What to wear in Italy outfit ideas: realistic yet pretty looks for Italy you’ll love for your Italian vacation (with photos!)

Italy outfit ideas to help you pack for your Italian vacation: realistic outfits for Italy I actually wore in Italy and that worked amazing for comfort and style.

The other day, a lovely reader of this blog asked if she could see some photos of outfits for Italy people actually wore on vacation.

She told me that while she found plenty of such photos on the web, she couldn’t find any that was even remotely realistic or useful to plan your packing list and as soon as I went online to check what she meant, I had to agree: what a colossal amount of useless, frustrating results!

The problem when searching for outfits for Italy is not that there are no ideas, but the quality of what is suggested: ballgowns with slits up your waist, necklines that would make the most outgoing person blush (and would get you kicked out from churches in no time), high heels that are pretty much a guarantee for a broken ankle.

These are all outfits you can wear for a photo shoot but are of absolutely no use if you are looking for ideas on what to wear in Italy on a daily basis.

Of course, your style will be yours and I very much encourage you to be you when you dress; I mean these photos as a way to give options you can then adjust as you please to your own taste.

For context, I am Italian, from Rome, so my style to a large extent reflects that and you’ll find I very much match Italian aesthetic fashion principles.

So, no ‘mommy and me’ outfits, no large print of lemons etc – although that only reflects local style, there is nothing wrong with them should you want to go for them!

I hope these outfit ideas for Italy work to inspire you: don’t forget I also have many packing lists for Italy that can help you tick off all the items, once you have decided what type of things to go for.

Happy Italy outfit planning!

Italy outfit ideas – jeans, sneakers and cute top

Jeans are one of my go-to when it comes to travel outfits as I find the comfortable versatile and you don’t need to wash them after every use, which means they are basically your best friend to pack light.

Denim pants are perfectly acceptable in most places in Italy and you will only have an issue with them if going to an upscale restaurant with a dress code that forbids them (very rare! But if you are going to top luxury places, do check what they require).

The pair I am wearing in these photos is super soft and with a slight stretch, which means I can wear the comfortably on the plane or the train without them pulling or digging into me.

I like to pair them with fashion sneakers: the ones in the photos are barefoot shoes which I like but I do want to warn you about them as they require some getting used to and may not suit everyone’ foot needs. I LOVE them, but I recommend trialing them at home before committing to them as your main footwear for hte trip!

When I want to look cuter for the evening, ballerina flats and a nicer top does the trick too.

Italy outfit idea – solid color dress

Lately I have become very fond of dresses, which I now wear almost exclusively as I find them comfortable, super easy to pack and even more versatile than jeans.

I like those in solid color as they allow for the most versatility. In winter, I wear them with black tights and ankle boots which means I am super comfy for walking and also can easily go to most places.

The black dress in the photo is above the knee as I wasn’t visiting big churches that day.

This other dress, the blue one, is one of a series of dresses I purchased in different colors and I adore.

I find them super comfortable, they are the right length to qualify as ‘modest’ but all accounts but they don’t make me feel like a shapeless potato sack as they still maintain some shape.

As you can see, I wear with them the same ankle boots I wear in winter but I also wear them later in spring and early autumn with sandals. They are also versatile enough to be worn with sandals, ballerina shoes or even with heels for evenings out.

In summer, I also love solid colors but since Italy in summer is so hot, i opt for lighter and non stretchy material so it is more breathable

When looking for dresses for Italy, i find immediately below the knee, solid color dresses in breathable materials by far the most versatile of all. With different cardigans, scarves or wraps, you can create very different looks with very few pieces and if you pick quick dry materials, you can pack super light!

Mini skirts

Another common outfit for Italy I love in winter is mini skirt with dark tights (or without, if going in summer) . Like the dresses, they are comfortable and cute and you can wear them with ankle boots, full boots, sneakers or, in summer, with sandals.

I do not wear miniskirts in cities in summer so I don’t have photos of that but the reason is personal style only: if not entering churches, mini skirts are perfectly acceptable in Italy!

Prints summer dresses for Italy

Prints are not always easy to put off look wise but a pretty summer outfit can be lovely and I do have some dresses that do the job well.

The main reason I am cautious with them is that you can get tired of the same look fast so if you are packing for versatility, they may not be the best thing but a below the knee dress with a lovely print can be a very useful thing to have and can get you day to evening with ease.

The one I am wearing in the photo above is a colorful summer dress that I like to call my Italian vineyard outfit as it was the perfect dress for summer in Tuscany and all the lovely vineyard visits we did!

Shorts and athletic wear

You may have heard that Italian women do not wear shorts and athletic wear in cities and this is largely true: as a tendency, most women prefer skirts to shorts but not everywhere and not by rule.

For instance at the beach or on the mountains we absolutely do!

Trousers and sneakers look

I am sharing this capri pants + sneakers look to dispel a myth: the myth that Italians do not wear sneakers. Of course we do!!

If you opt for running ones like those I am wearing in the photo from Pompeii, of course you are going for a very casual look and may not be what you’d wear in an office (although things are changing): but it is super common and sensible to wear them while sightseeing so don’t listen to any nonsense! If you are comfortable in runners, go for them!

Scarves, bags, accessories

As you can see from my photos, which are taken over the course of different seasons, trips and outings, I am very fond of crossbody bags, scarves and sunglasses.

Crossbody bags are handy, safe and often very pretty, you can even carry more than one and change them depedning on your outfit, should they be small enough.

Scarves are great for layering and also add color and interest to pretty much any outfit: I prefer scarves to jewelry on travel as no matter how safe a country is, jewelry tends to always attract the wrong type of attention!

I hope you found this real, ‘unplugged’ list of Italy outfit ideas useful and it helped you make up your packing list. If you need additional help with those, don’t forget I have month by month packing lists here.

Realistic, cute Italy outfit ideas for mamas – pin this!