Attire for Italy Trip

[neminat]

We are from the states and heading to Italy in June (so it will be hot) but have heard Italians dress more formal in general than we do and some activities require specific attire.

If you have been to Italy, what do you suggest we bring for a summer vacation?
I was planning to bring shorts, linen button up shirts, polo shirts, tee shirts etc. But hearing I need to have some pants when we are in the larger cities. Is this true? Anything else i should know regarding clothing out there?

Whats a typical attire (not for work) for a hot day in the city? Suburbs?

 

[SartoriaModerna]

Italy is in general very fashion open-minded so you can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, there are no 'silent rules' where you will be judged for so no worries.

However, the typical Italian summer outfit by the seaside you will see often is a casual shirt with open collar (mostly linen) tucked in a short, paired with loafers and a pair of sunglasses. Nothing special actually but the simplicity and the preference of a shirt instead of a tshirt makes it a bit more stylish/classy. Long trousers are rarely seen by the seaside.

In the business city such as Milan, you will see somewhat more formal outfits so long trousers are more appropiate there, though you will see lots of shorts worn by tourists too so no worries if you opt for shorts. In religious places such as Vatican etc you are actually required to dress appropiate to enter (so no shorts and sandals). In Naples, many people also wear sartorial clothes.

For these cities, think of a striped shirt or a summer polo, trousers in a casual cut and a safari jacket for example.

 

[neminat]

Italy is in general very fashion open-minded so you can wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, there are no 'silent rules' where you will be judged for so no worries.

However, the typical Italian summer outfit by the seaside you will see often is a casual shirt with open collar (mostly linen) tucked in a short, paired with loafers and a pair of sunglasses. Nothing special actually but the simplicity and the preference of a shirt instead of a tshirt makes it a bit more stylish/classy. Long trousers are rarely seen by the seaside.

In the business city such as Milan, you will see somewhat more formal outfits so long trousers are more appropiate there, though you will see lots of shorts worn by tourists. In religious places such as Vatican etc you are even required to dress appropiate (so no shorts and sandals). In Naples, many people also wear sartorial clothes.

For these cities, think of a striped shirt or a summer polo, trousers in a casual cut and a safari jacket for example.

Thank you! Forgot about the linen shirts - those are absolutely coming with me as well. That was my thought for most days. Linen button up with a pair of shorts and some drivers / penny loafers or all white Koio leather sneakers (if active that day).

 

[mhip]

Depends if you're looking to blend in or stand out as a tourist.
Shorts at the beach, not in the city.

 

[maxalex]

As there are no more dress codes even here in Italy, there is no obligation to pack grownup clothes for your trip. These days even many Italian men wear shorts and flip flops in our cities.

But do not assume the absence of rules means “nobody cares what I wear,” a classic example of confirmation bias. What this sentiment really means is “I don’t care what I wear,” and today you can be as carefree as you like.

However if your travel plans include early evening aperitivi in smart cafes and dinners in restaurants above the level of neighborhood pizzerias, you might consider packing a pair of trousers (linen can be ideal), some brown loafers and even a lightweight sport jacket.

 

[DapperPhilly]

My experiences in Italy is as described above, anything goes. I like to dress well and found
a couple long sleeve linen shirts (white and navy) along with a couple short sleeved line shirts
(white and navy) were more than adequate for pretty much anywhere. I paired with either
linen long or short pants.
For some of the fine dining in Rome and Florence I had a pair of nice lightweight wool slacks and cotton dress shirt paired with a lightweight (linen) SC.
One of our trips there was also June and it was quite hot.

This year we are going to Sicily for the month of May.
Can't wait.

 

[neminat]

For these cities, think of a striped shirt or a summer polo, trousers in a casual cut and a safari jacket for example.

Would (off white or other casually colored) 5 pocket pants be too casual here or would you recommend chinos?

 

[SartoriaModerna]

Would (off white or other casually colored) 5 pocket pants be too casual here or would you recommend chinos?

Absolutely no issue with those in my opinion, no worries. You will see them often in the city, just like jeans. Just dress it up instead of down in case of doubt and you will be fine

 

[maxalex]

Would (off white or other casually colored) 5 pocket pants be too casual here or would you recommend chinos?

By five-pocket I assume you mean some type of close-fitting denim albeit in a lighter color? Style questions aside, I find those kind of trousers can be hot in the summer.

Otherwise it mostly depends on how “smart” you want to look. Chinos are smarter than denim, tropical wool is smarter than chinos.

Are you traveling with a female companion? (Not sure who the “we” are.) If so, how is she planning to dress in the evening? These days, and not just in Italy, I often see couples out to dinner where the woman is dressed nicely but the guy is in douche territory, sartorially speaking. So consider coordinating with her, in terms of smartness level.

 

[neminat]

By five-pocket I assume you mean some type of close-fitting denim albeit in a lighter color? Style questions aside, I find those kind of trousers can be hot in the summer.

