Church attire in Rome?
 

I've heard several threads that we should not wear shorts or sleevless tops in churches. But I'd like to get a little more specific if possible. We leave in 16 days...woohoo! And I'd like to not bring many pairs of pants. So are capris acceptable? I'm only 5'1 and the length is to the knee, not above at all.
And for tops...is cap sleeves ok?
I'd like to be as comfortable as possible.

Thanks in advance,

Samantha

I don't think it is called capris when they are only to the knee, I think that is shorts. Capris go down to somewhere around the calf, usually, the middle or bottom.

I'd forget the cap sleeves, also, which I think is just a sleevless blous that extends out a very little from the shoulder bone. It isn't going to make a bit of difference in your comfort if you wear that or a top with a short sleeve.

Capri's are fine. They don't want bare shoulders, short-shorts or halter tops. If it's warm and you are dressed for the heat, just keep a scarf in your bag that you can put over your shoulders if you're not sure about your shirt.

Its not just that you should not wear it....some places they will not allow you inside the church if you don't meet the dress code. We saw many people carrying good size scarves (not the tiny ones you tie around your neck) that cover your arms if you are wearing sleeveless. It was really hot when we went but I was comfortable in long, think cotton pants and short sleeve shirts. Preferred not to carry around a scarf. And yes, up to the knee will be considered shorts.

hi, sammygrll,

my answer to the problem was to carry a light over- shirt in my day-pack. I could then just put it on over my t-shirt and not bother.



capris should be fine. I wore them with no trouble.

not so my husband though, who wore very decent to the knee shorts one day in Rome- he was chucked out of one church [on the capitoline hill], and made to wear a sarong in another. Thereafter he flatly refued to go in any churches without 24 hours prior notice!

regards, ann

No showing knees, bosom, midriff, shoulders or very top of arms. (Capris are to the calf - not knees - to the knees are shorts.)

Hey all, I was just wondering if you could tell me if regular graphic tees/shirts are okay for church attire. All of my shirts have graphic designs on them (think A&F)... will that be okay or are the churches that strict about attire?

Nothing above the knee and at least short sleeve shirts. We traveled in Spring, and so were not carrying shorts

The best thing I took for Rome (and other Italian cities) was a very lightweight fairly large semi-sheer shawl in a floral pattern. It smushed to nothing in my day bag adn eadded no weight, obviously. Something like that will be big enough to wrap around your shoulders as well as cover anything your shirt might say and deal with the sleeve issue- I actually wore tank tops all the time and my handy shawl did the trick. The point is not to look fashionable, necessarily (although the scarf IS pretty!), but to go for quick on and off coverage you don't have to actually wear all day. Much seemed to depend on how busy the "guards" were, too- sometimes I didn't even get looked at. Ditto for the knees issue. I, too, am not much past 5 feet tall. If you really like your shorts, just take another shawl in case they object- you can't take photos of yourself inside anyway!

May I gently suggestion that as a guest in another country and also when visiting a church, temple etc. it would be the polite thing to wear what is appropriate even if the "guards" may be to busy to notice you. Showing respect for other countries, cultures and religious institutions is being a polite and respectful guest. am sure we al

sorry, I hit the Post button to soon.
Anyway I am sure we all want to be considerate and polite while travelling just as are in our own country. And hopefully we are.

Thank you, LoveItaly.

Be advised that the dress rules for churches in Rome also apply to the Vatican Musems.

Sammy, you heard right, to go back to your original post. Why wear shorts in Rome at all? You're going to be there in May, not August. The weather will be beautiful, most likely. If you plan to wear barer tops, carry a sweater or the recommended over-shirt. Your mornings will be cool anyway, most likely.

I think it's more intersting when away from home to understand and work within the rules than try to work around them. It's a small thing, but some travelers behave as though the host country should adapt to them, rather than the other way around.

LoveItaly, your comment is just perfect. Thank you!

I'm not a Catholic, but I've always tried to be respectful of the congregation who visit these living monuments for their daily services. So, there I am in Venice, slacks and shirt (with a collar even)... when one of the church officials comes up to me and lectures me on my - HAT! D'oh! I forgot I even had it on... ;-)

Ronin, as long as you weren't shooting up the place, as in your namesake movie. But then again, there are very few good car chase scenes in Venice!

hi, sammygrll,

i think that I slightly resent the implication that in wearing shorts, my DH was "dissing" [never thought I'd use that phrase, but what the hell] italian culture or sensibilities.

THey are the most decent shorts you could possibly imagine. His knees are quite nice. Why should a god in whose image he is supposedly made object to them? [we tease him incessently now about his objectionable knees - it's a laugh a minute here!]

But I can forgive anyone who allowed me the delicious sight of him in a sarong.

regards, ann

Loveitaly is right.

And would you men PLEASE remember to remove baseball caps when entering a church. Same goes for any other headgear for men, of course -- though I've never seen anyone retain any hat other than a baseball cap.

dress code goes for men too! no shoulders, knees or bellies

We Americans are pretty used to going from Church to the golf course or the mall, aren't we? Can we deny that the overriding question always seems to be comfort and convenience?

Many of the best things in life ask just a smidgen of alleged discomfort and inconvenience. Make your own list...

I always mentally shake my head at people who don't seem to understand the concept of modesty in church. At Easter, I frequently see young women with strapless dresses, halter tops, spaghetti straps, or necklines that show cleavage. I imagine that they're twice-a-year churchgoers; otherwise I assume they'd know that is not how one dresses for church.

I don't quite understand the concept that the less one wears, the more comfortable one is, anyway.

