What's acceptable to wear in Spain, France, and Italy?

[ThisIsBrenn]

My family is going on a Mediterranean cruise soon and I'm having trouble finding clothes to wear in port cities. My mom claims I shouldn't wear shorts, which I know is true for Rome and Pisa since we'll be visiting churches, but outside of that I wasn't sure.

The shorts I would wear are called midis, so they're not super short, but they're not bermuda shorts length either. Whould this be acceptable for an 18 year old girl to wear? Thank you!

 

[letsgoreds]

Here's a link to the dress code at St. Peter's. We were all over Italy (including Pisa) and France, and I only remember having to be concerned about St. Peter's.
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/touristinfo.htm#dresscode

Basically, no shorts, and shoulders must be covered. If you bring a scarf, you can just throw that over your shoulders when you enter.

 

[Callymum]

Normal clothing of skirts,dresses and shorts can be worn walking about European cities like you mentioned above. The only change is if you enter religious chapels etc. as above mentioned ladies should cover their heads shoulders if bare. I saw shorts being worn in Barcelona in the Basilicca.( not hot pants type). The head and shoulders are the main reverence required.

St Peters is strictly enforced though,because its the Vatican City. Maxi skirt or trs. Head/shoulders covered and No knees shown.

 

[Love2Cruise]

The shorts you describe would be perfect for all touring in ports with the possible exception of churches. We visited many churches, and some were more strict than others in enforcing the shoulders and knees covered dress code specifically, St. Peter's and St. John's co- cathedral and St. Mark's. The churches were beautiful and were worth putting up with the dress code to see! We mostly wore Capri length pants and sundresses when planning to visit a church. Carry a scarf or light shrug type sweater to cover your shoulders if wearing a sleeveless sundress. It is very hot, especially, Rome, so light cotton just below knee skirts are quite comfortable while still giving required coverage. Enjoy your trip! We had an awesome time on the June 27 th to Venice.

 

[Love2Cruise]

Normal clothing of skirts,dresses and shorts can be worn walking about European cities like you mentioned above. The only change is if you enter religious chapels etc. as above mentioned ladies should cover their heads shoulders if bare. I saw shorts being worn in Barcelona in the Basilicca. The head and shoulders is the main reverence required.

Head covering is only required in orthodox churches, not St. Peter's, or St.Mark's or St. John's.

 

[Callymum]

Head covering is only required in orthodox churches, not St. Peter's, or St.Mark's or St. John's.

Oh, I saw the old ladies in Spain with their heads covered.it is still done by Traditionalist Catholic Worshipers. There are some of the older churches in the Villages that still do this practise.
In fact I'm pretty sure Canon Law still mandates chapel veils but It has just laxed in certain churches...

 

[maria-fan-22]

As stated, depending on weather you can wear whatever you want on the streets. Going to a religious facility, keep shoulders and knees covered, the only place I have ever seen enforcing a head covering rule was a Jewish Museum in Prague.

My suggestion for men would be pants(jeans or slacks), leather shoes(any style, dark colour), and a well fitting shirt(any style, though collared would be best)

Women would be anything besides tank tops and mini shirts… Just keep in mind the shoulders and knees rule.

IMO, week fitting is key, not tight, just well fitting...

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

Thank you for the help everyone!

 

[debsters41]

I do not know about orthodox needing head covering. They surely do not here in Greece. The shorts you are describing are perfectly acceptable for an 18 year old. I think the rest of the Med is similar to here and shorts are worn by young people all the time. The truth is I am a little wary about wearing shorts in Athens center, but I am 42 and I already stick out as a foreigner... I don't want to add fodder to gossip

 

[camara381]

Head coverings were originally required in all Catholic churches, this was changed by Pope John Paul II. Canaon law does not require females to cover ther heads. There are a few older women that do it more out of tradition.

I was un Pisa / Florence june of last uear and wore shorts mo problem. For St. Peters check out saintpetersbasilica.Org/touristinfo.htm no shorts or bare shoulders allowed

 

[mkdmom]

Does anyone have good ideas for a 17 year old boy? Will they turn him away even with long shorts? I am thinking wearing jeans is going to be really hot (sailing Aug. 10, 2013!). My girls (21 & 19) are much easier, both are wearing maxi-dresses!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Does anyone have good ideas for a 17 year old boy? Will they turn him away even with long shorts? I am thinking wearing jeans is going to be really hot (sailing Aug. 10, 2013!). My girls (21 & 19) are much easier, both are wearing maxi-dresses!

As long as they cover the knees, I think he'll be fine:

 

[owensamo]

When we were on the 2011 EBTA, we specifically went out and picked up convertible pants for DH, DD and myself for Europe. We purchased ours at REI (and have since picked up a number of pairs for travel!) - they're quick-drying so you can wash them out in the sink at night and they'll be dry the next day. For men/boys and girls, the legs zip off to above-the-knee shorts length. For women they have above the knee, below the knee and roll-up styles. They're also typically cargo-style pants with lots of (zippered) pockets, so less worry about pick pockets!

We wore these in Barcelona, Cadiz, Gibraltar, London and Madeira with no issues. If we got warm, we'd convert to shorts - but in May/June it wasn't a problem as the fabric is light and breathable enough that they're good even in heat - in fact, I've also worn mine in Indonesia and up and down the coast of California with full length legs with no issues! They're pricey, but worth the cost in our opinion!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Asnell]

For women, one of the best things one can bring along while visiting these places is an enormous scarf or lightweight beach wrap. On hot days, it's wonderful to be able to whip out a wrap to cover the shoulders for visiting churches, or even to wrap around the waist to turn shorts into skirts for a nicer restaurant.

 

[aaklang]

It is usually very hot in the Med in summer, so you're going to want to dress in clothes that will keep you cool. I always wore shorts and tank tops or loose short sleeve shirts in Europe and the Med. I would carry a backpack that had a scarf or cardigan and a long, very lightweight skirt that I could throw on over my other clothes if I was going somewhere that required me to be covered.

I've also noticed that some of the smaller churches didn't enforce the dress code as much as I had expected. Obviously the Vatican will, but you may find that some in Spain or smaller ones throughout Italy will not. Be prepared with covers just in case.

 

[lolainkent]

For women, one of the best things one can bring along while visiting these places is an enormous scarf or lightweight beach wrap. On hot days, it's wonderful to be able to whip out a wrap to cover the shoulders for visiting churches, or even to wrap around the waist to turn shorts into skirts for a nicer restaurant.

This is what I came in to post. Bring a scarf to drape over shoulders and then you can wear whatever (strappy dress, tube top, tank top, etc) and be covered while visiting churches. I was last in Rome in August '09 and it was HOT - the less clothing, the better.

Convertible shorts for boys/men are spot on.

 

[ThisIsBrenn]

I just got back! For anyone who finds this post with the same question, I wore shorts in every port but Pisa and felt perfectly fine. Even in Pisa I regretted wearing capris. We thought knees needed to be covered in the basilica there, but it was just shoulders. Shorter shorts/midis are definitely acceptable, especially in touristy areas.

For the Vatican, me and my sister both wore shorts in the morning and then changed into pants at lunch before we got there. Capris or a long skirt would have been fine too, it's the knees they want covered, ankles are okay. My brother and my dad got away with shorts that really only covered half their knees. My mom got away with her tank top that hand thick straps, but still showed her shoulders. She was only asked to cover up before entering the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's, which was okay because she had brought a sweater anyway. Also, they seemed to be less strict with young children.

 

[debsters41]

Thanks for the feedback! Congratulations on graduation!