Ciao, Bella Americana Girl!

Issues for women traveling in Italy—what to expect on an Italian vacation, from Romeo wannabes to the creepy guy on the bus with the pinchy fingers

Italian travel is as easy for women as it is for men. You may get complimented, whistled at, pinched, prodded, or propositioned, but you’re probably physically safer there than you are at home. (Italians see rape as even more repugnant than Americans do, and there are far, far fewer reported rapes in Italy.)

First of all: You should feel perfectly safe even in big cities, even at night. Many women report feeling much safer in Rome or Venice than they ever do at home, and they even feel fine walking through the deserted streets in the middle of the night all alone.

Of course, it always pays to play it safe. Stick to populated streets after dark, and know where the bad neighborhoods are. The bottom line, sad as it may be, is that physically you have much less to worry about in Italy than you do in most parts of the United States.

Why is every man in Italy hitting on me?

Unfortunately, Hollywood films have provided Europeans with the impression that all American women are easy—blondes doubly so.

In many ways, Italy remains a rigid, formal, “traditional” society. The fact that American women are used to being more independent, straightforward, and openly friendly than their Italian counterparts has the unfortunate side effect of reinforcing the Hollywood sexpot image, in which every American engages in a sex scene at least by the end of the second act.

The practical upshot: American women are seen as fair (and likely) game.

Look on the bright side. This can be a great opportunity to make friends, get instant language lessons, or flirt. It can also be a darn nuisance. Just pick when you feel it’s safe and you’re in the mood to be friendly, and when you should firmly ignore all those men falling over one another to be helpful, charming, and gallant.

Yes, Italian men pinch bottoms and sometimes (disgustingly creepily) rub themselves up against women—usually in crowded places like city buses—and can make the most surprising and sometimes raunchy propositions.

Some overly ardent shopkeeps will corner solo women and offer to show them some more “special merchandise” upstairs. Make your excuses, slip past them to the door, and just march right on out.

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