STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

monica · Kenneth Cole

what to bring to italy??

Kari · Dooney & Bourke

Well, I think you should bring me to Italy! I've never been, so I am not real help here...just want to say how jealous I am!

tara t · Marc Jacobs

bring me.

other than that, i have no advice. i've never been there.

rosey · Dooney & Bourke

How exciting!!! I was in Northern Italy during the second week of April a couple of years ago and the weather was lovely most of the time (high 60s), but I know it can be really unpredictable. I would keep checking weather.com (yup, they're international!) as your trip approaches to get a better idea. I do remember we had a couple of rainy days, so I would advise bringing some lightweight rain gear. Other than that, what you pack really depends on where you're going. When I was there, I was kinda doing the backpacker thing so I didn't bring a lot of fancy stuff, but if you plan on going out to nice places at night, bring some chic stuff- the women in Italy are often very nicely dressed! I haven't been to Florence, but plan to walk a lot in Rome and Venice (and get lost a lot in Venice) and bring comfy shoes and clothes for that. HTH!

Michibanana · BCBG

Those are the exact cities I visited right at the beginning of April last year! Actually, I got to Rome around mid-April, so it was probably a little warmer than it will be when you are there. I would definitely check the weather, but plan for weather in the 50s and 60s, with things possibly getting a little colder at night. Italian women really dress, so you want to strike a balance between looking cute and being comfortable for tourism. Also, it will be too warm for a winter coat, but you will want to keep warm when you're walking around outside and still comfortable inside. The best thing to do is to bring a bunch of mix-and-match separates and a medium-weight jacket (like a wool or cord blazer or a lighter-weight pea coat) to wear on top. I got away with a cotton blazer and denim jacket, but I wore a lot of layers and was sometimes a bit chilly. I relied heavily on skirts, trousers, lightweight sweaters, a couple of blouses and thin tees for layering, and one pair of jeans to be more comfortable on travel days. For a three-week trip in France and Italy, I had three jackets, three skirts, three pairs of trousers, a pair of jeans, and a bunch of tops that I could layer and mix with my bottoms. I kept my bottoms pretty neutral and spiced things up with accessories. I also brought one really nice outfit (dressy skirt and top) for going out to eat or to cultural events. All three cities are very walkable, so I would recommend a couple pairs of cute but comfortable flats (ballet flats would look awesome with both skirts and trousers). I got through my three weeks with four pairs of shoes. If you wear sneakers, be sure they are really cute/sleek/modern unless you want to look really American - I rarely saw Italian women wearing sneakers at all. Be sure to leave room for all of the awesome things you will buy in Italy. I was on a student's tight budget but still came away with lots of awesome jewelry and Pashmina-style scarfs - Florence and Venice are both great places to shop for accessories. If your budget's a little higher, Italian leather is amazing. PM me if you want any more specific info about places to go/see/eat, etc. - my info's still pretty current

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-- Edited by Michibanana at 11:44, 2006-03-07

monica · Kenneth Cole

thanks so much ladies!!

i'm really excited to go :) and i really appreciate the help.. i never ever wear flats (except for snow boots/sneaks when i'm working out) so i just wanted to make sure that it's *possible* to do in heels :) i'll definitely bring sneakers w/ me if i'm dying during the day.

michibanana -- any help/tips you can offer re: places to eat/go out/see would be really helpful! i'll PM you in a bit.