Dr. Frank's What's-it

I visited London this weekend, and it turns out that over there no one cares about what you're wearing in a church. I even saw a guy with his chest naked in Saint Paul's Cathedral. For a while I thought about re-establishing the order and being a representative of the arm of the Vatican on British ground, but then I just let go.

I visited London this weekend, and it turns out that over there no one cares about what you're wearing in a church. I even saw a guy with his chest naked in Saint Paul's Cathedral. For a while I thought about re-establishing the order and being a representative of the arm of the Vatican on British ground, but then I just let go.

Sorry about the double comment!

and yet no one cares that you can't have any ice cream...truly our world is strange.

Yeah, Marta, that was probably the right move.

And: ciao!

I was in Croatia a week or two ago, and saw basically this same sign at the largest church on the island of Korcula. It struck me, because flanking the entrace (above the door) were two gargoyle type things: a nude man and a nude woman. Both were kind of crouching so as to give maximum exposure to their junk. It did make the request for conservative dress seem a bit odd. Of course, no one was there with machine guns, and there were plenty of people inside in shorts, tank tops, etc.

You can't walk through heaven with shit on your shoes or bare shoulders...Or at least the churches in Italy. I've been in a lot of Catholic churches over here and I've never seen anything like that.

Similar standards apply to men, too. I once had to cover up my knees when I walked into a church in Rome (it might have been San Giovanni in Laterano, I don't remember) wearing shorts, and the sexton or beedle or someone objected to my knee exposure. On my next trip to Rome I just wore long pants most of the time to avoid any issues (no small sacrifice during a Roman summer!).

In American catholic churches, you take an assistive dog away from a person who is disabled, and you are looking at a serious lawsuit. I wonder how Italy handles something like that....in my case, I am required to carry an ice cream cone at all times, so I'd be in a tight spot for sure.

Italy has a rich and splendid cultural - and certainly culinary - history, but you have to wonder sometimes about a country that is not put off by having a hard core porn star and Mussolini's daughter in the government, but is offended at bare knees in church.

Or, shut up and cover up?

It's not a hard core porn star, just a transexual. I believe it's different. And it's Mussolini grandaughter (that is not an excuse, I admit).

I'm so jealous of your trip! The Catholic church I went to wouldn't deny you entrance but they discouraged shorts, short skirts, tank tops etc. and if people started wearing them too much the monsignor would actually mention it during church announcements. Embarassing!

"It's not a hard core porn star, just a transexual."

No, I believe the man's right: Cicciolina aka Ilona Staller.

"it's not a porn star, it's a transexual"

Cicciolina?...she is in parliament, and used to do films with John Holmes..."so I've heard"...and from what "I heard", she is quite hardcore. She made headlines recently by promising to sleep with anyone who could kill Osama Bin Laden (not quite enough, btw, to add that to my "to do" list). If she is the one you are thinking of, then you must know something about Cicciolina that the rest of the world doesn't....

You might be right about the daughter/granddaughter thing, in fact come to think of it you are. And she isn't "bad" because of her ancestory, nor should it really disqualify her from public office. What should, though, is her unrepetentant embrace of fascism. One of her quotes: "it is better to be a fascist than a faggot."

The latter paragraph, of course, referring to Alessandra Mussolini.

Cicciolina is no doubt a porn star, but she was in Parliament in the late '80s. Now there are no porn stars in the Italian government, but there is a transexual. That's all I was saying. In addition to the lack of connection between the members of Parliament and what we can or cannot wear in a church.
All the same: I appreciate your knowledge of Italian politics (better than mine for sure!)

why do so many women wear tank tops all the time? is my question

I am italian and I do think that being so strict with dressing standards in churches is quite silly, expecially considering that tourists in summer are likely to be lightly dressed. It's not just for women though, a man in shorts and tank-top is unlikely to be admitted as well.

About the police men with machine guns, I'm afraid, you should blame your own country. It's part of the "war on terror". Milan's Duomo is considered a possible target for terrorism, thus guarded by armed police. While they're at it, they also fight for clothing decency. Ain't that efficient?