Dress Code for your Vatican City Visit

Tourists have known for a long time now that when visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, they have to dress appropriately: men should not turn up dressed in shorts and tank tops and for the women, short skirts and bare shoulders are a no-no.

But, it seems that this week, the Vatican Swiss Guards have extended the dress code to the entire Vatican City State, sending women scurrying to buy shawls and scarves from nearby hawkers, whilst the men had to wonder off to shops to buy long trousers. Some were less fortunate and were refused entry altogether.

Vatican visitors were obviously upset at the crackdown on “inappropriate clothing” in the Vatican City at a time when the Catholic Church itself is battling scandals and cover-ups over paedophile priests.

If you’re planning a visit to the Vatican on your Rome holiday, remember that the summer heat is no excuse for turning up in shorts!

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