IS Rome Safe
 

Hi i'm spending 4 nights in Rome in December.<BR>I have been reading some travel books and they say Rome is really bad for theft. I was after some feed back on expierences people have had in Rome.

Rome is no worse for theft than any large European city. In my opinion, as I've visited both Rome and Paris, I feel that Paris has more theft especially in the metro. You have to always be aware of your surroundings at all times even at home. <BR><BR>I visited Rome last summer and although it was crowded especially with a soccer match going on one weekend, never was I <BR>victimized by theft. Of course I was holding onto my bag and being aware of what's going on around me at all times. But personally I didn't feel unsafe in Rome.

My wife and I spent 5 nights/6 days in Rome the first of June. Like you I had read many horror stories about the petty theft problem in Rome, so I went with a certain amount of fear about being ripped off. Boy was I relieved!! We walked everywhere, and didn't have a single problem. We walked as late as 10 PM on the Via Nationale and felt perfectly safe. Nor did we see anything that made the hair on my neck stand up. Absolutely no gangs of kids like you hear so much about, unless you consider kids playing soccer in the street or walking to and from school to be gangs. We did see beggars around, but most of them sit rather pittifully on the steps of a church or other site and quietly ask for money, or display a sign. Only once did a women kinda of startle me near the Victor Emmanuel Monument, by popping up in front of me with a sign. I said "Va Via" pretty loudly and she back pedaled real quick. Once in a while I would toss a coin to a beggar, the ones that really got to me were the guys who would kneel on the street in Venice. Anybody who would be willing to kneel on cobblestones to beg pretty much deserved a .50 EURO coin in my opinion. Both of us took a certain amount of precautions. My wife had a Hobo security backpack (cloth that would take an axe to get through, pockets against the back). I wore Dockers Mobile pants that have hidden zipper pockets, No wallet, leg holster, etc. Like other posters here will tell you: be alert, don't take unneccesary risks, and if something makes you uncomfortable, don't do it. Otherwise, don't spend you whole trip so paranoid that you fail to have a great time.

Same experience here....<BR><BR>I was there for a week last Sept and walked around with a purse and did not have any problems or see any crime while I was there. You just have to use common sense and be aware of your surrondings. I never opened my purse on the street and did not carry alot of cash.<BR><BR>have a great trip!

I was there alone in January and never had any problems, even walking at night to a performance or on the way back to my hotel from dinner, or just going for an evening stroll for some good exercise.<BR><BR>Buon Viaggio,<BR>BC

I just returned from 11 days in Paris, Rome and Madrid.What a GREAT improvement<BR>from 2 years ago! This trip we saw none of the street urchins,gypsies or blatant<BR>pickpockets-where did they go,what happened? Did the police finally come to the realisation that they had to pay attention to what some people called petty criminals? Weactually felt over-cautious if that makes sense,no-where did we feel any danger and we went everywhere! Definitely less tourists around-it was a pleasure to visit and made for great memories!

It seems to me that if you are from a big city you are already alert to theft and personal threats and are cautious. I live in a big city, and always just naturally hold my purse by the clasp when I am walking on the street. I never put my purse on a chair or table next to me without holding on to it. In this sense, Rome is no more and perhaps less dangerous than a typical big city.

Just got back from 17 day trip to Italy. Five of which were in Rome. Had no problems at all. Felt very safe even late at night walking with my wife. Felt safer in Rome than I would in many US cities. Only problem I had was in Florence at a gelato stand. I felt a hand going in my pocket and when I yelled at the guy"hey, what are you doing" he looked dumb and then walked away. I guess he wasn't waiting for a gelato. I thought about what happened. He was probably observing me take out my wallet to get the money and when I put it back in my pocket and started to check out the different flavors he made his move.Not so fast big fella.<BR>Brody

<BR>You should have little worry about violent crime in Rome. Petty crime, like pickpocketing, is the problem.<BR><BR>Carry your valuables in a concealed place, NOT in your pockets, and you should be fine.

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Italy, 6 days in Rome. I think that the general concensus is be on guard, as you would be any large city.<BR>Though we never travel with jewellery or good watches. Thanks to the invention of hotel safes and ATM's we never carry our passport and very little cash.