Otherwise it mostly depends on how “smart” you want to look. Chinos are smarter than denim, tropical wool is smarter than chinos.

Are you traveling with a female companion? (Not sure who the “we” are.) If so, how is she planning to dress in the evening? These days, and not just in Italy, I often see couples out to dinner where the woman is dressed nicely but the guy is in douche territory, sartorially speaking. So consider coordinating with her, in terms of smartness level.

Thanks! Being on vacation and not hitting anything overly formal is what is killing me.
My wife and our two sons (8 and 13) will be joining us and we are spending more time outside of any of the big cities than in them. We are doing the Duomo and Vatican / Coliseum for sure, but otherwise its a lot more of bike rides and ending at a winery for lunch or checking out the Lake Como / Bellagio area, and touring Amalfi Coast with a boat ride to Capri etc.

So with that said, i wont want to be in pants all day even on those Duomo / Vatican / Coliseum days. I know i need to at those locations so I will want to be dressed rather cool so I dont sweat to death
I was thinking about picking up a pair or those golf / performance chinos but i have to be honest - i just dont like them. Im torn on how to stay cool in June in those areas. Linen shirt is absolutely happening so im good there. But may need to find some linen pants or something for those city days.

 

[maxalex]

Thanks! Being on vacation and not hitting anything overly formal is what is killing me.
My wife and our two sons (8 and 13) will be joining us and we are spending more time outside of any of the big cities than in them. We are doing the Duomo and Vatican / Coliseum for sure, but otherwise its a lot more of bike rides and ending at a winery for lunch or checking out the Lake Como / Bellagio area, and touring Amalfi Coast with a boat ride to Capri etc.

So with that said, i wont want to be in pants all day even on those Duomo / Vatican / Coliseum days. I know i need to at those locations so I will want to be dressed rather cool so I dont sweat to death
I was thinking about picking up a pair or those golf / performance chinos but i have to be honest - i just dont like them. Im torn on how to stay cool in June in those areas. Linen shirt is absolutely happening so im good there. But may need to find some linen pants or something for those city days.

Personally I’ve never had much of a problem with hot legs. It’s not like your throat. I can certainly see shorts when trekking and biking in the countryside but I just don’t wear them in the city. I realize these days I’m an outlier.

 

[neminat]

Personally I’ve never had much of a problem with hot legs. It’s not like your throat. I can certainly see shorts when trekking and biking in the countryside but I just don’t wear them in the city. I realize these days I’m an outlier.

Fair enough! Ha! Thank you!

As there are no more dress codes even here in Italy, there is no obligation to pack grownup clothes for your trip. These days even many Italian men wear shorts and flip flops in our cities.

But do not assume the absence of rules means “nobody cares what I wear,” a classic example of confirmation bias. What this sentiment really means is “I don’t care what I wear,” and today you can be as carefree as you like.

However if your travel plans include early evening aperitivi in smart cafes and dinners in restaurants above the level of neighborhood pizzerias, you might consider packing a pair of trousers (linen can be ideal), some brown loafers and even a lightweight sport jacket.

Somehow i didnt fully digest this post. This was incredibly helpful!

As far as the nobody cares - we have that a LOT here in the states too. I love the comment about confirmation bias!!!

 

[maxalex]

Fair enough! Ha! Thank you!


Somehow i didnt fully digest this post. This was incredibly helpful!

As far as the nobody cares - we have that a LOT here in the states too. I love the comment about confirmation bias!!!

Rest assured you will not be alone wearing shorts in Italian cities...

 

[rjc149]

If you're on vacation in a warm-weather locale, it's perfectly acceptable to wear shorts pretty much everywhere, and basic chinos for evening or more formal venues.

If you need a reason to buy summer-weight dress slacks because you want them, I'm not taking that reason away from you. Most of us are here because we like dressing well whether or not it's demanded. But it's hardly necessary for a family vacation.

 

[maxalex]

This evening in central Rome after sunset it was 13C/55F and I saw lots of tourists, grown men, wearing shorts. Really? Are you hot? Clearly shorts have become some kind of liberation statement unrelated to temperature, maybe like bra burning in the ‘60s. One is tempted to blame the trend on the infantilization of American men (see: drinking age 21, colleges as nursery schools etc).

But it goes beyond America as the small-boy pants in non-hot weather have been adopted by legions of European men who wear cargo shorts in town and orange Yankees caps as a fashion statement with no idea that’s not the team color, or even what sport they play, much less who their blood rivals are in a town 225 miles north. The Germans, generally ample in the waste, are easily spotted with their shorts, Birkenstocks and white calf socks. French are generally better dressed, full trousers, especially the women who are slim. Scandinavians are the chino crowd; they eat dinner at 6 which limits them to all-day pizzerias as most restaurants here open at 7:40 or 8.

One could propose a Fulbright Scholarship studying the sartorial choices of the tourists here, especially with the control factor of no Chinese or Russians currently.