Anybody other than me think that fellas like Rick Steves and several other guides overblow the problem of Gypsy pickpockets and the like. I saw only a couple them last time I visited Italy.

Yes it is overblown, I never saw any in Rome or Paris. The trick is, watch out for yourself and your belongings. Do make yourself a target and try to fit in like a local and not look to conspicious. No matter where you go there is a bad element, muggers in NYC, Car Jackers in L.A., Gypsys in Europe, etc.

Derek, I do not consider the "gypsy" problem of pickpockets overblown. I've been to Europe many times and many of those times I have not seen any gypsies and I have never been pickpocketed. However, there have been times when I have seen the gypsies and a few times when other people with me did have thier pockets picked or something stolen. The last time was this past October in Italy. My fiance had her pocketbook stolen in Rome (by a local, we think, not gypsies) while we were checking out of a hotel on our last day. By time we got back to the US later that day, the thief had charged $7000 on 2 credit cards and attempted, but was refused a $5000 charge on another credit card. On the flight back, 2 other passengers also told us they had their pockets or pocket books picked. It is also not unusal to read here on Fodors of other travellers who have losses while in Europe. So in my opinion, the problem is real and why Rick Steves and other guides warn travellers of the peril. Consider yourself fortunate and lucky if you have never had a problem. I do.

This is a real problem, and just because it hasn't happened to you does not mean that it doesn't exist. On my very first trip to Italy (traveling alone)I was standing in the Stazione Termini in Rome, waiting for a train to Florence, when a group of Gypsy kids tried to attack me. Thank God, as an American I stood out like a sore thumb, blond hair, blue eyes, and had quite a few admirers. Just as the gypsy started grabbing at me, 5 Italian guys came out of nowhere, and got rid of them. It all happened so fast, it was amazing. And quite comical afterwards because they were all vying for my attention. Please don't misunderstand. I say this with no conceit, it was really quite embarrassing but really cute too. <BR>Another time in Rome, my friend and I were riding the Metro, and she was not listening to me warning her about the gypsys. I just feld something was going to happen because she was being careless. And sure enough, the doors opened, he grabbed her $600 camera and was gone in a flash. This will put an incredible strain on any vacation. Please be vary, it is a problem, even if it has never happened to you. And not only with gypsys.

We have had a couple of bad experiences with Gypsys - all in Rome. They seem to congregate at the tourist spots. The last time we encountered them there were 5 of them - 1 adult and 4 children. Out of nowhere they surrounded my husbsand, the children had newspapers, they held the newspapers up in his face (totally obscuring the lower half of his body), and then "mama" gypsy starting digging into his pocket. I was at a distance behind him, I saw what was going on and began running and screaming "BASTA". They took off, I guess I was quite a sight! Just keep those eyes open!

In February, we were attacked by gypsies in Milan. Only my screaming at the top of my lungs, clenching my fists, and swearing in Italian (sidebar: why do we learn the naughty words first?) got them to back off. A friend just returned from Milan and had a similar situation (and he's a large GUY) of being surrounded and jostled. <BR>I've seen gypsies in Paris, but have never had a problem with them there (though I've heard stories). <BR>There is a very real problem with tourists being robbery targets. As Dawn pointed out, a theft can really put a damper on a vacation. Just watch your stuff, keep it inaccessible to snatch-and-grabs and pickpockets (i.e. button your coat over your camera), and try not to take unnecessary valuables (you don't want to leave your camera home, but the Rolex watch probably doesn't need to make the trip). <BR>And, finally, don't be afraid to make a scene and get harsh.

It sounds as though most of the bad experiences took place in Rome. In Paris, I saw no gypsies. However, it is is important to be "streetwise" no matter where you are and not to be conspicuous as a tourist. <BR> <BR>Perhaps having come from a city, Washington, D.C., I noticed less difference. Sadly, I felt safer in Paris than I do most of the time in DC.

Derek, I think you and Richard are the only ones in the "overblown Gypsy problem" tent. They are definitely something to be aware of, but they hardly fit into the category of "muggers and car jackers". No need to be paranoid, just use common sense.

No -- I do not think this problem is exaggerated at all. My mother had her purse stolen right off her shoulder by a gypsy woman in Florence, while we were standing inside Santa Croce! This was not on the street, it was inside -- and she is not an elderly person -- at the time she was a very youthful 49 years old. She reported it to the authorities and they told her to forget it and kiss it goodbye because the gypsies got it. It happened so fast and so quietly that we didn't really even see the woman until we saw her slipping out with the purse. My mother is a very street-savvy person and is cautious on the street, but probably let her guard down because we were inside Santa Croce, of all places. Fortunately all she had in the purse was a little cash and a few traveller's checks and one credit card, and she had left everything else in the hotel room. In fact, a few years back "60 minutes" did a story on the gypsy problem in Paris and Rome. It is a serious problem.

