There most certainly is as Peggy rightly says and they're fairly hot here on enforcing it too.

Thank you! And I assume men should wear pants and covered shoulders as well.

Absolutely. Long trousers and a shirt with sleeves to the elbow. It's first and foremost a place of worship, and the chapels within the cathedral are popular places for private prayer throughout the day for Catholics so it's purely a question of respect.

Ellie180....not really. When vacationing in Italy it is best to just go with the what may seem to you arbitrary rules and customs but in the long run it will make your trip go much easier.

We are coming to Italy on Tuesday and the weather forecast is rather hot. My husband will not wear trousers in that heat but does have shorts that are on/below the knee - will these be acceptable in churches?

Knees should be covered.

So if he wears shorts that dont come below the knees, he wont be let in?

Probably not. To be safe it would be wise to wear something that covers the kness if you want to go inside churches.

I am an atheist and I would never enter a Church (anywhere in Europe) dressed like I'm at the beach, with shorts and a funny t-shirt. It's a matter of education and respect. Come on, just act with a little decency, would you enter a Church in shorts in your country?