Has anyone walked around Rome in flip flops??
 

I know there will be a LOT of walking in Rome. I have such comfortable flip flops. Are they comfortable to walk around in for a longer time too??? Or are they mainly for short distance walking?

i don't know but aussies travelling to europe seem to wear them everywhere...and with about 50 kg of rucksack strapped on their backs and 20 more in the front. they can't be that bad.

Hey, that's a good point! I just find them so comfortable and since I'll be doing a lot of walking in Rome. I might as well bring them:-)

I've worn both my Target cheapo flip-flops and my Birkenstocks on several trips with lots of walking and found they were quite fine. A word of warning though - your feet will get FLITHY! I also broke a cheap flip flop tripping on a cobblestone in Galway - good thing it was on a side street since I bit the pavement :-) That said, I'm taking my flops to Italy next week.

I still remember a day of Rome in flip flops years ago. Not only were my feet filthy, my legs were filthy almost up to my knees under my wide leg slacks. #-O

Schnookies, have you thought about doing a test-run? ie pick a day where you'll be doing a lot of walking around your home town and see how your feet go. That might help you answer your question about whether or not they are comfortable for long walks. Also consider the type of walking you'll be doing in Rome ie lots of steps to climb towers etc might not be as easy in flip-flops.

You might also need to find out if they are acceptable for the places you want to visit. Not all places allow flip-flops (I've seen this happen to a girl on a bus tour once, even though hers were fashionable flip-flops and not just the plain rubber style). The churches have certain dress codes for women, which includes covering your shoulders and not wearing shorts or a short skirt, so it is possible they may also preclude flip-flops - you'll need to check.

Personally, I can't stand the things and I think the latest fashion craze with them is just awful. I think flip-flops (or thongs as they are known in my part of the world) should be kept to the beach or around the house. But each to their own, however I will be one Aussie who gets around Europe in a pair of sensible and comfortable walking shoes.

Dear Schnook

Have you ever considered walking for a long time in your flip flops to find out for yourself?

((I))

I took a small group to Rome in 2003 and 3 of them wore flip flops everyday. This was during the heat wave of 2003. One was diabetic and her shoes had caused a blister, so she wore a pair of my daughter's flip flops the rest of the trip. I wore Teva sandals most of time and we all had trouble getting the dirt off our feet at night.

I've said this a number of times- I wear nothing but flip-flops all over the world, but particularly Rome, Venice, in the summer, all day, every day (I bring at least 3 pair along, this last trip, 4- you have to have a pair to wear in your hotel room/apartment as well).

Palazzo, fancy restaurant-looks from the locals (when I wear them in November in Budapest into a restaurant for breakfast-it wasn't cold out) it doesn't matter-they are on my feet.

Last August in Rome I could not have worn anything else- my feet were tired, but no pain, no blisters, no rubbing. Mine have a two inch cushiony rubber footbed, so they are quite comfortable-and they look good too.

You'd be crazy not to take them.

I wore my reef flip flops on a 2 week trip to Italy and my feet never ached at all. I am hoping when i return in October it will not be too cold to wear them - i recomend them to everyone!!!!

schnookies

I think you may have set some kind of posting record as you around 10 current threads going on the USA and Europe board.

I have seen monks in Rome wearing flip flops.

OK, I'm bringing my flops....!I apologize for all my questions! You'll get rid of me tomorrow when I leave:-)
I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible. Can you tell I love this board?? With all this knowledge I hope I'll be back and be able to help other people like myself:-)

I wear my Birkenstocks everywhere and all the time except in a storm. I wear them with black socks, except when I'm wearing shorts. In Germany Birkenstocks are half of the US price. You might want to shop for a pair in Rome.

I was aghast at the "flipflop wardrobe" my DD has managed to amass at college:

1. Asian-inspired with a footbed of some kind of woven grass
2. leather
3. corduroy
4. glitter (no possible description!)
5. braided plastic tubing
6. "jelly" clear plastic in every color of the rainbow, with decorative flowered footbeds
7. kitten-heeled black (for dressy occasions)
8. and finally, a pair of plain rubber flops, for the shower.

I guess that, truly, there is a pair for any outfit, for all seasons, and I increasingly see them worn everywhere---even at church. God has not yet sent down lightning bolts on the offenders at the communion rail, so I interpret that to mean they are okay. :D

..I think flip flops belong poolside or at the beach.end of comment!

Well if flipflops are suitable to wear to the White House....:d

I wear Clarkes flipflops at home, they are so comfortable. But I can only imagine how filthy ones feet would get wearing them in Rome. I do always pack a pair of flipflops instead of slippers and I do wear them in small cities in Italy.

...or worn to the White House like the Northwestern University woman's lacrosse team.

:-D

I can't imagine flipflops in Rome, but if you want to try it, have a backup pair of good walking shoes.

I think that is what Julius Caeser wore... or did he just have roman sandals.

Will-I'm telling you, I could not have worn anything but my two inch cushy-comfy flips in Rome AND Venice last August. My feet did NOT get dirty-not at all. Anything with a strap, I don't care how thin or comfortable it is, will blister and rub my delicate heel-any shoe not completely airy will make me feel like they are on fire. No, no-you just have to get the RIGHT flip-flops-and not think of them all as the simple rubber dime-store type. They really are quite fashionable and oh so comfortable.

In fact, I wear my nice black 1 and 1/2 inch flip flops occasionally with my black Ann Taylor business suits in the summer heat. Looks good, feels great.

