bibliotecaria71

Oh! I second the pashmina or wrap. After seeing tons of women wearing them in Madrid I purchased one to stay warm while walking around at night.

zeppole

At the Italian markets, Chinese vendors sell cheap harem pants. I must have 6 pairs now!

When it's cold, I wear them with long underwear and short boots that come up above the cuff. They are really comfy, lightweight, never wrinkle.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trend...rem-pants.aspx

MelJ

For years I only took black slacks (maybe dark grey, as well) to Europe. Then I finally noticed that Europeans wear jeans just like we do--out wandering during the day, to lunch, to simple dinners, etc.

Now I take a pair of jeans (dark, a little stretchy, nice) and find I'm in them most of the time. Sure cured me of wanting to burn my black slacks every time I came home. I get sick of washing and wearing the same slacks but, for some reason, don't feel that way about jeans.

Trust me, you will NOT stand out in jeans.

tarquin

Hey, zeppole, have decided you're not a MAN. Going to Val d'Orcia in a few days, hope to find harem pants, maybe in a market in Siena. Is there anything else good at the moment? My last purchase was linen cut-offs.

zeppole

Hi tarquin!

Glad you decided that. I've been living with reality for ages!

Harem pants -- not the really egregiously droopy MC Hammer type but just very relaxed and easy-wear ones -- are a cheap staple of the Italian outdoor markets WHERE THE MARKETS ARE NOT TOURISTY BUT ARE NECESSITY FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS. I've never been to a market in Siena, but when you get to where you are staying in the val d'Orcia, ask where the biggest local market is. It might be Chiusi or a thermal bath town, rather than a scenic tourist town.

Here where i live, it seems the Chinese immigrant vendors are the ones with the biggest collection of one-size fits all stretchy black, grey or (last year) purple harem pants with banded waists and mid-calf cuffs, and lots of room in between. We pay about 10e for them around here. Can't guarantee if you will find them in Toscana -- but I've been reading on fashion websites that while they've just gained minimum acceptability in the US, they are a common sight on the streets of Barcelona, Milano, Paris and -- of course -- my home town!

Have a great time. Hope you have already been to tarquinia or are planning to go. It's got great markets! And it is a very intriguing, atmospheric and rewarding Italian destination.

zeppole

This is close to the harem pants I've bought in Italy for 10e:

http://piperlime.gap.com/browse/prod...1r&kwid=1&ap=7

But I've also seen women with much more aggressive ones, where the thigh-to-knee drape is more like a skirt that eventually turns into leggings. But I think those young women were from Milano!

Christina

I can't imagine traveling without taking a pair of jeans. I sure would for that trip in October, "slacks" alone might be freezing. I just do what I want, though, don't ask others whether I should. I don't care whether jeans are heavy or not, that's sort of the point of taking them rather than thin slacks, they are warmer. I don't wash jeans by hand when I travel, I never wash anything when I travel but underwear, socks or thin Tshirts/camis, that kind of thing. Never pants of any kind.

tarquin

Thanks, zeppole, I'll look for the harems, they would look great with boots. Those Chinese market traders were a big surprise to me last year in the Veneto, they seemed to be everywhere and I hadn't noticed them before.

We are going to Tarquinia as this trip is geared toward the Etruscan, along with all the other good things in Italy.

Ciao.

zeppole

I hope no one minds me temporarily hijacking this thread, but:

tarquin, if you are still there:

I had some great meals at Arcadia next to the Etruscan museum, but my B&B proprietor also recommended Cavatappi for authentic regional cuisine in Tarquinia -- without his realizing it was closed for renovations. So we never got to try it, but we did get to try (at Arcada, michelin-recommended) the local Tarquinian white wine, which is light and brilliant with seafood -- a revelation -- and cheap.

We loved our our ridiculously at Gran Duomo B&B

http://www.bbplanet.com/bed-and-brea...nia_s15892/en/

If your trip is about Etruscans, the museum in Chiusi is even more impressive in some ways than the museum in Tarquinia. (In Tarquinia, consider starting at the top floor of the museum and working your way down.) We regretted we didn't leave time to explore Cerveteri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerveteri

but on a previous trip, we took a flyer on Civita Castellana, and were so glad we did. Poke around and knock on door for admittance into its small and fascinating museum

http://www.romeartlover.it/Civita5.html

Last but not least, if ever you visit New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has an incredibly exciting collection of Etruscan artifacts.

Have a great trip!

Marianna

Zeppole, I saw some young and younger women wearing versions of harem pants in Rome. They wore them with high heeled gladiator shoes. The weirdest thing I saw was a young and not slim woman wearing harem shorts - think of them as poufy as harem pants but ending at the very upper thigh area. It was strange.

Wear your jeans and wear your black pants. Wear what you feel looks good on you and is comfortable and is respectful of the place you are visiting.

zeppole

Around where I live, the women wearing harem pants are not necessarily young or even slim. They are just comfortable and I think look much better than skin tight jeans on older women-- or baggy jeans for that matter.

http://www.shopstyle.com/browse?fts=harem+pants

Personally, apart from black jeans, I just don't care for the way jeans look or wear. I have to walk up lots and lots and lots of stairs where I live in Italy. I prefer the free-flowing harem pants, layered with Winter silk longjohns when it gets cool ---

http://www.wintersilks.com/viewprodu...vyweight&prod=

and some boots

http://www.lacanadienne.ca/en/collec...otwear/palmina

tarquin

Zeppole, thanks for the advice, especially for Arcadia in Tarquinia. We'll be staying in a studio apartment in San Quirico at the amazing price of 70 euro a night. if it's as nice as it looks online, I'll post the details when I'm back.

tarquin

We're back, zeppole, and Tarquinia was one of the highlights of the trip, just the sort of place I like best. Your recommendation of Arcadia was excellent, great seafood and very welcome after several days of Tuscan meat, delicious as it was.

We didn't make it to Chiusi, but did visit Iris Origo's garden La Foce near Chianciano Terme. It's only open on Wednesday afternoons at 3 and 4pm for tours but it's well worth the effort to get there.

Didn't see the harem pants but only got to one biggish market, at San Gimignano, somewhere I don't plan to visit again - it was packed with tourists (I know, I'm one.)