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Packing for Classic Italy in April

DonnaCarter

Hello! We’re doing the Classic Italy tour April 20 and I’m looking for packing tips. What type of clothing for Italy in late April? How many outfits will I need and what types? What are items I might not think of that would make the trip more enjoyable? Any and all advice appreciated!

Comments

British

You can look at Weatherspark to give you an idea of everything to do with weather.
This is a tour, so your focus should be on practical clothing that you can layer if temperatures vary more than average. You only need a couple of dressy outfits for evenings. Nobody cares or even notices what you wear unless your fashion sense is unusual. It’s hard to advise how much clothing you need, I have no idea if you are a ‘sweater’ or not. I’ve been on a couple of tours where people have smelt so bad it’s made me nauseous. Otherwise, plan on wearing outfits a number of times in different combinations. I often narrow down colors to combine with each other. I’ve been on tours where women mostly wear black so you never notice if they are wearing the same thing every day. Also, Italy is one of the places where you have to cover up in churches. Websites about touring in Italy say Italians men don’t wear shorts,
If this is your first Tauck tour, bear in mind that you are allowed one medium checked suitcase, no matter what the airlines you travel on allows.
Enjoy your tour and please consider writing about your experiences on the forum.

Kathy M

Covering in churches means no shorts (capris and skirts are OK) and no bare shoulders.

I agree with British that layering is good. It will be cooler in the mornings and evenings. Many places are not air-conditioned. Churches should have retained the cooler temperatures from the winter and should still be comfortable to visit. They may even require a sweater!

I'd throw in a pair of shorts for your husband in case it is very warm especially when outdoors in Sorrento and Pompei.

Claudia Sails

Yes, for churches no bare knees or shoulders. And there are a lot of churches to visit on this tour.

The number of outfits depends on how many times you can re-wear an item which is hard for someone else to judge. It also depends on your willingness to launder clothing during the tour either using the hotel services or sink laundry. To save on dressy/dinner wear, I bring one pair of nice slacks, 2-3 nice tops to go with and one pair of flats or sandals to match. My husband wears slacks and a collared shirt which sometimes is a knit polo/golfers shirt.

As already mentioned, being able to layer as needed is important.

Wan

Italy is always more difficult for me. I understand how much Italians appreciate beauty. However, I'm not by nature an elegant dresser, with my main goals being neat, clean, not sloppy and extremely polite when I travel. Some of the Italian hotels on this trip have elaborate lobbies with marble everywhere. You need to ask yourself how self-conscious are you going to feel in this type of environment. I think most Tauck travelers pack sensibly but I have definitely seen some people wear a different complete "catalogue" outfit every day. As others have mentioned in the past, you can get some "mileage" from scarves and jewelry, which are easier to pack. In addition, I completely agree with the suggestions above and will only add that when I did this trip (our first Tauck experience) I over-packed on the dressier items and did not account for enough hot, humid days. And we went at exactly the time you are going.
Don't forget the cobblestones everywhere and choose your shoes for stability.
Lastly, I always pack a small roll of duct tape and a few ziplock bags of different sizes (whenever allowed) and have never not used them.

OurTravels34

Wan, well said.

British

I have noticed that Italy tours are often the first Tauck tours that people take. I’m guessing they may be the people who think it might be good to dress up more as they may not be used to tours. I’m finding that the more people have traveled on tours, the more practical their clothing choices become.

Ben

As above. Bring a very light rain shell which can double as a windbreaker. Swimming suit. No heels. Women: Dress flats or dressier sandals(Better yet buy them in Capri.), walking sandals(used for pool or walking) and a good pair of walking shoes. Men: walking shoes, shoes for the pool, "dress" shoe that looks good with chinos. No coat or tie. Hat of course. Scarf or shawl. My wife wore capris rather than shorts/skort if there was church involved. Kuhl roll up pants also work well. She also brings Patagonia or similar brand dresses which are easy to wash in the sink. Toss in a sink stopper which is a small round silicone disc to put on the drains. Some hotels don't have sink plugs as well as a small amount of laundry soap. As a guy i wear shorts if it is above 65, just don't were crew socks. Small cross body bag with a back side zipper. The pick pockets particularly in Rome are a sly bunch.

ginger_201

I don't see dressing up as a sign of a novice traveler. To me, feeling 'right' in my clothes is what's practical, whether I'm in NYC, Paris, or Tokyo. Clothing is a personal preference, and a specific style choice certainly doesn't mean someone is new to touring.

British

It’s not about the clothing choices, it’s about the amount of clothing people bring. I see more and more people with two large suitcases when Tauck only wants you to bring one. It means having to have your bags ready two hours before an hotel move on some tours I have been on, because there are not the staff to move them to the bus.

Claudia Sails

Packing lots of dressy clothing as a personal choice is different than doing so because you believe you MUST do so because someone somewhere told you all Europeans dress nice all the time. The later is a novice mistake. My first Tauck tour that was a week long I packed 2 dressy dresses, a skirt and multiple pairs of evening shoes because I thought I'd had to have them. Thank god I also threw in a packable rain coat at the last minute because that's the item that saved the day for me. Now I pack as I said in my earlier post. Yes you need something nice to wear for dinners, but packing for the weather possibilities will impact your tour way more than being the most stylish guest on tour.

kfnknfzk

I agree, ginger_201. An individual’s wardrobe choice has no bearing on whether they are frequent travelers or not. Nor should attire, shopping, laundry, or any choice be subject to the constant ridicule and vitriol by some.

British

From Tauck forum guidelines

Respect that other people have different points of view, travel experiences, and styles. Please agree to disagree when necessary, and don’t take things personally. Bullying will not be tolerated.
Respect that other people have different points of view, travel experiences, and styles. Please agree to disagree when necessary, and don’t take things personally. Bullying will not be tolerated.
Donna, I hope you can get some ideas about what to pack from all the different experiences here.

kfnknfzk

That’s great that you have read the forum guidelines. I look forward for them to finally be followed.

Disrespecting my privacy by not using my forum name speaks volumes. Perhaps you will read the guidelines again. And using my Americanized name will not get the reaction you seem to so desperately want, or need.

Claudia Sails

Well since DonnaCarter is the person who started this thread my assumption is British was addressing her by name.

British

This discussion is about ideas for clothing, what is useful and practical to bring.