They’re worn with t-shirts and sandals or fashionable tennis shoes. I couldn’t convince the husband to get a pair, but I’d recommend it to any man willing to take a fashion leap. They’re not shorts, and they’re not trousers, but somewhere between – they’re usually baggy and stop at mid-calf, like a woman’s capri-pant. Last summer, however, what the husband and I called the “man-pri” made their first appearance, and they’ve been going strong ever since. Even in summer, men wore long pants (albeit made of linen or some other lightweight material) and nice-looking leather sandals, if it was a casual setting. Until 2004, I had never seen a pair of shorts on an Italian man who wasn’t playing soccer. So, here are a few tips for men and women who want to steer clear of the shorts, white tennis shoes and ball caps – in other words, for the people out there who want to try to look less like a tourist and more like you know what you’re doing. So far, we’ve not been disappointed by a single purchase. The husband and I make a policy of buying at least one clothing item (shoes count) on every Italy trip, and the unwritten rule is that if we see everyone wearing something in particular, we’ll buy it – even if, at the time, we don’t think we’ll end up liking it. Let’s face it – I’m a wannabe Italian, and will probably never really achieve the goal of looking like I fit in, as much fun as it might be to try. Of course, I should say at the outset that no matter how hard I try, whenever I go to Italy I always feel out of place. You’ll fit in better, and feel more at home. Truthfully, you can pack and wear whatever you want in Italy – your usual weekend wardrobe isn’t going to get you kicked out of most informal restaurants or museums (although immodest dress will get you turned away from most churches) – but it really is smart to think about what you are wearing and alter it slightly when visiting Italy. What, in the land of fashion and “la bella figura,” will be acceptable to wear in Italy? Is it okay to wear the denim cutoff shorts, flip-flops and baseball cap I wear at home, or will I be forced to wear stilettos mini-skirts just to keep up with the fashionable Italians? As you might imagine, the answer is somewhere between those two extremes. With hot summer weather here and lots of people visiting Italy, there comes the age-old question of what to pack.
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