I have a question... I leave for Europe on May 8th. I'm trying to figure out what to pack and I was wondering if there are any dress codes for the chruches especially in Rome? If so what are they for men and women? Thank you
Ciao

basically, no bare shoulders or knees. so neither men or women should wear shorts or tanktops. Now, I have seen people go into churches wearing longish walking shorts, but not always. And defintitely not in the Vatican.

Most churches in Italy do not have "clothing police" at the doors, so your wardrobe is left up to your discrection. While many people in the United States wear shorts and sleeveless tops in their own churches, no Italian would dream of going into a church dressed that way. I just returned from Rome and we visited the Churcho of San Iganzio. A group of German teenagers was in the church and several of them were in shorts and one girls was in short shorts and a very revealing tank top. The Italians who saw her were not happy. Although it didn't happen this time, I have seen Italian men and women go up to people who they think aren't appropriately dressed and chide them for their behavior. St. Peter's has people checking out what you are wearing and will prevent you from entering the church or museums if you are wearing shorts above the knee or sleeveless tops, either men or women.

Does anyone know the guidelines on skirt lengths? I usually wear skirts that hit right about the knee, maybe just above or just below. Are skirts just above the knee (not mid-thigh) acceptable?

Also, you may consider that not all churches apply the same politics, this is due both to the general attitude of the area and to the attitude of the "parroco". In most churches it is perfectly allright to wear shorts or skirts slightly above the knee or sleeveless shirts, as long as they are not too revealing (deep neck opening). In some other you should better stick to the "under the knee and down to the elbow" politics. Also, the fact that there is or is not a function going on makes a difference (as it does for general behaviour, obviously: do not visit the church if there is mass going on, you can see it, but stay in the back of it). My own solution, in summer, if I have to go about churches, is to bring a large lightweight shawl to wear either over my shoulders or around my legs.

Actually I've seen recently that they've placed Carabinieri outside of churches to control people's clothing. There were some at St. Peter's and we have them as permanent fixtures here in Milan. You may not wear tank tops, or anything that reveals your bare shoulders and a knee length skirt is absolutely acceptable. Avoid miniskirts and short shorts.

Shopgirl:
Trousers (or shorts) and skirts are no different. You do not have to wear a long skirt. In most churches a skirt just above the knee is fine (as well as shorts right above the knee are fine too), yet in some places even that is too much, and you are better witha slightly longer skirt. Slightly means right under the knee (which is the standard length of skirts worn by older Italian women).

I will never forget as long as I live the view I got walking down the steps of St. Peters's last year. In front of me was a woman and man, obviously also leaving the Basilica. The man was nicely dressed in a sport coat and dress slacks. The woman on the other hand was wearing a pair of completely sheer white pants and a white thong. Can't remember what kind of top she was leaving, 'cuz I was seeing stars after my wife smacked me along side of my head for staring. Guess as long as she wasn't wearing shorts she was OK. Saw many different styles of dress while in Italy, but that was definetely way over the top.

eferszt:
Carabinieri are NOT there in order to contro how are people dressed, they cannot even do it, since the law grants freedom also to dress as one like, as long as the way you are dressed is not offensice to "standard morale" (you can't walk naked though the city, but it is legal to walk in a swimsuit anywhere you want). Restrioctions on clothing in churces are due only to good manners: even if you are not a catholic, even if you re not even cristian, even if you do not believe in any god (as I do), you enter a place where people worship their god, therefore you have to show respect if not in a god you do not believe in or in a god which you worship differently, at lest to the feeling of the worshippers in there. So, just as you would pull off shoes in a mosque or wear a hat of some kind in a sinagogue, you wear sober clothing in a church. So, what are the Carabinier there for? Well, if you are from the Us you may understand what "security" means: carabinieri are there in order to make sure that nobody sneaks a bomb in a church! personally i think that this is overreacting and also that our precious policemen would be more useful patrolling the outskirts of the cities or investigating real crimes instead of guarding churches against a very unlikely terrorist act, but the government thinks differently, so the carabinieri and police and vigili urbani are there, outside churches, waiting for someone with a bomb. So far they captured 4 egyptian students and their Italian teracher, a group of Bengali immigrants and some more innocents, but who knowns, someday they might catch Osama Bin Laden...

In Florence last summer, there were people at the entry of a few of the churches monitoring dress. I would wear a skirt or dress that is just below the knee (I was asked not to enter with a skirt just above the knee) and certainly no tank tops (though many vendors in Florence sold scarfs outside churches which can be used to cover your shoulders. In subsequent visits to Italy, I pack a "church dress" and dress very carefully on days we'll visit churches (we found the smaller churches were often much stricter than the big ones).

Funny how everything changes as soon as the Europeans get to the beach. As if their god can't see them cavorting topless and in thongs once they've left the church.

It is all right to wear modest sleeveless sundresses..but not in the DUOMO of Milan, no bare armpits are allowed inside the church.

Canal_Street_Stinks:

People who sunbathe in topless are, for the most part, not the same people who have qualms against naked knees in church. Have you give a thought to this? In Italy alone only a small purcentage of people go to church weekly, despite the fact that a vast majority of people are baptized catholics and do go to church on a few special occasions (usually Christmas and Easter). Than there is a consistent minority of people who are agnostics or atheists. Also, amongst the catholics there are a lot of different attitudes towards sexuality, many (even many with strong religious beliefs) do not go along the Pope's sexual attitude. There are priests that, despite the fact that John Paul II has several times said that the only defence against AIDS is chastity, approve of ditribution of condoms in clubs and to prostitutes on the basis that inviting prostitutes to a life of chartity will not help them out their pimp's hands and that preaching chastity to a 17 years old is like trying to put out a fire with a glass of water.
The fact that I share the passport with a strict catholic does not mean that I share his religious attitude too, and, wht's mot important, his sexual moral.