Not much break-in ever required. They have a new sole on this model. It was great, i just walked a 9-day tour of Italy in these shoes and they performed great. No foot pain or blisters. For all the uneven surfaces we were on (cobble stones,stones,brick and granite), these were the right shoes. This is about my 6-pair so i really love these shoes, I was leery of the new sole, but I like it better than the old one. Much flatter.