I am sure this topic has been addressed before, but I am wondering what the dress guidelines are for churches, museums, etc. in Italy? Also for just everyday sight seeing, any suggestions on what NOT to wear? We are leaving in 3 wks. for 3 wks. Thanks in advance!

No pyjamas, no underwear, no swimsuits.

Dress like you would dress in New York City and everything is fine.

Museums? None that I know of.

Churches = cover your shoulders, no shorts.

Everyday sightseeing = who cares? Have you seen how the Europeans dress? This notion of ultra-fashionable Europeans is a myth created by fashion shows. Regular people dress like . . . wait for it . . . regular people.

<<< No pyjamas, no underwear, no swimsuits. >>>

There's no restrictions on wearing jim-jams in church, nor does the Vatican require you to go commando in church

As for what to wear - general rule is not to expose any part of your torso, shoulders or thighs

We saw an awful lot of shorts in churches in Italy last month. Once in a while we saw someone kicked out but that was almost always for bare shoulders.

Hats will probably at the least be considered philistine in churches too, you will likely be asked to remove one.

Thanks for all the information everyone....will be sure to not wear pj's, underwear or swimsuits!! Haven't been to New York so don't know what they wear!! Here in Canada almost everything goes (unfortunately!!) My experience with Europe is quite limited.

There are no dress restrictions in museums - except those of common decency - but many won;t let you bring in large backpacks.

For churches the appropriate attire for adults (size, not age - so 12 or so up) is that knees, shoulders and upper arms must be covered. Also no bare midriffs or very low cut tops. This is officially enforced at the Vatican (you WILL be turned away if inappropriately dressed) and is enforced more or less (sometimes official, sometimes just glares and nasty comments from the locals) if you enter a church dressed in a disrespectful way.

Those who say you can wear whatever you want are simply trying to make some point of their own about individual rights. However, churches are not public places, they belong to a specific religion and that group has the right to set standards. (Otherwise you could just sail into a mosque in your bikini if you felt like it.)

Most churches don't really have dress codes at all aside from not looking flat out skanky, but yes, they do ballbreak at St. Peter's. Shorts and skirts are fine provided they are knee length or longer, and of course, no bare midriffs. Also, sleeveless shirts, at least on women are not allowed, so if you're in a tank top, bring a shawl. Museums don't tend to have dress codes either, though if you visit the catacombs, they recommend light jackets since the year round temperature is 60°F. As for the rest? However you feel! Italy is no stranger to fashion disasters and hot messes, so I think you really can put on most anything you want and fit in.

Churches in Italy are the only places with a true dress code and they aren't always enforced. If they are enforced, it will be to cover your knees, shoulders and midriff. There may be some other common sense items like don't display a satanic message on your t-shirt (or tatoo).

Sandals are fine, so are capris as long as your skin is covered.

The absurd dress code imposed by some Italian church authorities (completely without any religious justification, which is why no other part of the Catholic church demonstrates such disgraceful prurience) is meant to apply in far more churches than just the Vatican. Many major cathedrals elsewhere in Italy, and many of Rome's major churches, carry a traffic sign-like ideogram meaning 'no shorts or bare arms'. (there's a dog-banning one too, even at the basilica built over the grave St Francis of Assisi must be turning in)

While deploring this unChristian diktat, I've found it best to assume it applies virtually everywhere, since the policy is supported by many Italian churchgoers (though rarely if you just want to pop in for a prayer or a quick look at a painting in the countryside on a hot afternoon when you find yourself walking past)

Obviously there's no such thing as a dress code for museums, even in a country as dedicated as Italy to pointless rules. But remember almost all catacombs are religious shrines, controlled by the Vatican, administered by a religious order and frequently used for celebrating Mass: you're very likely to stumble (literally sometimes) over a group of pilgrims receiving communion.

So, even though catacombs can get cloyingly humid in midsummer, and most pilgrims come from countries that don't share Italians' obsession with the superficial, it's probably wisest to follow the code in catacombs too. Since any visit to the Vatican Museums is likely to end in the Sistine Chapel (which is a working church) same thing there too.

At all other museums in Italy, sanity prevails.