I usually bring a pair of filp flops along to change into half way through the day. I never had my feet get dirty though. But that was in some amusement parks, and well, I did wear them in Chicago, and Vegas last year and my feet did not get dirty.

I will be going through Belgium and Netherlands. I hope that I won't have dirty feet. That sound so gross.

Hi Spygirl, what brand of flipflops do you buy? Thanks.

Yes, I did last time I was there nin August, and my feet were absolutely totally covered in filth by the end of the day. Never again!

You know, I buy several brands, at the department stores, (also very good ones at Old Navy, Ann Taylor Loft, Marshalls, and Victoria's Secret). But my favorite black ones are "Rocket Dog" made in China- oh so comfy.

The Shoe Dept. carries Rocket Dogs in black and "bark" for $19.99. Really comfy!

thank you dsm! Glad to hear that someone else has had good experiences with them-they carried me all the way thorugh many miles of Rome and Venice walking (but you know, I try not to walk that much anymore, because I don't like getting over-tired by doing so, however sometimes you just end up walking more than you intended).

Thanks Spygirl, I have 3 pair of Clarkes flipflops which I live in, it seems like everyone where I live wears flipflops 24/7. When I go to Italy I only take one pair (instead of slippers) for around the house or hotel room. But although until a few years ago I lived in highheel shoes I now don't want to..do not even know if I could. And I use to always wear stilleto heels all over Italy..but don't think I want to do that anymore. So I was interested in your comments about your flipflops. Again, thanks for the information. And happy walking!

No problem, Love Italy-I can't do the stilettos except for very special occasions, but what I like about these flip-flops is that they give me height- at 5'3, I need that inch and a half, primarily because the higher footbed puts far less stress on the calves and shins when walking, which is why I don't want to buy some of the good walking sandles/slides that are mentioned here, even though they are very comfortable-they just don't have enough height.

I agree with the Clarkes flipflops! Once you break them in, they are GREAT!!
Also, lightweight foam kind from Target, or similar, are comfy.

I only wore flip flops for 2 weeks in Rome 3 summers ago. Awesome in the heat, when my feet swell.

Good grief, you ladies are making me feel better. Until I moved to the very casual small city I now live in I never wore flipflops unless it was a casual weekend or we were on our boat.

But since I have moved to where I now live I have lived in flipflops..and have felt so tacky in doing so. Then there was that news article about that those young women, some sport team, who was honored at the White House and they wore flipflops. And I thought "what". And now these posts on Fodors about flipflops.

Thanks again Spygirl for your information, it is very appreciated as I have found that "flat" shoes put strain on my calves and shins also. Although the Clarkes flipflops are really comfy I obviously need to buy some like you wear.

And AMP, thank you for sharing your experiences, it is good to hear from others and what worked for them.

Oh to be back in the days when walking around Rome in stilletos was not a problem, LOL. But the memories are great!

I just hope Schnookies that you are not one of my "broken ankle " people coming home on one of my flights? For the past year, I have had at least one person a month coming home with foot problems(Need to have ice on their foot and elevated or are in a cast) from cobblestones/wine/bad footwear and not necessarily in that order.Be careful!

For schnookies, Do you wear your flip flops at home for long periods? That seems the trick and what I am hearing from the posters above. If they are good for you at home, they'll work for Rome. If this is a new idea for you, maybe not. Tuck one pair in your bag, at worst you'll use them around your hotel room or for something breezy to wear out in the evenings.

I posted this on your other thread but wanted to give you a little heads up notice here too (as if you don't have enough to worry about): My friend wears flip flops most of the time at home and wore hers on a day trip we took to Rome from Tuscany. The next day she could barely walk, the cobblestones on non supported shoe did the trick.

If you are really going to be doing a lot of walking I would take another pair to change into for part of the day at first until you see how you fare.

I just came back from Italy where I walked 100s of miles it seemed. I bought an expensive pair of walking sandals and a pair of mule tennies and my Ann Taylor Loft flips. The expensive sandals gave me 3 blisters the first day. I wore them all around before I left but nothing here is like the cobblestones there. The tennies were comfy but hot. I ended up wearing the flips most of the time. They are the thick foot bed type and were extremely comfy.

I walked around part time in flip flops on my last trip to Rome. No one noticed or cared.

But seaurchin is totally correct about the cobblestones. I found that after the second day of walking around my feet were o.k. in the flip flops. But I did alternate between flip flops and really comfy walking shoes.
The thicker the flip flops the better. Really thin ones might not be the best thing for your feet.

I wore my Teva flip flops about every other day of a 12 day trip to Italy. They had done very well the year before on a 10 day trip to Disneyworld, so I knew I'd be fine.

I envy the people young enough and with feet not yet broken down that can wear anything they want. However, years of wearing either high heels or barefoot sandals, my feet are not in such good shape and need LOTS of support both under and around.

In olden times we had not yet discovered shower flip-flops let alone fashion flip flops. (An oxymoron?)

And note--just because some college girls wore them to the White House does NOT make them acceptable in formal occasions.=-o

Enjoy wearing what you can while you can--the foot gods will exact their revenge eventually.

Vera

I agree with Vera. I wore sandals in Rome and don't think my feet would have done well in flip flops even the thick soled kinds. Walking over some cobllestones almost twisted my ankles. I know that it would have succeeded if I had worn flip flops.