TheConversational Italian for Travelers textbook begins each chapter with a dialogue from a story about the character Caterina, an American girl who travels to Italy to visit her relatives. As the story continues from one chapter to the next, we learn Italian, and about Italy, in an engaging way through Caterina’s experiences.
After Caterina settles into the routine of daily life with her family in Italy, her sister-in-law, Francesca, decides that they should go shopping. Although Francesca has grocery shopping in mind, Caterina would rather shop Italian at the many beautiful, fashionable shops that line the streets of Milan! To listen to this dialogue from Chapter 10 about Caterina and Francesca’s afternoon spent shopping in Milan, go to the interactive dialogues on our website at Learn Travel Italian Audio Dialogues. The Cultural Note below, also from the textbook, gives some important information about Italian sizes, for YOUR next shopping spree in Italy. Buon divertimento! —Kathryn Occhipinti
Shop window in Rome advertising an up to 50% discount in July
When visiting Italy, one encounters wonderful shops that sell everything imaginable. In most cities, beautiful, stylish clothing made by well-known designers hangs in the shop windows of the grand boulevards and larger piazzas. Think Via Monte Napoleone in Milan or the Piazza di Spagna in Rome. Now that the fall season is upon us, the cooler weather will bring with it the exciting new Italian fashions of the season.
But maybe even more important for the shopper is what happens at the end of the fashion season in Italy. Usually in late June and July, corresponding to the height of the tourist season, it seems like almost all Italian fashion is on sale! Many clothing stores offer steep discounts, usually up to 50% throughout most of the store. Look for the signs in the shop windows that say “saldi” for sale or “sconto” for discount. Late summer is a shopper’s paradise in Italy for those who love fashion!
But one must be prepared to shop Italian. Sizes in Italy are different from those in the United States and from those in other European countries. How does one know what size clothing to bring to the dressing room? Also, when talking about Italian style, it should be mentioned that there are still dedicated craftsmen who make high-quality leather goods. There is such a dazzling variety of shoes in the shop windows that it is always tempting to buy a pair to bring home. But what size to tell the shopkeeper to get?
The tables that follow list European and Italian sizes and how they (roughly) correspond to the sizes in the United States.
Please note that this is only a general guide, and it is best to always try on any item of clothing before making a purchase!
Women’s Dress Sizes
General U.S. Size
American
European
Italian
Extra Small
2
32
36
Small
4
34
38
Small
6
36
40
Medium
8
38
42
Medium
10
40
44
Large
12
42
46
Large
14
44
48
Extra Large
16
46
50
Women’s Blouse and Sweater Sizes
General U.S. Size
American
European
Italian
Extra Small
32
34
40
Small
34
36
42
Small
36
38
44
Medium
38
40
46
Large
40
42
48
Large
42
44
50
Extra Large
44
46
52
Women’s and Men’s Shoe Sizes*
American Shoe Sizes (inches)
5 ½
6
6 ½
7
7 ½
8
8 ½
9
9 ½
10
10 ½
European/Italian Women’s Shoe Sizes
35 ½
36
36 ½
37
37 ½
38
38 ½
39
European/Italian Men’s Shoe Sizes
37
37 ½
38
38 ½
39
40
41
41 ½
42
42 ½
43
*Hint: Subtract 30 from European shoe sizes to get the equivalent of the American size for women’s shoe sizes 5 to 9.
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For men’s clothing, Italian sizes and European sizes have an identical numbering system, although the fit of the clothing that corresponds to this numbering system is only loosely standardized. As usual, trying on clothing before purchasing is the best policy!
Men’s Shirt and Pant Sizes**
General U.S. Size
American
European
Italian
General Italian Size
2X Extra Small
32
42
42
Small
Extra Small
34
44
44
Medium
Small
36
46
46
Large
Medium
38
48
48
Extra Large
Large
40
50
50
2X Extra Large
Extra Large
42
52
52
3X Extra Large
**Hint: Just subtract 10 from the European shirt and pant sizes to get the American sizes.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Follow Caterina and shop Italian in the Conversational Italian for Travelers series of books!
