What to Pack for a Roman Holiday

I have been running this guest house for twelve years and I watch guests arrive with luggage that tells me a great deal about how their trip is going to go. The ones who packed sensibly move through the city with ease. The ones who did not spend their first afternoon looking for a pharmacy or limping back earlier than they planned.

Rome is not a city where you can sit still. Even a quiet day here involves a long walk from a metro station, a circuit of a piazza, a detour through a market. The city rewards being on your feet, which means your feet need to be properly prepared. Everything else follows from that.

Footwear: the most important decision

The cobblestones in Rome, the sampietrini, are beautiful and they are genuinely difficult to walk on if your shoes are not suited to them. They are uneven, occasionally slippery when wet, and punishing for thin soles. Heels are not appropriate for a full day of sightseeing. Flip-flops offer no support and will leave your feet in poor condition by midday.

What you want is a shoe with a thick, cushioned sole, good ankle support if you are prone to rolling your ankles, and straps or a fastening that holds the shoe firmly to your foot. Sandals with a proper footbed and adjustable straps work well in summer. Trainers work in any season. A lightweight walking shoe or boot is excellent for autumn and spring.

The mistake people make is packing shoes that look right for a European city break rather than shoes that work on a Roman street. You will see everything here, from excellent leather walking shoes to battered trail runners, and nobody looks twice. What people do notice is someone limping by 3pm on their first day.

Bring two pairs if you have room. Alternating between pairs gives the cushioning in each a chance to recover overnight, and it means that if one pair gets soaked in a sudden afternoon shower you are not stuck.

A small pack of blister plasters in your day bag is worth having regardless of how comfortable your shoes are. New pavements, warm weather, and longer distances than you anticipated are a reliable combination for blisters.

Dress codes for religious sites

Rome has more churches than you can visit in a week, and many of them require covered shoulders and knees. The Vatican Museums and St Peter's Basilica enforce this consistently. Many other churches do as well. If you arrive in shorts and a sleeveless top you will be turned away, or asked to buy a plastic poncho from a nearby stall at a price that is not reasonable.

The practical solution is a lightweight scarf or wrap that you carry in your bag and put on when you enter a church. A large cotton or linen scarf can cover your shoulders and your knees simultaneously, takes up almost no space, and doubles as a layer if the air conditioning on the bus is more aggressive than you expected.

For longer visits to the Vatican, where you will be inside for several hours, it is worth dressing properly from the start rather than relying on a wrap. Wear trousers or a knee-length skirt and a top with sleeves. It is not an onerous requirement and it saves the awkwardness at the door.

Children are subject to the same rules. If you are travelling with children, pack a light pair of trousers or a skirt for each of them specifically for church visits.

Clothing by season

Rome's climate is genuinely seasonal and what works in April does not work in August or December.

In summer, from June through August, the heat is serious. Temperatures regularly exceed 35 degrees and the stone surfaces of the city retain heat into the evening. Lightweight, breathable fabrics are essential. Linen, cotton, and moisture-wicking synthetic blends all work. Bring more than you think you need; you will change clothes more often than you do at home. A small portable fan is not ridiculous. Neither is a hat with a brim. Sun cream should be applied before you leave in the morning and again at midday.

In spring and autumn, roughly March through May and September through November, the weather is variable. You can have a warm sunny week or a cool rainy one, sometimes in the same fortnight. A light waterproof jacket that packs small is worth including. Layers are more useful than a single heavy item. Temperatures in the evenings can drop noticeably, so a cardigan or light knit for dinner is practical rather than excessive.

In winter, December through February, Rome is cold and damp. Not alpine cold, but genuinely cold, particularly when you are standing in line outside the Colosseum or walking along the Tiber. A proper coat, a hat and gloves are all sensible. The city is considerably less crowded, which is a real advantage, but you need to dress for a European winter rather than a Mediterranean one.

What to carry each day

A small backpack or crossbody bag is more practical than a handbag for a day of sightseeing. You need both hands free at various points, particularly if you are managing tickets, a phone, and a map simultaneously.

What to put in it: water, which Rome's street fountains supplement but do not replace entirely in the morning; sun cream; the scarf mentioned above; your phone charger or a small portable battery; a folded shopping bag for any market purchases; your museum tickets, either printed or reliably accessible on your phone. A paper map of the centre is useful as a backup even if you rely on your phone for navigation. Phone batteries drain faster in heat and in areas with poor signal.

A small padlock is worth having if you are using hostel-style storage anywhere, though at a guest house your room will be locked and your belongings are safe.

Keep your passport or a copy of it separate from your main bag when you are out. The original can stay in the room; a photo on your phone is acceptable for most practical purposes during the day.

Things most people forget

A universal power adaptor if you are arriving from outside the EU. Italy uses the two-pin round plug, and many UK and North American travellers arrive without the right adaptor. You can buy one near the Vatican at a reasonable price, but it is simpler to pack one.

Earplugs. Rome is a city with noise: morning deliveries, church bells, street cleaning at 6am. Even in a well-run guest house on a quiet street, you are in the middle of a city that wakes up early. Earplugs weigh nothing and can recover a night's sleep when you need it.

A light rain jacket. You may not need it, particularly in summer. But an afternoon thunderstorm in Rome in September can arrive with very little warning and drench you thoroughly in about ten minutes. A packable rain jacket takes up very little space and removes the need to shelter in a doorway waiting for it to pass.

Comfortable clothes for the evening. You will have spent the day in practical walking clothes and you may want to change for dinner. Romans dress well for the evening, not formally, but with some care. A simple dress or a collared shirt takes up little space and shifts the way you feel at a restaurant table.

What to leave at home

Heavy books. Rome has good English-language bookshops and your phone can carry a guidebook, a map, and a translation app simultaneously. A thick paperback guidebook adds weight with limited return.

Too many shoes. It is tempting to plan for every possible occasion. In practice, two pairs of shoes cover almost everything a week in Rome requires: one for walking during the day and one for evenings. A third pair is rarely worn and always regretted at the airport.

Expensive jewellery you are not prepared to have stolen or lost. Petty theft exists in Rome, particularly in crowded tourist areas. It is not rampant and the city is not particularly dangerous, but leaving your best watch at home removes a source of anxiety. Wear it if you want to, but pack it knowing you are accepting a small risk.

Excessive medication. Italian pharmacies are well stocked and the pharmacists are often knowledgeable and helpful. Bring a sufficient supply of any prescription medication you take, but you do not need to bring paracetamol, antihistamines and cold remedies for every possible scenario. Farmacia signs are green crosses and easy to find in any part of the city.