I agree with the posters who advise caution. I have traveled to Italy for more than 12 years and now live here. I have never been pickpocketed, but people far more experienced than I have, including native Bolgonese, Florentines and Romans. You can't be too careful, and you have to face the fact of law of averages. There are so many ways to protect yourself: spread your money and credit cards around in several places, wear a neck thing (although I don't and I find them uncomfortable). Above all, be aware at all times where your purse and belongings are. And again, don't keep all your "stuff" in one place. Still, as one poster noted, as a single woman, I feel safer walking in most parts of most Italian cites so much more so than in the U.S. There just isn't the threat of physical harm that you encounter in the U.S. Italy is the most incredible country; just being alert shouldn't keep you way from I think is an experience of a lifetime. <BR> <BR>

I too advise caution in Paris. I stared down several would-be thiefs in the subways because I was looking for them! Twice after following us for some time, they attached themselves elsewhere after I continually turned around and went eye-to-eye with them. Last Saturday on our way to one of thewonderfulParis flea markets, we ran into a couple on our same Metro (they were from Long Island, not Cincinnati as we are) who were accousted on the Metro with the classic front-man stumble, two others followed as they entered the car. They were very shaken! I read and listened to every word the Foderites and really didn't feal threatened because I felt prepared for anencounter which never occurred. I abhored the gypsies on the Metro cars with their music and puppet shows, and in the entrances to the cars they disturbed me too. Most probbly because I'm not used to them! However, this forum gave me the incentive to tell them to get away - as I did on Rue du Rivoli when the "gentleman" replied, "F--- Y-- B----! So much for a language problem! We both understood!

<BR>Gypsy problems are real as I or my travel partners have had problems/run-ins/theft from gypysies in countries/cities such as Finland,Poland, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona <BR>Sometimes bands of swarming kids and other times male adult pickpockets but always they were gyspies and the problem is real.

We have just returned from Rome and had no problems. However we heard from others in our hotel that the gypsy bands frequent buses and prey on tourists. One couple regaled us with a tale which they witnessed: A couple disembarked from a bus at the Vatican to discover the Gypsy band on the bus had relieved them of their camera. With great presence of mind they stood in FRONT of the bus and refused to move. A few minutes later their camera was handed out the window! Do other travelers join us in wondering why the local police allow tourists to be the prey of such easily identifiable thieves? This problem could easily be prevented with the proper kind of policing. I suspect "protection" money is paid to allow such nonsense.

I certainly think the police are in on the pickpocketing crime in Barcelona as it is far too prevelent and infamous. The police do nothing in Barcelona to stop these thefts from tourists and I am sure $$$ is the reason. Pay-offs. Kickbacks. Corruption. <BR>

Part of the problem is the children; they cannot be prosecuted, so why bother to arrest? I also think the locals are so used to it that they don't kick up a fuss (for the most part, the gypsies are not violent - except with each other - so it's a "minor crime"). Only if tourists (whether vacationers or business travellers) raise a beef will anything be done. I figure a letter to the mayor and/or minister of tourism can't hurt...

You know, if you replaced the word "Gypsy" with any ethnic group we have in America - blacks, Jews, Italians, anyone - I think people would be very offended by most of these posts. <BR>Certainly, there are Gypsys who steal. There are also Spaniards, Germans, and Brits who steal, as well. <BR>Sensible tourists will be careful to be alert to their surroundings and avoid putting themselves in danger. You're really no more at risk than you are in the US. Just as you wouldn't carry several hundred dollars in cash or flash around an expensive camera in NYC or LA, don't do it abroad. <BR>Traveling - and just plain living - always has its risks. There's not much you can do about theft here or abroad, other than try to prevent it and try not to let it ruin your vacation if it happens to you. <BR>I don't mean to belittle anyone else's experiences - they're all very valid, and people have provided some good advice. But identifying the problem as "Gypsies" is racist and offensive.

What is a gypsy anyway?

Susan: <BR>Are you saying that there is no gypsy problem and that all these posters are delusional? Or that there is a problem, and we're not allowed to discuss it?

The theft/crime problems are not only limited to gypsies. And I have yet to figure out why that is racist? That is what they call themselves. While traveling in Italy on my last trip I met a couple from Boston. They had been robbed by a Mother/Son team in the Florence train station, and they were not gypsies. Unfortunately, since the beginning of time there have people like this, and there always will be. When you travel, even to your local supermarket, you need to be on guard, especially women.

"Gypsy" is not what they call themselves--it's a slur, like the n word for blacks or the k word for Jews, etc. Correct term is Rom. <BR>Gypsy is from "Egyptian," which they at one time were thought to be. <BR>I didn't see any when I was in Paris, but we walked everywhere. It seems as though a lot of the thefts reported here took place on public ransportation.