florence, and Venice. In addition I am traveling to Civitanova, Le Marche and Sant Elpidio a Mare, the towns where my family is from. I have Rick's Italy book and "the back door" book. I am having a tough time reading the Italy book, but I may bring it with me as per your suggestion as it will probably be good if I use it for reference.

Any interesting suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
sandy

What about the zip off pants that become shorts (I know Columbia makes them). They are great to travel with as they wash up in the sink. Would your boys wear those?

I like that 2nd gelato rule!

You can find bottled drinking water in Italy. The water that comes from public fountains in Rome is amazingly good.

As far as I know Cliff bars are fine to bring into Italy. I carry protein bars and packages of nuts as a snack on the plane and to get me through to my first meal on the ground. To be 100% sure you have to check Italian rules through their consulate but I don't think it's worth the trouble because I've carried the same thing many times and never had a problem.

My wife has a pair of dark brown New Balance trail running shoes. They look enough like regular shoes to be passable for all but dressing up but are lightweight, comfortable and sturdy enough for long hikes on cobblestones. Adding a pair of shoes/sandals that can dress up adds flexibility to your wardrobe.

I usually pack a pair of leather dress/walking shoes and add a pair of trail running shoes or Keen sandals as a second casual pair of shoes that can also stand a lot of walking.

Actually it is like Arizona, and has been for a long time. There are a variety of authorities who can, at any time for any reason (or no reason), ask to see your identification. Your passport is your only valid ID in Europe. They will check to see you have a valid passport and that your entry stamp shows you are in Europe legally (and haven't overstayed your permission). I carry my passport with me as I carry my driver's license at home (except in a moneybelt/neckpouch). The only time I don't carry my passport is when I leave it at the desk for hotel check-in or when I'm going to a pool or the beach (because I don't want to leave it laying around). Your children are adults and, at 19, are more likely to be asked to show their passports than you are.

After all I've read about packing, I am wondering if travelers to Italy wear pants when it is warm. I was planning on Capri pants as I don't like to wear pants when it is warm. THe temps say mid 70's to mid 80's as a high temp. Will I feel out of place. I was thinking of NYC as an example of how they dress in the cities in Italy. I don't think I will look like a native, but I don't want to look like a total tourist! ;-)

how about the kids, they were wondering what to wear so they don't stick out like a sore thumb! (Male and female attire.)

Capris were very popular with women the last time we were in Italy.

Shorts were not very prevalent and can present a problem when entering churches. They want knees and shoulders covered on both sexes.

Most Italians seem to wear shorts mostly at the beach or on the way to rugby or soccer play.

Everyone in Italy seems to wear capri pants, both men and women.I was all over Italy last summer. They dress nice in Italy. Bring running shoes or workout shoes. Those are the best for walking around I've found. I never had a hotel "hold onto" my passport in Europe. I've been to a majority of the countries. They register a couple of numbers off of it, but no place I stayed last Summer kept my passport. Keep it on you at all times simply to avoid the possibility of having it stolen from your hotel room. Have fun.

One other thing to note is that you will need to show your passport at internet cafes if you plan to use them. Our hotels have always registered our passport information right then and there, and never kept it for more than about 20 minutes.

Whether to carry it with you or lock it in the safe is an oft-debated question here. In the end, everyone has their own personal preference. I carry mine at all times, because then I a) know where it is, and b) in the extremely unlikely event of a major emergency, I can go straight to the embassy & don't have to return to the hotel for it. If you opt to not carry your passport, be sure to carry SOME kind of photo ID and this goes for your kids as well.

We used a pedometer last time in Italy and averaged 6-8 miles a day. The last day we were there, we walked over 10! There will also be standing around, waiting in lines, looking at art, etc. so be sure your shoes are up for that. Also keep in mind that the terrain can be rough--cobblestone streets, narrow sidewalks, hills, etc. If your sandals can handle all of that, then go for it.

(P.S. We had a 5-mile gelato rule; walk 5+ miles in one day, can have a second gelato. The first one always being mandatory of course!)

