Village Italy May 2024 - Clothing?

Although I did Village Italy in a long-ago October, I did the Heart of Italy in about the time frame you are going and stopped at some of the same locations.

I suggest a waterproof rain jacket. For Italy, I'd go with a lighter weight one that I take for France and UK. Last year at Fred Meyer here in North Idaho I got the Columbia Switchback III waterproof jacket. The waterproofiness worked well but this does not have an adjustable hood so that flopped around quite a bit. It is lightweight, which the next one up, maybe the Arcadia?, may also be. Weight-wise it was good as well. On the May trip a number of years ago we got caught in several gushing downpours - Cinque Terre and Florence and needed more than an umbrella.

I'd go with a sunshirt as well. I used the Eddie Bauer Departure 2 sunshirt. I got mine via Eddie Bauer but they also have them at Costco if you are a member. Much cheaper there! It was awesome. I'd gotten the white one, then kicked myself for getting a WHITE shirt. Well, it turned out to be impervious to dirt and at the end I was leaning up against walls, benches, you name it in Rome trying to get it dirty but it stayed pretty unstained!!

I'm not a dress wearer so others will advise you on that. Do NOT take anything to dress up in unless you think you will go out for a nice meal on a non-tour night. I always take capris to Italy because I get hot so I'd take 1 or 2 pr of long pants to wear on the plane and 2 pr of capris. I'm not a shorts wearer but they are difficult to manage in Italy because you'll need to have them down to your knees any day a church visit is on the itinerary.

Shirts - I take SS tee shirts. IF you will have sleeveless shirts, I'd definitely take a scarf or shawl so you can enter any churches and be appropriately dressed.

I would take a LS topper - either a sweater or for myself now, I just take a 1/4 zip drifit LS shirt that goes with everything. That and the sunshirt cover any of my needs.

For myself, I find Italy a lot hotter than North Idaho so I have to prepare for heat. You are a lot younger than I and might not have as much temperature regulating issues, hahaha!!

This is an awesome trip! One of my favorites out of the 12 Rick tours I have done. If you have time enough off work, I'd add days on to the front end either in Venice or an extra night or two in Padua. At the end, the guide will work with everyone's schedule to get you batched with other tour members to get to either the airport or Milan for onward travel.

Here is a link to my recent Best of Italy tour in case it helps with things.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/best-of-italy-sept-30-october-16-2022

Pam, "waterproofiness?" Hey, if there's no word that says what you mean, make one up! I love English.

Jane....I'm working on making up a 2nd language since I don't have the brain pieces to learn another one on my own, lolol!!! And see?? You knew exactly what I meant!

We did this tour late April to the first week in May of ‘22. Looking back on our pictures, I wore short sleeve tees and a very lightweight jacket with lightweight Athleta long pants most days and occasionally our nano puffs because it was cool in the evenings. It did rain several days so I would advise a good raincoat. We took a boat ride in Vieste. I wish the guide had advised us to take a raincoat because it wasn’t much fun trying to get the salt spray off our Nano puffs, so I’m warning you about that possibility. I don’t think I ever wore my shorts. Again, it’s “dependo” on the weather, it could be very warm, too. Layers seem to be the answer.

We did that tour a few weeks earlier in May. We did have one day, in Volterra, when it poured, and my shoes (and feet) got soaked.

It's a great tour. Enjoy!

We did this tour in late June; no rain at all. I don't remember it being too hot, either, but then our definition of "hot" doesn't match most people's on the Forum. Here's my trip report, if it helps: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/tour-report-village-italy

Margie, the Vieste boat ride is on the Southern Italy trip, not Village Italy.

Pam, I not only knew what you meant, I applauded it!

Keep it simple. One pair light long pants, one capris and one skirt covering the knees. 4 or 5 shirts with capped sleeves, one long sleeve shirt and a good waterproof jacket. I like one pair sneakers or waterproof shoes and one sandals or simple flats. And a small umbrella. It isn’t really cold that time of year. With the above you have 3 layers if it is cool. Maybe include a bathing suit. I bring a big t-shirt and stretchy exercise pants to sleep in. They can double for work out or hiking clothes. I get a haircut just before the trip so can just use the hair dryer in the room. I’m a very light packer keeping makeup, accessories and other stuff to a minimum. These items add weight very quickly. Have a great tour in a super country.

Not a gift idea, but bring a (clean) trash bag for your suitcase, in case you're transitioning in a downpour. It happened to us last May and we experienced travelers were caught off-guard.
Granted, we had unprecedented rain last May in Italy, but just to be prepared- bring a fitted poncho that goes over your backpack and over your full-length packable raincoat. When you're in a nonstop downpour, even the best raincoat needs a little help with an extra layer. We actually found cheap ponchos that were long and with many snaps, which kept our pants dry. And - umbrellas were useless in the wind.
Now , I'm sure you'll have perfect weather and nary a shower. Safe travels!

Hi & welcome to the forum! We lived in the Seattle area for thirty years and did our first RS tour at about the same age. I would encourage you to do any of the free classes offered at the RS Edmonds store. They usually have a beginner Italian language class, a technology class, packing class, etc.

I used a 2-wheel roller carry-on for the first 13 trips to Europe, but last year I switched to the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L that you have, and I loved it! I used it for a month with no issues. Since the pack already has mesh dividers, I skipped using my normal packing cubes except for one for underwear. I will be in Italy for the whole month of May in 2024 and planning to bring almost the same as my last trip. Let me find the post with my packing list, and I’ll add it to this.

Recent purchases you might like:
Sherpani Camden bag - a Pacific blue color (I cut off the backpack straps); used the tote handle or crossbody strap - I bought this for my personal item on the plane. I placed my crossbody purse inside it. I just carry my crossbody purse during the day on trips.

Loopy - an iPhone cover with a secure rubber loop in the middle of the back, so I’m threading a finger through the loop while comfortably holding it. My daughter has one, and this helped my hand not cramp, plus being so secure for all of the Tube, taking photos, etc. It’s a good idea to have a little tether security with your phone. The Loopy is enough for me.

This has my normal packing list for 3-5 weeks. I didn’t bring my capri on that last trip. Next May I will bring a second pair of quick-dry pants instead if the capri unless the forecast is hot weather.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/considering-an-ultralight-pack-this-year-experienced-feedback-please

You have gotten some great advice here. I also loved this tour and it was my 1st of 9 (so far.) I would agree bringing a skirt works better than a dress. I always bring stuff I can mix and match which works best with a skirt. I also bring capris rather than shorts, but I am older than you are. I take a lightweight rain jacket/coat on my trips. It is an Eddie Bauer that almost reaches my knees, has a hood and LOTS of pockets (including inside pockets which are really nice.) Maybe it's just me, but Italy seems to always have a heat wave when I'm there. The only exception was the Rome tour which I did xmas week. Pack for just a week and wash what you can every few days in the sink or shower.. I have found washing in the sink works best for underwear and socks (if they aren't heavy cotton) and it tends to dry faster. I have found some great travel clothes at J Jill, but like everything else they are getting really pricey. I also love Lands End and we have an outlet not too far from my condo. I have a pashmina shawl which I use on the plane, over my jacket if it is too cool for just the rain jacket, and as a small pillow on buses, etc. Have a wonderful time and do try to learn some Italian. It is a phonetic language and very easy to learn.

Wow what wonderful responses! I am creating a wishlist from all the amazing suggestions here - hopefully if we are prepared for rain then it won’t rain too much on us haha!

I’ve been taking some Italian lessons so the encouragement is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for sharing packing lists, your tips, and sharing your experiences…I didn’t think I could be more excited but here I am!