Your footwear should be whatever is the most comfortable you can find. The thicker the bottoms the better. Out of the box, best is if you feel NOTHING when walking around the house. No seams, no knots in the stitching, no "edges" and no TAGS. It's best to try footwear out for more than a few hours at home (such as your local mall, with the hard floors). What's comfortable for an hour may not be so after four or five hours.

You can always tuck a travel pack of wipes (baby wipes are excellent) in your tote bag, which are cooling and soothing in addition to their cleansing properties.

And, I would agree, when it's really hot, skirts are favorable to shorts or slack. Much cooler and more comfortable. But, it you're going to need a slip, find one in cotton.

Here is a line of wonderful comfortable sandals and flip flops. I have Isabella and Bali styles.

and

At night after a day of walking, I smooth on some mint foot cream from Body Shop and my feet get so happy and clean!

Darlin' SeaUrchin..the website please, lol

oh, might help wouldn't it, lol.

http://www.keenfootwear.com/

Grazie!!! No stores here in my area..why am I not surprised.

ZAPPOS!!

http://www.zappos.com

Gotcha!!! LOL.

I wear flipflops constantly, and don't really care if my feet get dirty - I can wash them at the end of the day, right? However, I do often wear Birkenstocks that have a thicker sole and a ridge that protect my dirty tootsies a bit more than flimsy flipflops.

I alternated between nice, supportive sandals and my beloved Teva flip flops. The only day that we all came back with filthy feet (and legs for that matter) was the day we toured the Forum in Rome. It's pretty darned dusty in there, so we certainly weren't surprised.

wow 28 posts about dirty feet, you guys are funny!

i used to be able to walk all day in flip flops, not any more (yes unfortunately i believe it is old age!)... but i always have them along.

they are great in hot weather for short distances, around the hotel room, or as a change in the evening from more clunky 'supportive' sandals.

agree with the poster above that some Clarkes are wonderful and some are duds.

For supportive sandals (for those of us who are getting older and no longer can wear FF endlessly), consider either SAS or Ecco. Both are considered excellent for support and comfort and they come in some attractive styles. Years ago, I wore Birks throughout Europe, but after a fall on uneven pavement and a broken foot, I decided it was just too risky.

-Margret

Hi Travel_Bug_Cin! I just returned from Italy, and through a similar Fodor's post found the best pair of shoes I have ever had. Eccos! My feet never got dirty or sore, and I walked around constantly for 10 days in Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, etc. They are well worth the money and have become my official travel shoes! Here is the link:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/27625/c/1204.html
Have fun!
-Gelatogirl

Aren't you ladies afraid that the rats will bite your toes? I would be.

hi peeky, long time no see
;-)

Hi Suze. I was busy doing nothing much. New boyfriend and all that entails.

I am Canadian, living in Rome and yes the streets in Rome are way dustier than the ones in Canada. I believe is good to wear comfy shoes! Sore feet are not something good while on holiday! Enjoy your trip and have a lot of fun! Don't drink too much with all the heat!Maddy

What grosses me out about the idea of flip flops, specially in bare feet, is not unique to any particular large city, whether in the US, Canada, or Europe, and it's not the idea of dust that bothers me. It's the idea of my bare feet being in such close proximity to spit, pee, barf, and all the other delightful remnants of the evening before. In one famous travelers'destination in California, I observed one of those lovely gents, in the middle of the day, peeing against a building.

It just totally grosses me out. Do you really go out there on those streets with nothing to separate your skin from the revolting things some pigs leave behind?

Thanks Mary Fran, I have to wear sandals when I'm in Europe in the summer, cause my feet get too hot to wear enclosed shoes. Yeah, the shoes and my feet get dusty, and its never bothered me, but now all I'll think about is urine and vomit!! I guess I'll just have to tough it out. We were just in Lisbon and I went into a restaurant bathroom and couldn't find the light switch. I use a cane when I walk alot, so I kind if put it in front of me, like I imagine (I don't know) how a blind person would, and when I found the switch I saw I'd put my cane into a dirty toilet. Talk about gross! And I couldn't ditch it, cause I need it to get around when I have lots of walking. What a day that was.....