Traveling to Italy any thoughts?

[jk103]

Will be travelling to Italy in a couple of weeks to see my son he is currently deployed and he will be taking a weeks leave to meet us and is nearby. We've been told to be careful travelling on the trains only ride 1st or 2nd class and very curious about wearing watches as well. Seems there are a lot of pick pockets and scammers there according to people we know. Will be going to Florence, Rome and Venice so appreciate any thoughts in advance thank you.

[Franco]

There is nothing other than 1st or 2nd class. In general I would not be flashing around too much cash or jewelry, like you wouldn't in New York or London.

I woud advice to plan in advance so you can book first class on Italo trains (one of the two companies) which are cheaper than Frecciarossa if booked in advance - and first class is quite cheap, compared to UK.

And book Hotels in all town which would allow you to walk in the center of Florence, Rome or Venice.

Can give you more advice about food and things in Florence which is (was) my hometown.

[senwar]

Been to Italy many times and to the cities you mention.

Other than Naples, never felt any issues in Italy and even Naples was nowhere near as bad as we were led to believe (loved the place).

Just be the same as you are/would be at home. Vigilant, aware etc.

[demonloop]

Same advice as any other European city..

Dress down / dark and try not to look like a tourist

Politely decline / shake head at anyone that walks your way for any reason whatsoever or tries to make conversation. You’ll get a lot of this in Rome. Decline all free gifts, such as bracelets

Leave valuables at home

[village]

Exactly as the quote below. I’ve been to Italy a lot and it’s a fantastic place with very friendly people. I’ve never felt threatened or uncomfortable whether it be travelling with the family when the kids were little or afterwards.
Act sensibly and all will be well…that said don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track!

Been to Italy many times and to the cities you mention.

Other than Naples, never felt any issues in Italy and even Naples was nowhere near as bad as we were led to believe (loved the place).

Just be the same as you are/would be at home. Vigilant, aware etc.

[Normunds]

Been to Nothern Italy many times, never ever thought of leaving my watch home, I think it is very safe there. Rome - been once and it was like any big city - avoid crowds, blend in, don't allow anyone to offer or sell you on street, just say firm no and that usually is enough.

[MB2]

If you tavel on the trains (very good and affordable in my experience) be sure to validate your ticket at the machine on the platform (it stamps it a bit like a ticket inspector does) as without that you will be fined on the train.

[paw3001]

No issues in Italy.

Just be sensible as you would in any city. Don’t be flash, don’t make yourself a target, be aware of your surroundings.

We were in Florence and Pisa this year and no issues (apart from the heat) or hassle at all walking around in the day or night.

I can recommend a great family owned hotel which was excellent and reasonable if you would like!

[Andyp1973]

We were in Florence, Bologna, Pisa, Parma and Modena in June.

Travelled around on the train network the whole trip without any issues. Put our network to shame.

Behaved as if we were in London in the bigger cities.

A lot of people asking the time or for directions in Florence. Especially around the Cathedral and major museum entrances.

Just be sensible.


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[EBB21]

Sound advice on the thread. I would add, don't come out of a train station, head down, looking at your phone or a map, wait until you have moved away. Don't eat near tourist places, make the effort to find somewhere locals go. Book ahead if you want to visit the more popular sights, ie. museums, Vatican museum etc. When my mum visited she really enjoyed one of the bus tours around Rome sights.

[Reeny]

If someone goes out of their way to help you at the Florence railway station ticket machine - they are only there to ask for money.

We had a local say he could help us out - even though the "Union Jack" button would have change the machine to English language easy enough.
We were too polite to refuse, and the sting came at the end.
He only wanted a few Euro's - so lesson learnt.

It only happened once.

[adrianw]

We go to Amalfi most years and went to Rome this year, never had a problem, probably safer than London

[ryanb741]

Worth noting also that Italy has a high percentage of WIS compared to the UK. It isn't uncommon to see a waiter wearing a Royal Oak, you'll see lots of locals wearing luxury watches and the watch shopping and diversity of watches on offer is superb. Same applies if you are into fountain pens btw.

Also (and I'm sure this will come as no surprise) the food is bonkers good. Really fantastic use of regionally available produce.

[Jeremy67]

Handbags should be worn across the body to prevent snatching. Many Italian bags have a steel cable running through the strap because cutting the strap and running with the bag has been a problem in Italy for decades.

[Franco]

If someone goes out of their way to help you at the Florence railway station ticket machine - they are only there to ask for money.

We had a local say he could help us out - even though the "Union Jack" button would have change the machine to English language easy enough.
We were too polite to refuse, and the sting came at the end.
He only wanted a few Euro's - so lesson learnt.

