Just back from Rome
 

Just back from Rome; here are a few observations.

Rome is having a wicked heat wave. It's been in the 90s every day. So AC and light clothing are key.

Linen is in for the ladies. Seems as though it would be too much like resort wear for Roman women to wear in the city, but it was linen, linen, linen in the shops and on the inhabitants.

The traffic seems worse than ever.

Scala Reale's Rome Antica tour: great! I highly recommend it. Do a morning tour in this weather, though.

And I'd be happy to answer any questions that I can.

Where did you stay?

I know this has been asked a million times, but the answers are conflicting. Can men and a 16 year old boy, wear "nice" shorts to the Vatican and Churches??

I think the answers are conflicting because of the many variables: length of shorts, style of shorts, age of men in question, strictness of the person looking you over. If men or 16 year old kids show up at the Basilica in nice shorts to the knee, some lenient guards will let them in, the strict guards will not. I know Rome is having a heat wave but why risk not being let into the Basilica? Or, they can bring along a pareo and tie it around their waist and go into the Basilica in a "skirt". I saw men wearing these last summer in Palermo and Monreale and there were even ladies outside the cathedral of Monreale and the Palatine Chapel in Palermo handing these out to both men and women who wore shorts. Haven't seen this done in Rome, yet.

My son's shorts are below the knee, my husband's are above a little. We will bring pants with us just in case. Any place where they can change?

There are bathrooms to the left of the Basilica as you face it.

We stayed at the santa chiara.

And I think no shorts are allowed at the Vatican -- and it's strictly enforced, though you can wear them to the outside papal audience .

We are going to get my 13-year-old those zip-off pants--you can zip off the bottoms to make them shorts.