Can anyone tell me if there is a dress code for visiting the churches and catherals in Italy. I will be there the month of September and will probably be wearing shorts most of the time. Will this be a problem for either male or female?

In the Vatican, it will be a problem. For men, those slacks with zippers that turn into shorts or vice versa are great. For women, bring a shawl, pareo, or something that you can wrap around as a skirt. No tank tops, please!

As far as I'm concerned you can wear anything you like in building that is supposedly built to worship me. However, I don't make the rules on your planet, people do, and in some countries they seem to see it as a sign of disrespect if your bare legs or bare knees or bare shoulders are showing. <BR> <BR>It's no wonder I never get bored up here, I'm too entertained by you humans and all your rules!

Do you wear shorts when going to church or cathedrals at home? Do you wear shorts when going downtown in your nearby big cities? When going out to dinner? When going to a play? Where are you planning to go in Europe and what are you planning to do? If you are going to be just hiking in the mountains or hanging out at the beach.... <BR>You'll be looked upon about the same as if you are wearing shorts in downtown New York, Boston or San Francisco and visiting their cathedrals during services. <BR>If you do a search of this site, you will see that this topic has been covered many times.

But why would it be wrong to wear shorts in church at home? If I ran one of your churches, I would not turn anyone anyway, regardless of how they were dressed. What is the purpose of a house of worship, to worship or to be fashionable?

You, god#1 have been out of line since you accepted that questionable gift of sacred mushroons. Go to your father and ask for forgiveness.

A lot of people believe it is a sin to take the name of God in vain. You are being more offensive in trying to be clever than someone who would enter a house of worship dressed for the beach. Give us all a break and stop now.

How about you trying to learn and respect the codes of the countries that you're visiting? No one says that is mandatory to visit churches or the Vatican, or the Sistine Chapel, but if you go, do respect their rules. Or are the American rules and way of living the only ones that matter? <BR> <BR>The navel thing again. You leave your country, physically speaking, but you'll never learn how to let your provincialism home. You come back home after a trip as ignorant as you left. No wonder... <BR> <BR>Surlok