Lately, I’ve been daydreaming a lot about our upcoming trip to Italy. That, and Giordano’s thin crust pizza. Is it lunchtime yet?
When I imagine myself in Italy, I think about strolling along cobblestone streets, being awed by the cathedrals and ancient ruins, sipping chianti at an outdoor cafe, and gorging myself on gelato and freshly made pasta. It makes me feel happy and relaxed. (And holy cow, I’m soo hungry right now!)
BUT, when I imagine myself packing for the trip I feel STRESS. I am not a light packer. And let’s just say I have some shopping to do. (Will just read that and had a panic attack.)
One thing I absolutely need is a comfortable pair of flats to walk around in. Heels aren’t going to cut it on those cute cobblestone streets. And gym shoes are out of the question – I may be halfway to 60, but I’m not there yet.
Here are some of the flats I’m considering:
Any opinons/suggestions? For those of you who have recently been to Europe, what shoes did you wear? And don’t worry Mom, I’m bringing my Chucks for the days when we do a LOT of walking.
Carlie Crash 
I think all flats are pretty uncomfortable, but I recently got these (http://www.6pm.com/product/7439207/color/6332) and they are so awesome that I plan to buy them in black, too. They’re a little more driving moc than flat but still cute.
I love my regular Tom’s and have been thinking about the ballet flats – if you get them, let me know what you think!
Ooh those shoes look really comfy and they’re cute! I’m adding them to my list of considerations. 🙂 Thanks!
I think those Sam Edelman Boxton Flats must be mine! My tip for flats would be to make sure the inner sole has lots of padding and support and that it’s all leather all over – I have some Puma ballerina flats that are super comfy but they don’t look like sports shoes.
I LOVE Pumas! But I think I’m in between sizes, so I’ve never found a pair that are super comfy. 😦
OK, I know this is typically mom-like of me to say this, but none of those flats have any support for for your feet whatsoever – they all bend in the middle! As a person who HAS reached 60, I must warn you that if you are a slave to fashion now, your feet will pay the price later. (I never cared about fashion and I still have problem feet.) Anyway, I have found the world’s MOST COMFORTABLE shoe at (don’t cringe – I know you think this is an old person’s store) Easy Spirit called e-360. They hug and cradle your feet and wick away moisture so you can wear them without socks and come in several styles and colors that even you might not be embarrassed by. I really think you should check them out – they are AMAZING.
Thank you for the suggestion, Mother. I will take it under advisement. 🙂
I have the TOMS ballet flats and the Lucky Emmie flats. Between those two options, I would definitely go for the Emmie. I wore them all over New York City, and I wear them at work several times a week, and they’re super comfy! The TOMS are pretty great, too, but I know there have been some issues with the sizing. I wear a size 8 and they were pretty big, but I’m afraid a 7.5 would have been too small. I had to put in an insert to make them work. Italy sounds amazing!! Have you been before? You’ll love it! I’m so jealous you have such a cool trip to look forward to. The anticipation and packing is the best part:)
Thanks Ashley, this is super super helpful! I don’t think I know anyone who has tried both the Emmie flats and the TOMS, so this is very valuable information! I’ve heard other that people say they’ve had trouble with the TOMS sizing, and I think the Emmie flats are a little cuter anyway. So now I’m leaning in that direction. This will be my first time in Italy, and I’m beyond excited!
Ok I am biased bc I LOVE the yellow toe flats and just got similar ones from Old Navy (http://daniellesotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-in-my-step.html) BUT I’ve been to Italy so I need to speak from experience. I wore BOGS boots the whole trip – 2 weeks, everyday (these- http://daniellesotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/back-at-it.html). I did have Sperry’s that I slipped on to wear around the hotels and sometimes for short walks to dinner in the evenings. The boots were more of a hiking style, so they worked pretty well. I got blisters…. but it was so much walking that you sort of fought through it. Not encouraging, I know.
But ym advice – get the TOMS. A. They are adorbs. B. My friend who I went with wore TOMS and only TOMS the entire two weeks. And she did the same thing last year when we went. She didn’t complain about her feet hurting once.
– Danielle
Yeah, I feel like no matter what shoes I wear, they will probably end up being uncomfortable at some point because of all the walking. That’s why I want to get them now and wear them for a couple months beforehand to break them in. I had a pair of regular TOMS last summer and they were so comfy, I completely wore them into the ground. I’m thinking if I do go the TOMS route, maybe I’ll just the get regular ones instead of the flats. Thanks Danielle!
I think you are certainly justified being concerned about what shoes to wear in Italy. The first time we went to Italy I wore a brand new pair of “comfy” shoes and they gave me blisters. My feet hurt so bad that I left them in the closet in Rome for someone else to break-in and I wore a different pair of shoes I brought on the trip. On our second trip to Italy, I decided to take shoes that I’d worn for quite a while because I knew they were broken-in and super comfortable. Wrong move, they were too old and they fell apart in Cinque Terre! I had to buy a new pair of expensive comfy shoes that I didn’t really care for. I gave them away when we returned. This year I bought a pair of Cole Haan walking mocs with Nike air technology. Mark wears the same shoe and loves them. I’m going to wear them around the house for a while before they become the “chosen shoe.” I believe the moral of this story is… buy a new pair of comfortable shoes but wear them a couple of months before the trip.
Please don’t stress about packing. I know that is easily said but not easily followed. A general temperature guide for Italy in May said averages are 72° – 53°. I believe we will need jackets a majority of the days. The saying “dress in layers” will be the motto for everyday. When you have a 65° day in Chicago go outside and think about what you will be comfortable in for that day. Here’s a couple of random thoughts on what to pack: plan to wear everything a couple of times, take one pair of pants for every three shirts, take only two pairs of shoes, don’t take anything too dressy but one dress/casual skirt, top, dress, take lighter weight clothing to wear with a heavier jacket, take one light jacket and one heavy jacket/almost coat, and wear the heavier jacket on the plane. We have found that it is good to have the heavier clothing with us because they are more expensive to buy if we need them. Remember if you really need something, but didn’t bring it, we can always buy it in Italy. In general, Mark and I will have jeans on for most of the trip… Think of it as a relaxing stroll around Italy (with a wine glass in your hand)! We can’t wait…
Wow, thanks for all of the advice, this is really helpful!