Two weeks ago I saw a young woman get ripped off in Rome on the train to the airport. A young boy, maybe 5 years old, was going down the train aisle begging. When the young woman got out her coin purse to give him something, he snatched the whole thing and he and his mother (yes, they were gypsies) jumped off the train. (This was at a stop.) The girl, a student just starting her vacation, lost 200 euros, but fortunately not her credit cards or passport which were separate from her money. <BR><BR>I have been of the opinion that Americans have been overreacting to the crime possibilities in European cities, but I have a new wariness after seeing this happen. If you want to give to beggars, keep some small change in a pocket.<BR><BR>One further point: no one ever checked my ticket on this train and I think the laxness of the system encourages thieves who do not even have to pay the price of a ticket for the opportunity of ripping off the public.

The best thing to do when you encounter these beggars is to not encourage it by giving anything. Then you will not be vulnerable to theft when you get out your wallet. Sometimes only a single one sits on the side begging and I'm not sure if it is safe then to give. But you do feel sorry for them.

Carry your major cash, credit cards, and passport in a money belt worn under your clothes. My husband carries a wallet with a days worth of spending money in it. If the wallet is stolen, we're out a little, but it won't ruin our trip.

Except for a sadly too few holidays abroad I have lived my whole life in Italy, travelling more or less everywhere the "boot" and always since I have become a "grown up girl" (this means at least 15 years ^_^) keeping my money (wallet) in a bag. I have never had any problem with pickpokets or bag snatchers. Do not worry overmuch, keep one hand on the bag as you walk around and move it in front of you in very crowded places. But, what's most important, do not look overprotective about it: if you start looking like a tourists that might rish losing all his money, you will be fastly singled out as an interesting prospect for a theft. Thieves will start thinking that you are a good catch and will attempt to get at your money. So, relax.

Been to Rome 3 times. Never had any problems. My only encounter with a 'gypsy' was my last visit, while on a crowded tram with baggage. I notices these girls (with infants) as soon as they stepped on the bus. Nothing happened but I have reason to believe they were eyeing my backpack (which has multiple latches, zippers, etc and would be difficult to sneak into). I just stared at the one standing near me (I was also standing, the other had asked for my seat, while nursing her infant). They got off the bus at the next stop. Nothing happened. Just be alert and use common sense. Overall I always felt very safe in Rome and the rest of Italy.

Just a guess, but I think the Rome officials got tough on gypsies after some bad publicity combined with the Catholic Jubilee in 2000. <BR><BR>We heard lots of stories about gypsies and crime, but when we got to Rome, I think we only saw one gypsy beggar.<BR><BR>My son did get victimized by a street vendor who sold him a bracelet for $2 US, but ran off with the change, about $3 US. It was a cheap lesson for my son.

The poverty that spawns petty theft in Rome is very real. The city is overwhelmed by Eastern European refugees often referred to a "gypsies" on this forum (my politically correct daughter would scold me for using the word, apparently it is becoming a perjorative.)<BR><BR>It is tempting to give cash to beggars: some would say that just perpetuates the problem. <BR><BR>May I offer another solution? There is an Episcopalian Church in central Rome on the Via Nazionale called St. Paul's Within the Walls. It has taken a very aggressive stand on the problem and has a Refugee Centre especially useful to mothers with young children (often the most appealing of the beggars and used ruthlessly by the G-word crime bosses).<BR><BR> Through the efforts of this church which is affiliated with St. Pauls in New York, they have worked with police and other offialdom to solve the problem. And these combined efforts are helping as you can tell by this post.<BR><BR>The church is attractive and always open to tourists: make your donation there rather than sprinkle the money across a few hands.<BR><BR> St. Paul's has a large English speaking congregation and often serves as the site for concerts in the evenings as it is close to the Opera House: maybe you will get lucky as we did and find out more of this remarkable story while attending a great performance. (And, for the sceptical few Fodorites, that is my only connection with the organization- I don't go there and am not even Episcopalian...just an admirer of somebody who does something when they see a problem).

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