Sarvowinner

Romana

KAMG wrote this in March, 2003. Trip 2006 has resurrected a dead and buried thread. KAMG may also be well & truly dead & buried as far I know.

Leonora

As of now, Rome is my next European destination, but the thing I hear repeatedly is about the crime. Both of my closest friends who have been to Rome were robbed and neither lacks travel savvy. And now I read about dishonest cab drivers. Any caveats to quell my fears?

indylady

My sister and I just returned from 8 days in Rome. The city is beautiful, but the sad part was all the garbage everywhere. The graffiti is destroying/has destroyed just about every single mile of the city. The Tiber river was really bad. How could the Vatican, with all it's power and money not help bring back the beauty that once was. I am Catholic, and so dissappointed the church let the city get this bad. I loved Rome.

jabez

A couple observations:
-Crime is no more prevalent in Rome than most any large city. Things like armed robberies and other violent crimes are probably much less per person than in most US cities.
There are scam artists that try to sucker tourists out of their money.
The "flower distributors" at the Spanish steps is just one example.This is true of most tourist spots.

Where Rome has an obvious problem is in pickpockets/bag snatchers.
I have traveled to Rome 5 times for about 30 days. I'll return this Oct. for another week. Last time my wife almost had her wallet lifted from her purse and twice I caught someone trying to lift mine.
These were the only circumstances that we have personally faced.
Our experiences were on public transport and that's probably where most of these crimes take place.
Take the advice of many threads here and protect yourself.
-graffiti
I know that it's there,but in all honesty I really don't "notice" it. There's so much else to see.
-"Garbage everywhere"
Rome is much cleaner than the 70's.
I've never been to Rome in August,possibly garbage is a bigger problem then. I know that it's the heaviest time for civl service workers (garbage collectors, street sweepers ,etc) vacations.
-Tiber's been dirty for a looooong time. Read some history books about it 100's of years ago.
-"I am Catholic, and so dissappointed the church let the city get this bad. I loved Rome."

I agree with your love of Rome,but you might be more at peace about this if you read some history of the church and how long that it has been since they have the power (or even money for that sake) that you seem to think they have.

ekscrunchy

Why would the Vatican be able to do anything about the alleged problems in Rome? You are talking about two separate entities. Would the UN attempt to involve themselves in the problems of New York City?

vjpblovesitaly

Indylady lives!!
Didn't you start a thread that said Rome, a big disapointment? and now you are saying you loved Rome? Have you been back to thread?

ekscrunchy

I am having a difficult time imagining how graffiti could have either destroyed, or be in the process of destroying, every inch of ANY city! Next thing you know someone will want to know about ordering a toga to wander around in.

Funtimes4all

I was warned about how horrible Rome was before I went...I LOVED it! It was my favorite city in Italy. I had a great time there, never got tired of seeing the sites, and thought it more than lived up to my historical/archeological/architectural expectations. It was just an incredible city. I spent five days there and could have easily spent five more and then probably another five after that. It struck me as the kind of place of which I could never grow tired. I agree that it is a very fast paced city, which did bother me for the first day or so. By the time I left, though, that was one of my favorite things about it. Perhaps the difference in opinion is at least partially because I went with relatively low expecations based on what I had been told. When I found the opposite to be true, I was pleasantly surprised.

kaos

I related to this subject. I had my wallet and passport lifted out of my hand by two guys on a Vespa my first night in Rome. I traveled around Italy and returned two weeks later and was accosted by a gang of Gypsy kids. This time I fought back and recovered.

I have worked in NYC and feel comfortable in the middle of Times Square at midnight. Rome needs to crack down on petty crime if it wants to continue to attract tourists.

I love Italy, but it has lots of other beautiful and safe cities to enjoy without feeling uneasy.

curveball2

I have been to Rome twice and enjoyed it both times. I do agree with those who say do it at the end of your trip and not the beginning. About 3 days is the right length for me, just don't try to do everything in those 3 days. While it is not my favorite place in Italy, (smaller towns are my favorites),it is better than Paris, London, LA, or Chicago.(haven't been to NYC)