johnmcq

My wife and I are visiting Italy in September on a Tauck tour. We begin in Milan, go onto Lago Maggiore, and, while I'm not sure of the sequence, visit Balogna, Verona and Venice.

My wife claims that men simply cannot wear shorts in italy. It's terribly unfashionable and I wouldn't be allowed into the cathedrals, she says.

We toured italy in 2001, and I wore long cotton pants --- I was miserable from the heat (in May.)

We just saw the movie, "Letters to Juliet" and many male tourists in the background were wearing shorts. Granted, they were the baggy cargo types. I plan to wear dressier shorts.

Are shorts on men becoming more commonplace? Can I get away with it? If it makes a difference, I'm 65.

thanks for your help.

tyn

Tourists do it all the time, Italians a lot less.
Italians wear shorts around seaside towns and youngsters wear them also in the city on hot summer days. They are not common wear for dinner or around hotels of a certain standing.

Churches do have a dress code. Not sure for men, but women are not allowed in with bare arms or short skirts/shorts. They had me wrap up my legs in a bedsheet at the Duomo di Amalfi because I was wearing mid thigh shorts and I was not allowed in the Vatican because of a sleeveless shirt.

TravellinHusker

Adult men do not wear shorts outside of a beach resort or outdoor construction work or perhaps an outdoor concert sometimes. It is just considered bad form.

You will not be permitted to eat in a restaurant, inside any churches, and perhaps some museums. You will see Americans wearing shorts with Italians looking at them with distaste. If you want to fit in, wear a chinos or fashionable jeans.

tourist

Your wife is absolutely correct. Wives usually are.

Forstbetrieb

NO!

GUWonder

I've observed American and many (northern) European male tourists wearing shorts in Italian towns and cities, and it usually hasn't been any problem as long as: religious venues are not on the daily itinerary; higher-end restaurants are not being frequented in such attire; and you understand that such attire is more likely to make you a target for pickpockets and others who may want to try to make a victim of tourists; and that Italian men almost never are dressed in shorts when engaged in such activities.

Up In The Air

Italian men tend not to wear shorts in cities; being usually confined to sport; hiking in the countryside and mountains; or at the beach ... and of course when it's really hot! (90F/32C or more)

Because the Italians are generally welcoming and non-judgmental (not like the Fr some nationalities I can think of) a foreigner can get usually away with almost any 'fashion crime'. However, this does not mean that they like to see the German and Scandinavian habit of sandals worn with medium-length white socks; or (heaven forbid) the British habit of wearing sandals with medium-length grey socks!

tourist

Nor sandals with black medium-length socks on pale legs!

Jay71

Just personal experience and I'm sure others will have differing thoughts...
I'm in my late 30's. Went to Italy in 2003 and 2007 (Florence/Siena/Tuscany, Rome, Venice, and Cinque Terra) both times in the spring. And each time, I wore knee length walking shorts for the bulk of my trip.

Yes, I was probably unfashionable & screamed tourist but I didn't encounter any issues nor feel any uncomfortable ill-attitude towards me. [I suppose on the flipside, you usually won't see me giving attitude to quirky tourist behaviours in Vancouver either.]
Never had any issues with museums or restaurants (though we stayed away from high end place and at best went to low/mid end trattoria's). I forget if I got away with shorts in Cathedrals or just broke down and wore pants (I'll have to look at my pictures). I'm pretty sure I wore walking shorts in a few of them because I do recall some signs that seemed to show athletic shorts were not allowed.

Another option I suppose are convertible pants.

hilmar

+1 - you'll look like a tourist, but you'll mostly be fine. A few places they wont let you in, so the best option is convertible pants. I have a pair with a hidden zipper, works like a charm.

That said - you can also get a pair of very light, long pants - you'll be fine in them temp wise as well (and your wife will be happy ;-D)

neuron

Was in Florence in May and did see a lot of tourists in walking shorts (knee length), more women than men. Temps were 78-82C (25-27C). I would recommend linen trousers as they are not as thick and are breathable so you won't feel too hot in them.

RCyyz

Was in Italy last week - Bologna, Modena, Parma, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence. Temps were generally warm; we hit +34C a few times. And the only men wearing shorts were the tourists.

Europeans in general don't wear shorts unless at the beach. Even there, if you're just on the boardwalk (versus being on the sand or in the water) most locals are wearing long pants. It is impolite to wear shorts to a church / cathedral but tourists do it all the time. The grander the cathedral, the more restrictive they get with dress code. IMHO, it is unacceptable to wear shorts to dinner even when sitting outside.

Northern Italy in Sept - no local will be wearing shorts. (And in Milan, they really know how to dress properly.) It's not that people are trying to make fashion statements or anything; it's just their normal way to comport themselves.

You can wear shorts & t-shirt if you wish, but be prepared to sit outside on a bench and not be able to visit certain places. You will also stick out (sorely) as a tourist. You'll likely do best with casual cotton pants and a short-sleeve shirt (with collar).

Gargoyle

Opposite of the U.S., where you'd never see construction workers with this combination of attire and safety equipment.

usually?
Rule 1: your wife is absolutely correct.
Rule 2: if your wife is wrong, refer back to Rule #1

tagv12

I was in Lake Como in September and yes, only the tourists were wearing shorts. The only time I saw shorts (and everyone was wearing them) was at the Formula 1 race in Monza, of course I did see a little of everything there but that's another story. Temps. were very hot well into the 90's.

FlyingHoustonian

You can go ahead and wear shorts, but don't forget also to wear a hat with a Canadian flag on it; thus people will not think you are American.

Ciao,
FH