It only happened once.

That is true, there are some characters who hang around Florence SMN station looking for targets.

There are also Police patrolling to keep these out of the station. But now they have installed gates of access to the platforms, And things may have changed. And you can comfortably validate your ticket yourself after those.

An alternative is to travelo from the Campo di Marte station, where trains to Rome stop. This is much less busy and easy to navigate.

Some companies have apps that allow you to validate a QR code online, within 4 hrs of travel.

[Owren]

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The best route possible in Italy  Each of these cities is worth at least 1-month staying for sightseeing.

[Neil.C]

Just seen this - enjoy yourself John.

[learningtofly]

Worth noting also that Italy has a high percentage of WIS compared to the UK. It isn't uncommon to see a waiter wearing a Royal Oak…

More likely to be fakes, I’d have thought.

It sounds like a lovely trip, anyway. Wish I was going with you, John.

[Faiz]

Personally I've always felt safe in Italy but I behave the same way I would in London which is probably the best way to behave when travelling anywhere.
Their trains really are superb and make me question how ours are so bad and so expensive.

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[Pitch3110]

Visited many cities in Italy and always felt safe. Walk confidently, tall and blend, just be sensible.

Pitch

[snowman]

Personally I've always felt safe in Italy...
Their trains really are superb and make me question how ours are so bad and so expensive.

They are and very cheap.

I went to Milan last year to watch a Sportscar race at Monza and found the trains so good, that I'm off to Rimini in April to watch this year's Italian WEC round at Imola.

I get to spend a couple of days at the beach, visit San Marino and take in a race, sounds brilliant!

M

[Carlton-Browne]

…visit San Marino…

M

A couple of hours should do you. It’s an interesting box to tick but it feels like a fairly low rent tourist destination. I wonder if the Russian contingent has grown or shrunk in the last 18 months.

[guli]

Have a wonderful time in Italy!

[Dr Wolff]

We were gassed and robbed while staying in Lake Como. Rolex, phones, cash and a brand new hire car. Plus identity - cloned credit cards and drivers license, all later used to hire cars for other criminal offenses (robberies etc).
I wouldn't take a Timex to Italy

PS Wonderful country though. I love it!

[reggie747]

We were gassed and robbed while staying in Lake Como. Rolex, phones, cash and a brand new hire car. Plus identity - cloned credit cards and drivers license, all later used to hire cars for other criminal offenses (robberies etc).
I wouldn't take a Timex to Italy

PS Wonderful country though. I love it!

Can you expand on that please 😳

[Boss13]

We were gassed and robbed while staying in Lake Como. Rolex, phones, cash and a brand new hire car. Plus identity - cloned credit cards and drivers license, all later used to hire cars for other criminal offenses (robberies etc).
I wouldn't take a Timex to Italy

PS Wonderful country though. I love it!

Shocking to read.
Which sort of place were you staying at? Which area?

Having been there earlier this year I can see how it could happen. Totally remote and not close to anything. We were staying up in the hills.

If actually in Como seems more population there and so less of a risk of this sort of stuff maybe.

[bwest76]

A quick google is quite worrying,see also trains.

[noTAGlove]

A quick google is quite worrying,see also trains.

Match yourself to your surroundings. If you believe you’re are a tourist risk in Italy and it has gone down the pan, adjust accordingly.

Avoid ostentatious display of wealth. Leave posh watches and jewellery at home. £1200 iPhone 15 pro max is not the best to be checking for directions after a few grappas in the local bar/restaurant.

I recently came back from Rio and knew the score. No watch, no branded clothes and no posh iPhone. I took an old Android phone with a cracked screen, and always carried a worthless dummy credit card with me.

Crack on and enjoy any visit/holidays. If you’re in Singapore you get p1ssed with your Rolex on. Other parts of the world, no thanks.

[bwest76]

Match yourself to your surroundings. If you believe you’re are a tourist risk in Italy and it has gone down the pan, adjust accordingly.

Avoid ostentatious display of wealth. Leave posh watches and jewellery at home. £1200 iPhone 15 pro max is not the best to be checking for directions after a few grappas in the local bar/restaurant.

I recently came back from Rio and knew the score. No watch, no branded clothes and no posh iPhone. I took an old Android phone with a cracked screen, and always carried a worthless dummy credit card with me.

Crack on and enjoy any visit/holidays. If you’re in Singapore you get p1ssed with your Rolex on. Other parts of the world, no thanks.

Fine, but if they are gassing people in trains etc. they maybe doing on the of chance.

Best to be aware,surely?

[noTAGlove]

Fine, but if they are gassing people in trains etc. they maybe doing on the of chance.

