Nancy Rischard

Hi,

I keep reading that sneekers are not cool in Italy that they dress more formally. My husband has alway used his running shoes as comfortable walking shoes. Is there a better suggestion so he does not stick out as a tourist. Nancy

gluck

Nancy, as some wise soul pointed out, we'll always stick out as tourists unless we speak Italian, don't go to tourist sites, and never carry maps.

When we were in Italy every other Italian we saw seemed to be wearing sneakers. Just our impression of course.

Patrick

I am a big advocate of Ecco shoes. They make some nice looking shoes in black or brown that are even more comfortable than sneakers, yet look OK even with dressing up. They literally could be the only shoes he needs for the entire trip. A special bonus: when I went to my foot doctor with continuing orthopedic problems in my feet, the doctor saw me wearing the Ecco's and said, "well you couldn't be wearing a better shoe for your feet." The ones I get are about $160 so they aren't cheap, but consider them an investment for your feet. Last summer for a 5 month European trip I took 3 pairs of shoes, Ecco walkers, Ecco hiking boots, and Ecco sandals (these I don't normally do, but for a month in the Greek Isles)?

Sarah

While not cheap, I do love my Ecco's!

xxx

I saw dressy leather sandles (with out socks, please!) The nicer ones will have a small buckle. My husband wore these but broke them in over the weeks before the trip to soften the leather.

Mike

I just wish Ecco made a wide shoe.

Ben

Try Mephisto shoes. They are expensive (over $200) BUT they wear forever, are incredibly comfortable, and when they finally DO get a bit worn, he can get them totally reconditioned and they will come back good as new!

Joe

I, too, need a wide shoe. In addition, from years of power-walking, I have had to have operations to remove pinched nerves in the balls of my feet. I can only wear soft shoes. I find that Rockport has a good array of soft shoes, casual and dressey. I have worn them almost exclusively for a number of years now. I typically resole the casual shoe a couple of times before replacing. The thing in Italy is "style". Go to the high-rise center of Naples and you will find Italians dressing with style.

lisa

Look at Josef Seibel shoes. A little hard to find and pricey, and some of the designs are a little fashion-forward, but SO comfortable!

Also, lots of men I know wear Rockports and like them -- they make good, reasonably-priced, conservative-looking shoes that are designed for walking and hiking but don't look like athletic shoes.

Tommy

I had a pair of casual dress shoes from New Balance which I loved. Unfortunately it looks like they are getting out of that line of shoes. They do have a closeout sale on their website which you may have luck with.

Otherwise I just purchased my first pair of Rockports and they are working well so far. Both this pair and the New Balance are waterproof.

I've run 10 marathons and so I can appreciate your husband's comfort level with wearing his running shoes. However these casual dress shoes are, in my opinion, much more appropriate and nearly as comfortable.

Good luck.

John

I'll second or third the comments on Rockports, which can be had in wides if you look around (not at outlet malls though). Also, the British brand Clarks makes comfortable shoes at reasonable prices, available all over the US and really all over in the UK. Your hubby might still be taken for a tourist, but a British one. Italians have built in shoe radar.

Danna

I bought a pair of Merrell shoes for the trip. They were great, talked them up to friends, now they all have them... cult material. One of these friends bought a pair for her husband and he hasn't taken them off since. Very Comfy, better than sneakers.

steve

SAS shoes are great. They probably have more sizes than anyone. I wear a 13 wide and never have any problem finding them. The model is the 'Time Out' I have put on a new pair and walked 10 km with absolutely no problem. I have a friend that does a 240 km walk in Denmark and he starts out with his size 13 and ends up wearing his size 15!! They look like dress shoes.

If you are ever in San Antonio, go to their factory and you can get a great deal on shoes with 'invisible defects' - ones with visible defects are destroyed. Normal price is about $120 - about $70 for the ones at the factory.

They sell pimarily thru company owned stores and the have sales a couple of times a year.

david

heres a vote for Dexter mocassins(sp). They're not really typical mocassins but i guess there is something about them that is similar; anyway, personally i dont like their appearance but they are very comfortable, soft and giving. reasonably priced too.

Mark McIntyre

I agree with Ben: Mephisto all the way. Last May I purchased a pair of Mephisto leather loafers (similar to dressy docksiders) before heading to Istanbul and Paris. These were brand new shoes. I walked all over Istanbul and Paris for two weeks. No breaking in...and the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. They can be worn dressy (not white tie, though or casual with jeans or shorts (not that I wore shorts in either city.....only one thing makes them less than perfect: the cost. Wow. Ate a big chunk out of my wallet. But they will last for a very long time, and I still wear them every day. My feet are extremely happy. To me, these are the perfect travelling shoes, and in the long run, are an excellent value.