We'll be in Florence/Firenze in about a month from now and I'm wondering what kind of attire to wear in case we end up in a high end restaurant. Would jeans be okay?
After Italy, we will be joining the Madrid and Barcelona Rick Steves tour later in the month (our first Rick Steves tour ever!) but I assume that would be more casual.
Deleted original post. Neighbor dogs had been yapping incessantly for 40 minutes and I was not in best frame of mind at that time
Apologies to OP.
I actually plan to ask for suggestions for restaurants in Florence at some point in the forum but I wouldn't want to be restricted in my choices. I watched a youtuber mentioning to pack fancy clothes for Italy to go to some restaurants, so this is why I'm asking.
Regarding Rick Steves, there'll be a lot of walking plus going to Tapas restaurants so I'm assuming jeans will be okay. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I do not know what you mean by what type of jeans. Blue jeans?
Linen pants,some kind of blouse....really unless your clothes look ragged or dirty nobody notices and nobody cares.
In all my 6 trips to Italy it's much more important to be pleasant and not in a hurry,take time to enjoy the meal.
And I wear the same shoes that I wear to walk in, no heels. Nobody cares.
Personally, I wouldn’t wear jeans in an upscale Italian restaurant. I think it would be disrespectful.
Being on a tour and eating with a tour group would be different.
April in Tuscany, bellissimo! The enduring battle betwixt la bella figura e la brutta figura most definitely continues to wage in the Italian universe. You can't go wrong wearing your most attractive and figure-flattering attire, coiffed and presented in your finest version of you, with a demeanor and air of polite and dignified confidence. Look good/feel good and with nice manners and you're a feast for the eyes by Italiano standards. Yes to casual on RSTs and hope you enjoy your BAM tour.
I always like to have black slacks and I bring a pair of black flats, it makes me feel like dinner is more special if I am not in the same clothes I have been shlepping around in all day. Have a great trip!
We were in Firenze in Oct 2022. We went to Restaurant Zeb, which is mentioned in GM. Best food on our trip, and we took whatever wine the chef thought was good with the course. Small place - 23 stools - like a high-end sushi bar. But super dinner. People looked good, but not fancy. We don't wear shorts, but I wore my normal cargo pants with the 65 pockets, and felt just fine.
Jeans are ok everywhere, don't worry.
Patagonia or Columbia tan convertible pants, pick-pocket proof adventure shirts, Tilley airflow on top, darn tough socks and Birkenstocks.
In all seriousness, you can never go wrong with a good pair of Khaki's, a decent dress shirt and a nice sweater. Dress jeans are not uncommon in even good restaurants but when you say "high-end", it suggests that perhaps a bit of tasteful style should be given some consideration. How would you dress to go to a high end restaurant in Chicago, Montreal or NYC?
We pack light (jeans are not that) but we always pack an outfit that will pass as "high-end".
What would you wear to a high-end restaurant in your hometown? Would you be comfortable if you were the most casually dressed person in the restaurant?
We don't take jeans when traveling in Europe only because they are bulky and heavy. Space and weight are at a premium since we travel as light as possible. I normally take a pair of dark slacks and a pair of tan slacks.
My, times have changed. My wife and I went on a People-to-People trip to Europe in July/August 1966. The girls wore skirts/dresses. They boys had to bring a suit to wear each evening at dinner. Deb and I started hanging out together on the trip and have been going steady ever since.
You can't go wrong wearing your most attractive and figure-flattering
attire, coiffed and presented in your finest version of you, with a
demeanor and air of polite and dignified confidence.
Loved this! :)
How would you dress to go to a high end restaurant in Chicago, Montreal or NYC?
I'm not sure about other places, but around here (Seattle area), I always wear blue jeans to restaurants, even the ones we consider high-end with multiple courses. The only time I wear other types of pants is when the party's invitation specifies a dress code, which only happens for me once every two years or so. However, this is the West Coast, where even professors wear shorts to class.
To be honest, this is one of the things I like about living here. One of my former managers, who was high up in the company I work for, refused to wear ties or buttoned shirts in any circumstances. But there was one party the company had that required both, so we were all searching for him to see how he looked. When we found him, we were disappointed. He had managed to get into the party without a tie but still had to wear a shirt.
I think I only own two pairs of pants that are not jeans, and I'm not a fan of them. But maybe I'll pack one just in case. Thank you all for the replies.
Edit to add: I also like jeans because I can keep my valuables like cell phone, credit cards, passport, etc. all in my front pockets in a secure way. Other pants feel baggy and lose, and my wallet seems to always want to crawl out of them in despair.
Agree with Dario. We spent a week in Florence this past October and never once felt underdressed. Jeans for just about everywhere, although on one night I think one may have worn casual-looking pants a la H&M. No one looked twice.
