I will be in Italy with my 12 year old son this summer. Do you think that my son's khaki (Catholic school uniform) shorts, worn with a belt and polo shirt, would be acceptable dress for churches and cathedrals in Italy?
Thanks,
Linda
Posted by
Milwaukie, Oregon
1056 posts
Linda, while your son can certainly wear his shorts elsewhere in Italy, they probably won't be acceptable wear for churches and cathedrals. An easy solution would be for him to take along some zip-off leg pants which he can wear as shorts everywhere else and then just zip on the legs for wearing in the cathedrals. It's not so much that his appearance in shorts, belt and polo shirt isn't nice enough, it's a matter that in their opinion shorts of any type aren't acceptable wear in churches. And neither, by the way, are sleeveless blouses.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23313 posts
I am not sure of the answer. There is no question that shorts are unacceptable for adults and young adults. I have seen groups of school children wearing shorts. He is probably on the seam. If he is a old looking 12, or tall for his age, put on long pants. It is not that big deal. And it is part of the respect that we as foreign tourist should pay to our hosts. If they wants us to wear long pants and cover our shoulders -- DO IT.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
he's not going to class, he's going into churches. The acceptable standard is shirt and pants. Why is that so hard to do?
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2370 posts
Probably not, esp. at the Vatican. A cheap solution is to buy a plastic poncho to cover him up (adult size will cover him probably head to toe). Given the level of humiliation he will probably feel with this solution, I'd also suggest you invest in zip off pants - he can wear the shorts most of the time, and usually they're made of quick dry material that is easy to wash and dry each night.
Posted by
aberdeen, WA
16 posts
I don't thing that would be good. Bring some comfortable pants for him that travel well. He and you will be more comfortable.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Zip off pants are the easiest solution, his knees will be covered in the churches and when not in the churches( its not like you are going to spend all day in them is it??) he can zip off the bottoms, Italy can be so darn hot, why torture him by insisting on long pants every day all day, yikes. You want him to enjoy the trip too right? And he doesn't need a polo shirt an belt, it is NOT a case of being dressed up, it simply COVER the knees and the shoulders. Jeans are fine too, but really too hot for the really hot days.
This is the one time I think us ladies have it easier, I prefer wearing sundresses and skirts in hot weather, of course ,they cover my knees! LOL