I'm surprised that one would have to remind a man to take his hat off in church. I guess I shouldn't be after all those years I struggled with high school kids to take their hats off in class.

We visited Rome one mid-September, sunny and hot, with our then 15-year-old daughter. Teenage daughters love to challenge and are sent to make us stronger ;) She had bought a t-shirt at the markets the previous day, proudly printed with a replica of The David in all his (minor?) glory. Of course, she insisted THAT was the t-shirt she would wear for our St. Peter's Cathedral visit, even tho' we explained the dress-code requirements. We compromised by ensuring she had a long-sleeved thin cotton overshirt in her daybag. (DH wore jeans, a collared short-sleeved shirt, and I wore cotton slacks, a tank top and a long-sleeved silk overshirt.)

And sure enough, as we finally shuffled up the last steps to the magnificent entrance, our darling daughter was politely taken aside by the guard. With a quick, almost triumphant glance in our direction, she listened. Then the look changed to one of slight disappointment - the reason she was pulled aside was not the David graphics, it was because the t-shirt sleeves did not cover enough of her upper arms. :-D

She quickly donned the long-sleeved shirt, and had the graciousness to join The Pair Ants in a rolicking muffled chuckle.

We still dine out on that story.

When in Rome, etc ...
Jackie

Sammygrll I think, is going through what I do, too, when the trip is getting really close- suddenly you realize you are truly going and start to worry about the details!! I remember reading various threads and warnings prior to my Italy trip about women being turned away from the Vatican due to lack of headcoverings and, as she was trying to find out here, just what is "too short" for knees or skirts, etc. from people who have actually been, now that the time has come to start packing.
By "guards" I meant just that. They were! These were not nuns and priests. At various cathedrals (some, not many)all over Italy there were uniformed security-type men or women at the entrance checking for bare knees or whatever. If you passed inspection, you went on in and if you didn't, you were sent to the line to get a paper shawl thingee. I personally never had a problem, with my big and trusty shawl, dozens of times, since clearly I was making my best effort to conform to church custom even if not wearing my best frock.
It wasn't a question of trying to sneak past or be disrespectful to those worshipping inside. Also, I always leave a contribution in the collection boxes, and that would be on top of any requested entrance fee- so although I might be entering for the art rather than to pray, my money helps maintain the church for those who do.
At least for me, when I leave the hotel in the early morning I don't return until late at night. The big overshirt or shawl concept would free Sammygrll and (SandyApples) up to wear what they're comfortable in for a long day of sightseeing, with the flexibility of being able to go into any church they want. That's the kind of suggestions they were seeking- I think.
This isn't about what slobs Americans can be in churches in the US. Goodness.

Of course the security people in the churches have another job to do, as well - protecting the art and architecture. Sadly, professional theft is a reality - as well as amateur touching and the odd case of political or mental insanity.

Now, Sammygrll was frank and up front about her motives. What some of us have reacted to is the undeniable fact that many, many people - many of those American, but surely not all - are pretty indifferent about the issue and will always be dismayed that any rules exist at all.

It's worth remembering that some people go to these churches for a moment of reflection, deep prayer or reverence. The point of the dress codes is not to punish anyone, or to single them out for ridicule, but to maintain some semblance of respect in a world speedily headed in the other direction.

In the name of comfort we now are squeezed into the intimate confines of airplanes with passengers dressed for the gym - or for bed. Museum, restaurant, the city bus - every place is a symphony of tank tops and armpits. Deny this if we like, it is part of the condition of bad manners and worse behavior that is taking a toll on our collective safety and sanity.

People who go to great lengths putting together the right - and appropriate - look for a football game or a night clubbing become indignant when it's suggested that there is a "right" way to dress for other activities - like work, perhaps!

Better quit this now - not my favorite topic, but definitely a continuing aggaravation.

As odd as we Americans can look abroad, it is the Japanese tourists in churches whom I find really, really offensive. If I were visiting a Zen monastery in Japan, I would inform myself about the customs, dress, and behavioral expectations involved and at least try to act accordingly.

None of their tour guides appear to provide this information because I have been disturbed in churches by groups who chatter, giggle, take flash photos where they are banned, eat, leave hats on, and so forth. The only groups that are comparably appalling are school groups; French students may be the worst or there may only be more of them. I was very impressed by the English student on fall holidays to Venice last November. Most were polite and well behaved, whether in groups or not, and not a thong showing in the lot!

End of diatribe. :-)

now I'm confused... have the offended posters been to Europe for sightseeing, or penitence? A typical scenario for us is chancing upon a small parish in a backwater neighborhood of the town were staying at, or visiting, and "touring" the church as kindly and quietly as possible. You duck in off the street, suddenly doing a mental check - oops! sunglasses... darn, hat! We love the unexpected discovery, but it's not as though set out to attend services there. Having said that, I am very cogniscent of going anywhere near the pews or pulpit, or being distracting to the congregation in any way, while a mass is being held. Who has to be schooled about that? I can think of one group... growing by legions with their new-found wealth and travel curiosity... who also happen to be nearly devoid of concern or respect for organized Western religion, and possibly Eastern faiths as well. They devour European museums, churches, and other tourist attractions in packs - zealous, but somewhat desperate in their touring methods. I hope for the sensitive posters' sakes they don't take an interest in 20th Century mid-western protestant edifices, and start swarming churches here. ;-)

You can see some of the proper attire signs at:

www.catholicmodesty.com/bulletin_inserts.html

A mantilla would be a good touch.

Love the web-site.

shame about the spelling!

regards, ann