Staying safe on a trip to Italy

A frank discussion of the safety and crime concerns of an Italian vacation: pickpockets, terrorism, scams, gypsies, travel warnings, and other safety issues

Police now keep a close eye on tourist hot spots, like the Duomo in Milan here, checking tourists' bags and keeping everyone safe. Some major sights now even use metal detectors and X-ray belts for your bags, just like at the airport. First things first. Random, violent crime rates are much lower in Italy than in the United States. Murder is rare, and terrorism is more a scary bluff than harsh reality.

Be smart, be safe, and enjoy yourself. With your valuables in your money belt, the worst that might happen to you is that the day’s spending money in your wallet gets stolen.

Italian big cities are, on the whole, safer than U.S. ones. Your two biggest worries should be pickpockets and the crazy traffic—especially the kamikaze scooters that routinely go the wrong way up one-way streets and even drive on the sidewalks.

Take all this stuff with a few grains of salt. Other than taking some sensible precautions against theft, you shouldn’t have to worry much about safety at all.

I gotta tell you, I've spent probably a total of eight years living or traveling in Italy, and I've had far more instances of feeling distinctly unsafe in the course of my everyday life in New York City than I ever have in Italy—or, indeed, anywhere in Europe (and the only time I've ever been mugged was in my hometown of Philadelphia).

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