Best to be aware,surely?

If you ain’t got any valuables, there ain’t much to rob.

[bwest76]

If you ain’t got any valuables, there ain’t much to rob.

They arent anaesthetist,they might kill you finding out if its worth robbing you.

[noTAGlove]

They arent anaesthetist,they might kill you finding out if its worth robbing you.

I think you are fear mongering like my 83 yo Mum.

Just looked at Google and there a recent story about Adam Hills and a couple of stories from 2017. Given millions travel the trains, and tens of thousands sleeper trains, I’ll take any chances.

After all, I consciously cross the road knowing over a lifetime I have a small chance of death.

[robcuk]

Worth noting also that Italy has a high percentage of WIS compared to the UK. It isn't uncommon to see a waiter wearing a Royal Oak, you'll see lots of locals wearing luxury watches and the watch shopping and diversity of watches on offer is superb. Same applies if you are into fountain pens btw.

Also (and I'm sure this will come as no surprise) the food is bonkers good. Really fantastic use of regionally available produce.

More often you’ll find Italian Girls/Ladies wearing their fathers/grandfathers/boyfriends Panerai/Rolex/Omega and usually with the bracelet left long, hanging over their hand along with a handful of little thin bracelets all bouncing off the crystal as they gesticulate away!

[jk103]

So I got back from Italy last Thursday. Getting up Friday morning I had a full blown head cold and as of this writing the thing won't go away. This cold is something I have never had before but it's all head cold, no nausea, no chest pain, no aches or pains just solid head cold and blowing my nose is a half hour ordeal. Don't know if I should blame the Italians or not?

Anyway, my train experience because we rode on Italia and Trenatalia is to ride Italia like others mentioned first it is so much better.

We had real Italian Lasagna from one restaurant with the owners Grandmothers recipe well, huge difference than what we get here in the US. The key ingredient is home made cream not ricotta cheese. For you Europeans yes the American version is ten pounds of ricotta cheese which I hate.

Huge surprise not very many restaurants if any actually have chicken in their main dishes. The norm here in the US is lots of chicken with Italian dishes so a real learning experience with food there. Now your going to say that what do you expect your an American, well, a lot of the Italian restaurants we have here are run by true immigrant Italians so you expect your getting the real deal but I guess not.

Rome and Venice felt very safe in both places but not so much in Florence very unsafe city. My sister was pickpocketed to the tune of 800 euro really her own fault but how many here know the police station is closed on Sunday??? Well criminals never sleep and so it happened on a Sunday.

We saw a lot of the touristy things but I am very happy with that as I am mostly intrigued by architecture and a cultures real food options. My wife like many of yours only cares for how much money they can spend on trinkets so in the end we all got what we wanted. Did I get what I wanted well hell yeah I got Cubans:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pmSaRV]


We did take a pasta making class in Florence and the chef then cooked it and we ate it for our meal big thumbs up because the chef kept praising me for my pasta making skills so I gloated over the wife with that.

The watch stores had plenty of inventory at least to peruse and handle and I am talking all the brands simply icing on the cake.

So why did I go to Italy ..It wasn't for sightseeing, food or anything it was to see our son who has been deployed because of the Ukraine BS.

Mom is very happy to see her son

[Reeny]

Did you see the original Panerai shop in the pedestrian square near the Domo cathedral in Florence?
The very small window and historic shop frontage remained in place when we were there 15-years ago. The window had a ships clock chronometer in the display window, and it nearly filled the space on its own.

[Mr.D]

Never had any issues in Italy , wear my watches as normal , feels safer than London most places , Liverpool and Birmingham are the worst places I’ve visited in terms of dodgey nitwits, with Leicester and Coventry close runners.

In Birmingham especially I always assume if I’m there for a week ( working not through choice) I’ll encounter some random scrawny half wit wanting to have a go on the basis of being looked at , disrespected etc . Had one idiot threaten to kill me in a hotel lift because as I was getting out he tried to barge in and fell flat on his face after trying to walk through my suitcase.

I held him at reception with a security guard whilst he whined and his girlfriend begged us not to call the police . He was kicked out the hotel 5 mins after checking in must be a record .

Italy is lovely in comparison

[jk103]

Did you see the original Panerai shop in the pedestrian square near the Domo cathedral in Florence?
The very small window and historic shop frontage remained in place when we were there 15-years ago. The window had a ships clock chronometer in the display window, and it nearly filled the space on its own.

I went to the small one by St Mark's Clocktower and the one by the Florence Cathedral

[Reeny]

That is the one I remember.
The shop has expanded three fold. It was the right hand doorway and side window display at one time.