You Don’t Have to Dress Like a Local to Enjoy Italy

Scroll through enough travel content before a trip to Italy and you’ll start to feel like you’re prepping for a fashion exam, not a vacation. Ditch the sneakers. No shorts, ever. No baseball caps. Dress like you belong or the Italian fashion police will materialize out of a piazza and escort you straight back to the airport.

I’m going to be blunt: a lot of this is exaggerated, and some of it is just wrong. Nobody is losing their passport privileges over a pair of sneakers.

Where this advice actually comes from

There’s a kernel of truth buried in here, which is probably why it spreads so easily. Italians, especially in cities, do tend to dress a notch more put-together than the average American on vacation. Church visits have real dress codes; shoulders and knees covered, no exceptions. And yes, you can usually spot a tourist in Rome from a block away.

But “dress a little sharper” has ballooned into “you will be shunned in shorts,” and that’s just not what happens. I’ve traveled there myself, and I can tell you firsthand: there is no customs agent flipping through a clipboard checking your shoe brand before waving you through.

It depends on where you are and what you’re doing

This is the piece that gets lost. Italy in July is hot; genuinely, brutally hot in a lot of the country; and Italians themselves wear shorts, sandals, and t-shirts when it’s 95 degrees out. You’ll see it everywhere: Naples, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, even Florence and Rome in peak summer. The idea that an entire nation of people is quietly suffering through linen trousers in triple-digit heat purely to win a fashion contest against tourists is, frankly, kind of funny once you’ve actually been there. Nobody is that committed to a bit.

“There is no customs agent flipping through a clipboard checking your shoe brand.”

What actually matters is context:

• Churches and religious sites — cover shoulders and knees. This one’s real and worth planning for.
• Nice dinners, especially in cities — a step up from beachwear is appreciated, but that’s true almost anywhere.
• Beach towns and hot afternoons — shorts and sandals are completely normal, on locals and visitors alike.
• Walking all day on cobblestones — comfortable shoes win, every time. Sneakers are fine. Your feet will thank you.

None of this requires a new wardrobe. It requires packing a little intentionally, the same way you’d pack for any trip.

Why this myth bothers me

Here’s my real issue with the “you’ll stand out and it’ll be humiliating” narrative: it makes people afraid to go.

I’ve talked to people who genuinely hesitated on booking a trip because they were worried about getting it wrong – the shoes, the bag, the “tourist tell.” That’s backwards. Travel isn’t a test you can fail. It’s a chance to be somewhere new, eat something you’ve never tried, get a little lost, and come back different than when you left. Nobody should sit out on that because an influencer made them anxious about their sneakers.

“Travel isn’t a test you can fail.”

Yes, you’ll probably be identifiable as a tourist in Italy. So will the tourists from Germany, Japan, Brazil, and everywhere else. That’s not a failure – it’s just what happens when you visit a place you don’t live. Italians are not spending their day quietly judging visitors’ footwear from behind their espresso. They’re living their lives, working, running their shops, and yes, wearing shorts when it’s hot, same as you.

My actual advice

Pack for comfort and practicality first. Throw in one nicer outfit for a special dinner if you’ve got one planned. Bring something to cover up for churches – the Sistine Chapel does not care about your tan lines, but it does care about your shoulders. Wear the shoes that will get you through eight miles of cobblestones without blisters. Beyond that, wear what makes you feel good.

Go to Italy. Wear the shorts. Wear the sneakers. Have the trip. Your ankles will thank you, and I promise the Colosseum will still let you in.

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Want help planning a trip to Italy that actually fits how you like to travel – not how an algorithm says you should look while doing it?