Just a silly question - can I wear a very light-weight, see-through shawl into the Vatican or other churches. Many say wear pashminas, aren't they quite heavy/warm?

Hi D,

Yes.

>Many say wear pashminas, aren't they quite heavy/warm?

No.

>>can I wear a very light-weight, see-through shawl<<

If it's see-through, it doesn't really serve the purpose...

Pashmina is a fabric, not an item of clothing. The real thing is very lighweight.

I wore a black pashmina that someone had given me, because it folded up and fit into a compartment in my purse. I advise you to find something that isn't absolutely see-through and that compacts easily so you can put it on and off at will. A very large, opaque scarf would do the trick.

dshwor: pashminas do for so many occasions, that this is the only thing I use. A scarf if it is cold or windy, a shawl for dressier evenings, tie around your waist to dress up pants.

They are very lightweight and scrunch up well into any purse. They also make great gifts. 6euros each makes a cheap momento for friends.

Choose a colour that can be co-ordinated with your travel wardrobe and won't show the dirt. BUT you can wash them out and they dry overnight very well.

Cheers, spunk

True pashmina is a luxurious fabric for which you can expect to pay upwards of $50, but street stalls in Rome sell imitations (also usually called pashminsa) in numerous colors and fabrics for prices beginning at about 5E. You'll have a hard time limiting yourself to just one.

A see-through shawl, that's kind of funny for the Vacitan. Actually, I agree that even the fake "pashminas" which is what almost everyone means on this board when they talk about them, are quite heavy and hot for summer. They are brushed rayon for the most part. I sure wouldn't want to wear one in summer nor lug one around all day. So if you have a lighter-weight fabric shawl, that's a good idea. I have very light-weight cotton cardigans that are much smaller and lighter than those fake pashminas, and I'd much rather carry that around, it can actually be of some use if it is getting cool at night or something.

catholics - refresh my mind

why do ladies have to wear head covering and men do not?

Sounds Talibanesque to me.

I'm not Catholic, but currently there is no head-covering requirement, and I don't think there has been for 40 years or so (since Vatican II).

then why do you have to wear one, if a woman, in the Vatican church?

PS i'm not trying to start a diatribe against religion (honestly), i' m just curious how such discrimination is justified and there has to be a religion-based reason for this to an outsider. Seems few other Christian churches require it.

will travel: i agree there is no specific rule about head coverings but it seems to depend on the church or whatever you are entering. in the Greek monasteries, this past March, not only were the women required to cover their heads. but we were given skirts to put on over our slacks. They thought pants were for men and women wearing them were being disrespectful. Or so the guide told us.
Old fashioned tradition??

PalenqueBob, What in the name of all that's holy is "the Vatican church"? If you mean St. Peter's Basilica, you are misinformed. Women are *not* required to wear a head covering and have not been required to do so for decades.

PalQ, women are not required to wear head-coverings at the Vatican or St. Peter's.

Zerlina, what you say accords with what I have read about Orthodox tradition elsewhere.

Sorry, it was spunk, not Zerlina, talking about the Greek Orthodox monasteries.

PalQ:: if you are a male, try getting into a synagogue if you do not cover your head.

Are there any churches that require women to cover heads - if not the OP's question's answer should have been easy - wear anything you want or none if you want

but perhaps there are churches that require it - if so why?

I mean i've seen ladies using things like newspapers to cover their heads in some churches - is this voluntary and a show of respect or is it to meet some mandate.

Ironic that men should take off their hats or be considered disrepectful but women without one could be disrespectful - i can't see any difference.

PQBob: i have seen men take their baseball caps off when entering a cemetary. This must be a sign of respect, BUT I have never seen a woman cover her head in a cemetary. Go figure!!

but then again, I have seen so many tourists simply tramp right over graves, surely this is the ultimate disrespect.