We are 16 adults and children returing to Rome following a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. We are looking for a tour agency to set-up a 2 day visit in Rome and surrounding area.
Any suggestions for a tour operator you have used and any suggestions for what we should see?

An friend of mine was visiting Italy a few years passed and rented a car. They were waved down by a gentleman in another car who said they had a flat tire. When they stopped to check they believe the other person with the gentlemen punctured the tire.

They were then offered a ride to the nearest station by the nice gentleman in suit. Bad mistake. Their luggage left in the car and all possessions were then stolen and they were abandoned on the road.

Be careful.

Tourists are fair game for scams in Rome. We are tourists, so naturally fair game. We were stung in the most memorable fashion a couple of years ago, when we managed to purchase a pair of leather jackets (“I’m on my way home from the Milan fashion shows, where are you from?, my sister lives in Adelaide, I’ve lost half my map of Rome (shows half map), can you direct me to the bank, my Visa card is broken (shows Visa card with broken corner), here take these two leather jackets – they are just samples, I don’t need them, could you spot me 50 Euro, I’m about out of petrol (points to petrol gauge)”. 50 Euro for two leather jackets – unbelievable, and they had an Italian label – pasted over the other label that said “Made in Beijing”. A few polyvinylchlorides were killed and their skins tanned to make those jackets. And he was right when he thanked us for our help – “you’ll never forget me”, he said. We haven’t.

So we were chuffed this time when a guy pulled up, asking to be directed to the Tiber – all of 50 metres away, bridge in full view, jackets in plastic bags on the back seat. Anticipation of sweet revenge. Same dialogue, up to the point when we were advised that his sister lived in Perth. And then he drove off – he must have spotted Lou’s grin as she poked me in the ribs. Damn. Hate that.

Tourists are not fair game. Period.

There were many time in Switzerland when train officials/strangers could have taken advantage of me, but did they? No b/c they have respect for human being and understand the importance of being a decent human being, unlike some other countries.

Read the thread on Japanese couple being stuck with 700 euro for lunch in Rome:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lunch-bill.cfm

Hobbitt, my account of being scammed in Rome is extracted from a rather tongue-in-cheek trip report of our time in Venice and Rome. I recollect that when I first posted it, there was a chorus of people who said that they’d been caught out in the same way. One poster even suggested that we should form a club, the “We bought leather jackets in Rome only to discover ….” Club.

I do think that on the open-ended Richter scale of crimes, it is single digit at worst, and no scammer is going to try it out on any non-tourist.

We’re still able to laugh about it, and see the episode as being 50 Euro, if not willingly, at least amusingly, spent. On the other hand, we did avoid the gentlemen selling genuine Prada hand bags on the streets of Venice.

For me, life is too short to complain overly about the minor slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

I'd see your comment "Seriously, if Italy did not have its art and history, I would never recommend this country to any person. The level of deception they use is beyond one's imagination" as being a tad over the top. One could just as well make the same comment about Australia, Botswana or Canada.

I've taken the ES from Venice to Florence as well as the regional trains, solo, and never a problem; it's a great way to go IMO. I always take a 22 inch but if you think a 24" will fit in the overhead then you are all set. The trip isn't that long, and if memory serves they come by with a trolley for drinks/coffee/snacks so you don't even have to leave to go to the dining car (however in trips with the DH or friends we have often left our luggage and gone to the dining car without incident).

Other than allowing myself to be overcharged for a vaporetto ticket in Venice because I wasn't paying enough attention, and buying a glass bowl on Murano with a small "Murano" sticker over the air bubble, I've had no scam or theft problems or even close. I usually use a small microfiber messenger style bag carried cross-body, and my hand is on it most of the time. In places I feel less secure (Naples, for ex.) I also use a money belt for passport/atm/credit card/tix. I avoid places like the pickpocket express bus in Rome.

I recently bought the book "The Italians" and figure I will gain some insights into this issue, but one theory I've heard is that Italians are so used to having to stick it to "the Man" to survive that it's almost reflex by now. As Rick Steves put it on one of his programs, "Money--you got it; they want it."

I was interested to read the comment above about how the decrease in tourism has increased the problem.

Of course, tourist scam can be said about South East Asian countries as well....that's why I don't go there anymore. I visited the "must-sees" in that region and would never return there again. The same with Italy, unfortunately.

However, I would definitely re-visit Switzerland, France, UK, Germany, and Austria---whether it is to re-visit the "must sees" or just for vacation (renting an apartment and just relaxing). Basically, you don't have to watch your back when visiting those countries...at least, I didn't (though my mom was almost pickpocketed by gypsies in Vienna 6 years ago).

