Passport question
 

Is it common practice in Sicily to give a copy of your passport? We have just arrived at a villa and the owner has requested this. If anyone out there could let me know ASAP I would appreciate it. We are from the US and this does not seem right to us. Thank you

You must register your passport with the police in Italy. The hotel or apartment owner will do this for you. Mostly you give your original passport and it's returned to you shortly. In this case the owner wants a copy so he/she doesn't have to return the passport quickly.

It's the way things are done in Italy.

Don't worry - you'll get your passports returned as soon as
the owner has registered you w/the Italian officials. No
big deal.

Thank you Adrienne. It is just that everything is so different here that I didn't quite know what to think.

Immimi thank you too. I would rather be safe than sorry.

You should go with the flow and not worry. Things will be very different on Sicily. Have a wonderful time! If you go to Palermo be sure to see a puppet show - they're wonderful.

This is a legal requirement by the police. Hotels do it as a courtesy for guests - so they don;t have to go to the police station. Sounds like your apartment owner is doing the same.

(This used to be much more common in europe - but most countries have given it up. But, it's still the law in italy.)

Yo will be asked for it at every hotel in Italy.

Thanks everyone. We are going to get to Palermo and Adrienne I'm glad you mentioned the puppet show because I had read about them but forgot all about it.