what to pack for tuscany

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After three nights in rome, one week in tuscany, and two nights in florence here is my take on what to pack during the months of september or october:

For the dark looks- one pair of black jeans, one brown suede jacket, one long black dress, one short navy silk dress, three black tanks, one pair black yoga pants, one pair black running or exercise pants, one long sleeved grey tee, one cropped black lightweight cardigan, one grey hooded sweatshirt, two lightweight v-neck long sleeved tees, one black, one brown, one black bikini with matching cover-up/dress, one pair Wolford black tights, one pair Wolford socks, one pair black athletic socks.

For the colored looks- two Roberto Cavalli dresses, one patterned sleeveless silk shell, one patterned long-sleeved silk blouse, one neutral silk dress, one silver rain-treated anorak, one pair of white shorts, one printed bikini for dear friend that forgot hers.

Must express complete adoration for the Roberto Cavalli dresses. Can’t say enough about the versatility of these two pieces. Have worn them often on many different trips and they continue to look, feel, and travel great. Both have seen northern california several times and the short-sleeved one was worn as a swimsuit cover-up and as dress on our Spring 2012 trip to turks & caicos. They never wrinkle and can handle with grace a five-pound vacation swing thanks to the stretch in the fabric content. They can be easily dressed up or down. Great investment. Yes, they might have cost a bit up front but they make getting dressed super quick and easy. Another bonus? I wash them myself in a front-load machine on cold and hang to dry. Unbelievable.

Accessories- Two soft unstructured bags that can be folded flat in dust bags and placed in luggage, one black, one neutral, one cashmere wrap, one oblong printed scarf, sunglasses, reading glasses, two small clutch bags, one black, one gold, for when you want to feel fancy or not carry a huge bag.

Shoes- Three pair black boots, one pair flats, one pair flat sandals, one pair chic, slim, packable sneakers. Before final packing took the black ones out pictured in photo and upgraded them to some pretty cool Stella McCartney ones, more on those later…

Just as important, here’s what not to pack:

Three pairs of jeans, you really only need one. Five sweaters, you only need one or at most two. High-heeled sandals, absolutely not, lugged those things all over and they never came out of their dust bag. Nine dresses, you only need six. That’s about twelve extra pounds of clothing that you just don’t need. Combine that with the ten pounds of the extra body weight I am always trying to lose and that’s a lot of poundage you can leave home. 🙂

Now for the good part- quite sure the look was right- from boarding to departure not once was I spoken to in English. Pretty much had to pretend I knew what they were all talking about. Every day dress.