My husband and I are in Rome right now, we packed a couple of cliff bars and got them in without any problem. We brought along stainless steel bottles from home and left them empty to go through securities. Each of us has one bottle but we only carry one of them with us so far because there are fountains all over the city for us to refill. Make sure your shoes are good for a long distance walking. I packed a couple pairs of shoes and regret that one pair didn't give me enough support especially walking around Colosseum and Palentine Hill. Hope this helps.

Shorts are not worn, hmmm, what to tell my boys? I can't see them putting on Capri pants! They will just need to wear pants on the days we are going to a church. Guess I could lend them a scarf and they could tie it around themselves like a skirt! (sorry I couldn't resist that mind picture)

I think I will go out and purchase (and wear every moment of the day to break them in) some "walking shoes" just in case.

thanks

My husband & I have been to Italy twice (Rome, Florence & Venice) and we both wore shorts during the day...especially when it's hot. Certainly there are times when they aren't appropriate (ie: he wore jeans & I capris when we visited the Vatican) but we're from San Diego and basically live in shorts during the summer. Did not feel uncomfortable at all wearing them in Italy.

From all the pictures I've seen of tourists in Italy, including Italian tourists, I see shorts and runners or really badly matching polyester pants and tops. Italians under the age of 50 wear tennis shoes unless they are working on a weekday in an office. Check out "fashion" post on www.roninrome.com. I've read that if you wear sandals, plan on having dirty feet. That was enough to send me running to socks and tennies. Bermuda shorts are very popular. Mine almost cover my knees. If that's not good enough for the church, I'll unzip a bit and adopt the low rider style. Shorts for boys are long, saggy, and over the knee. Your boys should be ok.

Kay, I laughed at the low rider pants comment!

I didn't think about the dirty feet thing, though I should remember. I took my sons on college tours two years ago and when we were in Boston for two days my feet were so dirty! I was cooler than I would have been in shoes though. I am going to go and get some shoes today, just to keep my worries down.

Bottled water is everywhere in Italy. I would not waste precious luggage space with Cliff bars. They will get mashed anyway. There will be PLENTY to snack on when you get there. I would NOT use sandals for walking shoes unless the straps are very well padded. Otherwise, you will get blisters where the straps rub. If you intend to tour churches, out of respect, you need to wear proper shoes and not sandals. You should keep your passport on you for ID purposes. You never know when you will be hit by a speeding Vespa.

Sandra - I'm one of those who MUCH prefer a good walking sandal to a closed shoe when I'm in Italy in the summer. I have not brought closed shoes for any of my trips at that time. I always bring 2 pairs of sandals - and one was a Naot. The clincher for me was that at least one pair had to have a back strap so my foot didn't slide off as much on any uneven surface. Bottom line is a "walking shoe" is something that you can walk and stand in for many hours a day. You're from Philadelphia, been to NYC (I assume) so just imagine what you would wear on a full day of sightseeing in the city.

And just saw Scott's post above about sandals and churches. I don't recall ever seeing/hearing about anything inappropriate with sandals in Italian churches.

There IS a dress code as others have mentioned that shoulders and knees must be covered. And so yes, my older teens took long pants and wore them when we visited St. Peters. Wore shorts when we toured around the coast. Girls took scarf/sweater to throw on top of their tank tops.

Sandra,

" Lastly, we need to carry our passports on our person at all times? My kids are 19 years old, do they?"

To you, they are kids (and always will be ), but to the world they are adults.

Have a great trip!

Our vatican tour guide (just reserved online) told us sandals or flip flops were fine for vatican tours, but shoulers and knees must be covered, for whatever that's worth...

I didn't have problems wearing sandals into the church. I guess as long as they're comfortable for you.
You do have to cover your shoulder and knees to enter churches (using scarf to cover your shoulders will do).
I usually bring a copy of my passport (and other documents) when I'm abroad, bring the copy everywhere I go and keep the real one in safe deposit box in the hotel.