I've heard from friends who have been to Rome that you must cover up when you visit the Vatican as they have a strict dress code.
What does "cover up" mean? I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem in Winter but we are off in July. What kind of clothes would be suitable for women and men in summer?
From Saint-Peter's Basilica site:
Per the sign, both men and women must wear clothing that covers the shoulders and knees.
I'm Italian and I visited Rome as a tourist myself about one year ago.
The image which mouviciel so usefully linked is self-explanatory, but it is not true for Rome or Vatican City only, all the churches in Italy have something similar being displayed IF they are regularly visited by tourists (otherwise, the same rule holds but there is no specific warning, as the people who go there would know).
Men can surely enter a church wearing a pair of knee-length, loose pants (no need to be wearing long trousers), but sleeveless tops or T-shirts, tight sports shorts and similar items are not accepted. The same is true for women, who should not be wearing mini skirts, short pants or sleeveless tops. I forgot to say that low necklines or thigh slits in skirts would not be accepted either, nor would it be accepted to have part of your underwear showing, as is frequently the case with young people who wear their jeans very low at the back.
Italy is a Catholic country where until recent times women would cover their heads when in church, whereas men had to remove their headcovers and go bareheaded. It's a matter of decorum which still holds. It might sound out of place, but it is not much different from having to remove your shoes when visiting Asian temples and mosques (where a dressing code is also implemented and where women have to cover their heads).
There's an article on the Daily Mail that covered (heh) this when it was released.
From the article:
'Inappropriately dressed' visitors to the Holy City have been told to cover up by Swiss Guards or face a ban.
From this point, shorts skirts and bare shoulders are not allowed.
The guards drew aside men in shorts and women with uncovered shoulders and short skirts to tell them that they were not dressed properly.
Some female visitors were obliged to buy shawls and scarves from nearby hawkers, while men had to wander off to the nearest shops to buy long trousers.