At the least, I had a feeling that they wanted to be friends (actually, they looked out for me even when it is not profitable to do so) and did not see me as a walking ATM machine. Some even went out of their way to make sure my interest was satisfied though they gain nothing in return.

Though I shared some experience with this board, I did not share all. And it is the rest of my experience that left a very bad taste.

Italy visitors, see this thread, as a visitors be aware.

The biggest "scam" in the world is DisneyWorld. Now, complaining that they have fewer tourists, they have raised the daily price to $79 from $75 per person.

Add in overpriced, crap food and mouse ears and a family of four cannot get out of that place for less than $600 per day.

Yes, I live near Orlando and would rather cap my own teeth with copper pennies than ever go back near MickeyLand.

:-)

dave

Pickpocketing can (and does) happen anywhere, not just Italy. I've seen someone pickpocketed in Switzerland, the Louvre, etc.

Well, in the interest of presenting both sides of the story, I have to say that our experiences have been very different from many of the incidents told here.

We've been to Italy many times and with the exception of one incident with some teenagers near Termini years ago, we've never been robbed, threatened, or scammed.

We have taken trains nearly everywhere with no problems.

I can't think of any incidents of rudeness, but I can give you chapter and verse tales of being directed and helped by Italians.

Maybe we're just lucky, but, as Bob says, be aware and have a great trip.

Byrd

One couple who was dressed very well put a city map under my nose and asked questions saying they were lost - I immediately covered my purse and told them to go away. They then went to my sister and did the same thing. When finding out they could get no where on that bus they hopped off like they had been doing this all of their life.

We assumed that while they were talking and my eyes could not see under the map they would attempt to pickpocket my purse.

I also must addthat I have neverhad any incidentsin the many times I visited Italy.

On the contrary my wife once left her handbag with money passports etc. in a restaurant only to have someone follow her group by car, flag them down and tell her. When they returned to the restaurant the bag was returned to her without anything being missing and they all had a joke about it.

Stuart

I've been to Iraly 4 times. I was robbed 3 times--first and second visit. The robbers are pros. Watch out for the gypsies. They are dressed in suits and carry knives. They ride the buses and will slit your purse on the bottom to get to your wallet. If anyone shoves you, they are robbing you. We had a rental car that we parked outside of a train station and when we returned, we discovered that they opened the trunk with a crowbar and removed the contents (dishes, video camera, cases of wine, chairs, etc.) all worth about $2,500. Wear a money belt and bag the pocketbook. Sorry, no suggestions about a rental car.

Thank you all! Some very interesting comments!

I am planning on taking a money belt. And the Pacsafe cross-body bag that I bought has a lock for the zipper, a steel cable in the strap so it can't be cut off, and steel-reinforced front and bottom so it can't be slashed open.

Now, it seems that I need to find a way to not have my luggage stolen from the trunk of my rental car while visiting San Gimignano and Orvieto (they will be stops along my way to Siena and Sorrento.

Yes, the money belt is a good idea! Of course one should always be aware of the surroundings, but sadly, Italy demands it just a bit more than many other places I've been. On the upside luggage doesn't get stolen out of car trunks too often. On the downside cars themselves are easy to steal. Maybe a really good steel version of the club would be a good idea, and trying to park in view of where you are when the car is full of luggage.

I had a credit card stolen, it happened at my local supermarket when I stupidly put it down to sign for the CC purchase. We have had our vehicles broken into five times, that always happened in California.

In all of my trips to Italy there has never been an incident of our vehicle being broken into. Never had my anything stolen. Does that mean anything, no, but to think that only Italy has the problem is not realistic.

There was an incident when I was staying with dear friends in a small city in the Region of Veneto. Their home was on the top three floors of their five story building. Other friends had arrived as we were going somewhere. The wife of the house where I was staying was home alone. Suddenly she heard noises on one of the floors above her. She went upstairs to check and found a stranger in the bedroom I was using. The woman had some of my jewerly in her hands. My passport was sitting on the desk. My friend had a knife in her hand and started yelling at the woman while waving the knife and the intruder ran out of the room empty handed and down all five stories of the stairway and came barging out of the building exit door with my friend behind her. Thankfully nothing was stolen and very thankfully my friend was not injured or killed. A scary incident. The intruder was not Italian. My friends all said she looked like she was from Albania. And how she got into my friends residence is a mystery to this day.

Joannyc, two friends got on a train in Italy. One friend had all but the money she needed for the day in her money belt along with her passport etc. The other friend had all of her money, passport etc. in her purse. She had 500euro stolen from her when she first got on the train. I don't remember if she had her passport stolen or not. She was a good sport about the incident and didn't ruin their trip but I know she was heartbroken.

So wear a money belt. And regarding your rental car, if possible try to back into a parking space where the back of your vehicle will be up against a wall or a building so it will make it harder for thieves to break into the trunk of your car. And of course don't leave anything in sight within your car.

