maryarnoult

Does anyone know if women have to wear a dress (as opposed to pants) in the churches in Italy. In particular St. Peter's in Rome if we are attending a "public" mass. How about a head covering such as scarf, mantilla or hat? Is a head covering required?

What about other churches in Italy, again for attending a Sunday mass? Dress? Head covering?

dina4

the rule at st. peter's is you have to have to have your knees and shoulders covers. so better to wear pants than a short dress.

no head coverings necessary.
i have been in a lot of churches in italy and was never required to cover my head.
i think the general expectation is covered shoulders and knees.

nytraveler

Pants are fine and head coverings are not required - that went out many years ago.

But there are strict dress requirements at St Peter's (the guards will turn yuo away) and you should follow the same at other churches - which may have someone enforcing the rules - or may just have local elderly ladies who will make their displeasure known vociferously if they perceive your attires as disrespectful.

Appropriate dress is below the knee skirts or pants for women, covered shoulders, upper arms and bosom. Men too need to have legs covered below the knees. This does not apply to small children who often wear shorts - but it does to anyone adult size - probably 11/12 or so and up.

TeaLoverDenise

So in essence are you saying no sleeveless tops/dresses?

A sleeveless dress or blouse would technically cover the shoulder; a tank top, on the other hand, would expose the shoulder.

So is sleeveless okay?

Thank you.

raincitygirl

Your upper arms have to be covered so no sleeveless, or bring a sweater.

Christina

It isn't just shoulders, they don't like sleeveless blouses. IN fact, the rule at St Peter and the Vatican museums specifically says that, it doesn't say shoulders.

atc4zla

St Mark's cathedral in Venice has a similar dress code requirment as St. Peter's in the Vatican. My daughter found out the hard way, and was not allowed in because her knees were just barely visible in a dress (her shoulders were covered). Better safe than sorry - why go all that distance and be turned away for 1 - 2 inches of hemline or shoulder/sleeves?

Ian

My wife was kicked out of a church in Ortygia (Sicily) for a sleeveless top, so it is best to follow THEIR customs.

Ian

msteacher

Just want to point out that the level of "dressiness" is not usually a priority... It's more about keeping everything covered up.

logandog

I was prevented from entering St.Peter's because my skirt was too short. My wife had no problems.

nona1

As msteacher says, its the amount of coverage that matters more than the type of outfit. I wore jeans and a long sleeve Tshirt round the Vatican/St Peters. That was fine. Of course, you might want to dress up a bit more if you are attending mass rather than just going in as a tourist, but no, anything sleeveless or showing knee or much cleavage is out.

nytraveler

Cover legs to below the knee, shoulders, upper arms and bosoms (a lot of sundresses are no-no). It's not fashion - it's respect shown by covering the body.

amer_can

A large scarf will solve your problems in most cases but there is a certain amount of respect called for in any church, mosque, synagoge.(sp???)

TeaLoverDenise

Thanks for the tips; will pack a sweater if I'm sleeveless on those days.

Maltesec

Just take care of having your legs and shoulders coveres. Once women had to cover their head with a veil too, but it's just an old, beautiful tradition.

cipparone

I agree with most of comments....better off in pants or capris than a short skirt...knees and shoulders must be covered especially at St. Peter's. I have been to churches from Venice to Calabria and other than St. Peter's, was never really approached about my attire, which was usually a skort and sleeveless top. Head covering is not necessary.
An easy way to decrease your anxiety is to carry a light shawl in your purse or backpack and you can always slip it over your shoulders if you have to.

Even men have to have knees covered at St. Peter's...no shorts.

Hope this helps.

darlenef17

I just posed this question on my Rome thread! So glad to see all the responses.

Just to clarify: I DO understand the general dress code for visiting, but is anything different for Mass?

What I'm taking away from these responses is that modesty and having the right parts covered is more important than being "dressed up" for church. Is this correct?

So to attend Mass, capris or nice jeans would be acceptable with the proper shirt - correct?