Village Italy Tour: Footware question

I think sandals would be fine. There are some cobblestone streets, nothing too rustic. I LOVED this tour.
Happy Travels

I think it depends on the sandal. If she can walk 5 miles comfortably in them over a variety of surfaces they would be fine.

I don’t remember any unpaved surfaces?? Of course there are optional trails in Cinque Terre and maybe things were unpaved on the quarry tour?

I think anything in Italy depends on the sandals. Are these flip flops? Walking sandals like Chaco or Teva?

It's pretty easy to sprain an ankle on uneven surfaces like cobblestones. I'm a klutz, so I swear by lace-up athletic shoes and wouldn't use sandals for more than a short walk between my hotel and a restaurant, theatre, etc. But some others wear sandals all the time without difficulty. It's just not a risk I'm prepared to take; a badly sprained ankle really slows you down, aside from the pain.

I agree it depends on the sandals - don't wear fancy sandals. I love my Teva (had Tirra, but just got a new pair of Verra). I wore the Tirra all over Rome - to Ostia Antica, which is quite uneven, around Pompeii,...hiking from Ravello to Amalfi. I guess it would depend on her steadiness. I can fall off Birkenstocks, for crying out loud, which is why I think having 'sturdy' sandals with ankle straps to secure your feet and front straps that you can adjust are a must.

I have taken this tour and a few other Italian ones. I wore sandals. I have a pair of trusty Merrells. They have straps that cross over the top of my foot and wrap around my ankles. Knock on wood, haven't had an issue wearing them.

When I did Villages tour I wore my Keens sandals; designed for walking on all surfaces and give ankle support. Also took good sneakers and was glad of them on days when there was a lot of walking. Cobble stones will be encountered everywhere. i’d say dress sandals only for evening if going to a restaurant. Great tour, have a wonderful time.

Agreed-sandals are fine as long as they offer your feet good support and are comfortable. On the Villages tour, my sister wore Chacos, I alternated between Keen and Teva sandals and my adult son wore Birkenstocks. I personally think it's good practice to have two pairs and alternate them.

I recall when we took a similar tour in 2006, 90% of our tour group wore Keens Newports. Have to say the best investment we ever made. Ideal for any surface, extremely durable, waterproof and comfortable. They were perfect for early September weather. Since then, our go to's for walking the beach in Maui.

I was on the VI last summer. I would never wear sandals. There were indeed places we visited that were not paved. Some were dirt. Lots were tiny gravel. The toughest parts were at the Carrara marble quarry and in the truffle field. BTW, the latter is on a hillside, not flat.

I live on a dirt road and I never wear sandals when walking my dog in our neighborhood. I hate getting sand and grit in my shoes.

Another problem with sandals is the lack of support and stability. It's not so bad going up the steep slopes, but going down them is murder.

I made the mistake of wearing sneakers that stopped at the ankle. These were fine for Rome, Ravenna, Venice and Milan. They were also fine for steps and some of the flatter areas of the towns we visited. They did not supply the ankle support I needed for the steep slopes. I should've taken my Ahnu Montara boots.

This is an excerpt from Jane from Sapulpa's excellent trip report on this tour: "The catalogue describes this tour as "moderately active." Uh, no. We've been on 11 RS tours, and this one is the most active, or perhaps I should say most strenuous of any except the 21 Day Best of Europe. So many of the activities take place in hill towns, adding to the activity level. In fact, several of the folk in our group were disgruntled, feeling they had been misled about the degree of difficulty. I would up the level to "more active." And I do think the tour description should make it clear that most of the villages we visit are actually hill towns, where everywhere you want to go is uphill from where you are!"

Go here for the full report.

Lo, I forgot about the truffle hunt! I think the tour changed from when I did it, so a different truffle field but a field nonetheless!!

We just got back today from a VI tour. I wore my New Balance sneakers everyday, and they were okay for the hikes we took, but there were a few places that a shoe with more traction would have been helpful. There were women on our tour that wore sandals at least part of the time. Because of rain we weren't able to go in the field to truffle hunt, and the quarry road was closed, so I can't comment on how my shoes worked in those locations. While hiking between towns in Cinque Terre, I did see a woman wearing athletic sandals fall and injure her ankle:(

I went on RS tour last fall-wore “running type shoes “every day -saved sandals for a short walk from hotel to dinner, Basically, EVERY street in Italy is some kind of cobblestone! (really an amazing variety!!) the only flat smooth surface is the marble floors in the museums! I tried for 2 months before my trip to find really comfortable, “cool”shoes that wouldn’t mark me as a tourist (-totally unnecessary!!) Finally, I settled on some completely comfortable sport shoes -I am so glad I did!!, In a month-I had no foot or knee pain , no trips or stumbles-and I walked ALOT!!!

A flip flop or thin-sole sandal would be uncomfortable but a thicker sandal with straps to hold it on your foot would be fine.

Examples:
too thin for walking all day (would be fine for evening or short excursions in town):
https://www.zappos.com/p/lucky-brand-adymaris-sb-red-oilsue/product/9049369/color/750432

Sturdy enough for paths and walking all day in town
https://www.zappos.com/p/keen-ana-cortez-t-strap-black-black/product/8959173/color/183092?zlfid=191&ref=pd_detail_2