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| Julia Roberts plays Elizabeth Gilbert in Gilbert's true story about traveling the world to find true love and happiness |
So we received a question about "dress codes" for touring the cathedrals throughout Italy, and we wanted to pass our answers along to all of you;
Churches are a really big deal in Italy, and because of their amazing history and magnificence, they rank as some of top tourist sites throughout many Italian cities..
If there is any place in the world to feel close to God... to just take a minute to light a candle, kneel and make a special Prayer, one of Italy's historic Duomos is certainly the place! They say God will hear your prayers anywhere... But we assure you, you'll feel the significance of talking to God from the floors of one these magnificent churches! We personally always take a moment to break away from the group, light a candle, and express our gratitude to God... It just feels right when you're in one of these amazing churches! Standing at the center of one of these great cathedrals admiring the architecture, art and stained glass windows, and thinking about the fact that many of these churches were built over a thousand years ago, you'll feel your breath quiet, and you can't help but feel a little humble and be in awe...
And yes there are definitely dress codes for visiting the cathedrals throughout Italy, and they seem to vary in strictness and enforcement based on the "importance or significance" of the individual church and the gate-keepers or enforcers who are on duty at the doors on the day you visit...
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| The Duomo in Siena - nearly 1000 years old... Our Adventures to Tuscany Tour Guide Stella will take us on a tour Thru this amazing Duomo and bring it's incredible history to life for you |
The general rule of thumb for all churches in Italy is: shoulders and knees covered for both men & women... And as you might imagine the benchmark is St Peter's Basilica in Rome and it is most usually strictly enforced... For visiting St Peters, we always suggest long pants for men and no tank tops... and women should have shorts or dresses that cover the knee and tops that cover the shoulders and no bare midriffs... (but we're always careful to tell you that you will sometimes see the rules broken... We've seen women in short-shorts and tank-tops...) but these are typically the exceptions...
Often the bigger cathedrals will have gatekeepers inside the door who will give/sell paper robes for those who don't meet standards... but you can't count on it, and we have seen people turned away. (You can usually assume that if there's admission charge to get into the Cathedral, then there's going to be dress code enforcement). The Duomo in Siena (which we will be touring) is also usually pretty strict. (your admission price & tour guide is included in your tour price). Your Lesser known and smaller cathedrals, and certainly the small churches in the tiny hilltowns, while still often having dress codes, rarely have people there enforcing them... and they count on visitors to use their own good judgement... What many women do is to pack a very lightweight shawl that they can wrap around their shoulders or waist. Another common thing you'll see men doing is to wear those shorts/pants with the zip-off legs... Often, other then the cathedrals mentioned above and other large & famous Cathedrals in the larger cities, men and women can get away with wearing shorts if they're not too short. (but again, the unwritten rule of thumb is shoulders & knees covered... So if you want to be 100% sure you won't be turned away at the door, heed the rule).
(PS: an admittedly unofficial , non-scientific and casual survey of our past guests who we've personally witnessed kneeling & praying in one of Siena's two Cathedrals that we Tour show that sincere prayers have overwhelmingly been answered... get you're prayers ready in advance!)
5o years ago today on the Ed Sullivan Show!
Paul McCartney age 21, Ringo Starr 23, John Lennon 23, and George Harrison 20