And have a wonderful and crime free time in beautiful Italy!

I just remembered another incident. The husband of one of the Italian families that are like relatives to us had been so good to me while there in their city. I had brought a hostess present and flowers or wine from time to time when visiting them which was often but I wanted to buy some "little" present for him. I couldn't find anything that pleased me.

I was shopping at the city's weekly farmer's market and saw a beautiful shirt I knew my son-in-law would love so I bought it. The vendor gave me the correct amount for the change, this was back when the Lira was still being used. Later I thought the Lira looked a bit "different" but didn't give it a lot of thought. A couple of nights later I was at said friend's home for dinner and after dinner the dear husband pulled out a coin and currency book he had had since he was a young boy. He showed me page after page of old coins and old paper money. One one page there was not any paper money on the rectangle for a certain no longer in use Lira. He looked at me sadly and said he had given up, he knew he would never ever find it so his book would never be complete. Oh my gosh..I excused myself and went into their library and took the paper Lira that the vendor had given me out of my wallet,
looked at it, placed it in my hand and went back to their living room and sat down next to my friend. I again looked at the picture of the Lira he had never been able to collect and put the Lira I had on the rectangle. My friend almost passed out from shock. His precious wife got tears in her eyes. So the "no longer in currency" Lira the vendor had passed on to me knowing I wouldn't know it wasn't valid currency did me and my friends the biggest favor in the world, lol. I still smile everytime I think of that story.

Thanks very much!

I do like the suggestion of backing into a parking spot... very clever! And, I do see that Orvieto has a parking garage where this would be possible. Would this also be possible in the San Gimignano parking lots, please?

<<Pickpockets/Crime in Italy - As Bad as I Read??? >>

I don't think it is. At least not so bad that you need to rent a car instead of taking the train.

To stay on topic here, my most recent visit to Italy was in high season last summer (August) when I walked around Rome every day with my sister, taking local buses and occasionally the Metro. My mother (who grew up there) warned us profusely about pickpocketers, but from my own experience and from the conversations with the local friends we stayed with, pickpocketing is far less of a problem than it once was. Much like continuing to call New York the murder capital of the US, your actual likelihood of being killed or witnessing a murder isn't statistically high enough to alter your plans (unless your plans involve, you know, walking around the docks in the Bronx at 2 am). I found Paris to be 100 times sketchier than any place I've been in Italy.

*Of course* there are still pick pocketers. There are pick pocketers in every city and every country. It's not worth re-routing yourself at any expense of time or money, though. Just take the normal precautions, keep your eyes open and you'll be fine. Of particular importance:

1) Never put anything important in your back pockets. Ever. You'll just get paranoid about people eyeing your derriere (which, if you're a foreign woman, they're going to do anyway).

2) Walk around with only as much cash as you're expecting to spend that day. Keep it somewhere no one in their right mind would grab without expecting yelling and a smack across the face to follow. My opinion on those waist things that fit under your pants: they're better than fanny packs and infinitely less of a target, but they just velcro and are easy to take off someone without their noticing. If you use one, make sure it's safety pinned to your pants so you'll feel the tug if someone makes an attempt. Otherwise, those deluxe passport holders with the extra pocket for cash/cards that you can wear around your neck and inside your shirt are great.

3) If you're staying somewhere nice (anything that feels like a US hotel), you can be generally confident about keeping your money hidden inside your luggage with the luggage lock on it (and we all have luggage locks, right, right?)

4) You only *really* need to be a hawk about this around major tourist areas. If you're in Rome, around the Coloseum is probably the most at-risk, followed by the Parthenon. Venice, the main square. Florence, Ponte Vecchio and the piazza next to the Ufizi building. Naples - Naples. Everywhere else urban and central is about as dangerous as Times Square during the day. Urban bordering on suburban it's worth being slightly more alert. Small towns and rural areas, beach-side towns... you're totally fine.

5) If you feel a strange vibe, make eye contact with the person you're getting a weird vibe from. Give them the hard, New York stare. The stare that says, "Don't even think about getting within three feet of me." Especially if they're within three feet of you.

As far as the trains on the Tuscany routes, they're not Amtrak. Never leave your bag out of your line of sight. IF you have a purse and you think you might fall asleep, sit on it. Or fold the opening into you and clutch it with both arms folded.

Oh, yeah, last suggestion, and this sounds awful but pay attention -- if you get even mildly approached by any woman with or without a small child who's speaking plaintively in a language you don't understand, shake your head demonstrably and say "no" until she backs off, and if she doesn't, just walk away. And keep your eye on the kid. Always keep them both in the same line of sight.

(whew) That's all! 2nd generation Italian tourist tips just for you!