Summer0407

Hello I will be in Florence and Venice next month. Do I need to be aware of gypsies or are they not as present in these area’s? I will stay aware of course just wondering what to expect. Is a small cross body bag okay or would you recommend I carry something under my clothes? Should my husband carry a wallet? He usually has it in his back pocket so I’m worried. Also do you usually carry your passport or just carry a copy do I need an ID with me at all times? Thanks in advance!

Summer0407

hello I will be in Florence and Venice next month. Is there a large amount of gypsies in those area’s? I was thinking of using a small crossbody bag is that recommended? Would a bag under my clothes be better? What do men do as my husband usually carries his wallet in a back pocket. I’m guessing that is not ideal. Do you carry your passport or a copy? Should we always have ID on us? Thank you in advance

marvelousmouse

You have the small issue of asking a question about Italy in the Asian forums.

But at any rate, I would DEFINITELY wear a money belt for Italy. I'm not sure how much of a threat your "Gypsies" are but pickpockets in Italy are clever and crowds are so intense. Your hubby will might lose his wallet in the first day. Carry your cards and passport in a money belt, and carry the day's cash in your cross body bag. Don't access your money belt in public. EVER.

A lot of people photocopy their passport. I think you're actually required to have your passport on you at all times in Italy, but at any rate, I usually just keep it in my money belt. Carry some other form of id to guarantee things like museum guides (I carry my old student ID or DL for this).

quokka

Italian law says that you have to carry ID with you at all times, and that means the original not a photocopy. So this is not a point to discuss. Some people feel that the law does not apply to them and they don't have to follow it - that's up to you to decide.

As a lucky EU national I need only my ID card in Italy. I usually take my passport as backup and keep it at the hotel to have a second document, just in case. So far I have never needed it **knocks on wood**.

Pickpockets are existent, just like at any tourist hotspot. Carrying the wallet in the back pocket of one's pants is an open invitation. Please tell your husband that he could just as well wear a t-shirt with the writing, "Please pickpocket me".

A cross-body bag is certainly good to have. Passport, cards and larger amounts of money should be in a money belt underneath your clothes, or, in winter, at least in a zipped pocket inside your closed jacket. A small purse in your handbag should contain the amount of money you'd need for the day - think entrance fees, icecream, coffee, small purchases.

nochblad

Is there a large amount of gypsies in those area’s?

You are obviously not an English speaker due to your accent on areas but your query is actually racist and no matter your personal opinion or preconceptions should not be used in this Forum.

Tulips

What nochblad says.

The most succesfull pickpocket is the one you do not notice.

Carry a cross-body bag, and don't carry all your credit cards and cash at the same time.
Don't wear your wallet in your back pocket.
I have never worn a moneybelt in my life.
We have small cc sized IDs, so don't take a passport when traveling in Europe.

StCirq

I use the same cross-body bag I use everywhere in Europe, whether I'm going shopping in town here or taking a trip to another country. I keep my passport in a case in an inside pocket of whatever coat I am wearing, along with a spare credit card and ATM card and anything else valuable.

A wallet in a back pocket is a stolen wallet.

"Gypsies" is a meaningless and derogatory term that doesn't even begin to account for the many varieties of pickpockets and scammers in Europe. Don't use it.

TDudette

DH always wore a money belt with our passports, itinerary, and extra money. I always wore a small cross-body bag. If it was small enough, I wore my rain coat over it. After DH died, I still carried the cross body bag but no money belt. I/We took one credit to use and one as a spare. Also a debit card to use to get more Euros.

As for pickpockets, I believe they cross all ethnic groups so just say 'pickpocketers' rather than Gypsies. Please heed StCirq above about a wallet in a back pocket.

Have a wonderful trip!

nochblad

As for pickpockets, I believe they cross all ethnic groups so just say 'pickpocketers' rather than Gypsies.

Unfortunately this comment is still racist.

How would such comments in the various postings above be viewed in Berkeley, California for example?

TDudette

I'm not sure how using the word 'pickpocket' or 'thief' or any general term can be racist, nochblad. Please provide the correct word that would help a person concerned about his/her personal security.

bvlenci

I live in central Italy and visit Venice and Florence fairly often. I use my normal handbag. Its strap is long enough that I can use it cross-body if I wish, but I usually just wear it on my shoulder. I keep it to the front, with my arm across it, in very crowded situations.

I always carry my national ID card, as required by law. Before I had an Italian national ID card, I carried my passport. I was advised by a marshal of the carabinieri that I absolutely must do so. In these days, random security checks are becoming more common, and no one should assume that having pale skin exempts them from such security checks, because that also would be racist, wouldn't it?

I absolutely agree that a wallet should never be carried in a back pocket. I've been trying to tell my Italian husband that for twenty years, but he keeps carrying a wallet there. It's never been stolen. I actually wouldn't carry a wallet in any trousers pocket, because I know of people who have had a wallet lifted from front pockets.

bvlenci

TDudette, the name itself is considered racist, like many of the other derogatory appellations for nationalities or ethnic groups. There are several ethnic groups that get called that name, for instance, "Rom", or "Sinti". However, the main point, which you were making, is that you can't identify pickpockets with any specific ethnic group.

StCirq

I think TDudette knows full well that gypsy is derogatory. She was responding to nochblad's remark, which seemed to imply that calling people pickpockets was equally derogatory.

bvlenci

I thought it was pretty clear that Nochblad objected to the use of the word itself. There are similar derogatory words for Chinese people, Italians, Irish people, black people, Puerto Ricans, and other ethnicities that no one would think of putting in writing in a public forum. I don't want to use any of these terms to make my point. Imagine a dialog, where someone trying to negate a prejudice against Chinese people uses the derogatory name for Chinese people in making the defense.

xcountry

Exactly what St Cirq said.

janisj

To be fair -- many of not a majority of Americans have no idea the word has any 'connotations'. In fact the Merriam/Webster only says 'sometimes offensive', When I first moved overseas at 26 I had no idea. I learned quickly, but it isn't something someone might know/understand unless they were told.

StCirq

And it would seem the OP's native language isn't English, so can be allowed a few mishaps with terminology.

Holly_uncasdewar

HTH is anyone deducing that the OP is not a native English speaker???

marvelousmouse

Agree. I knew from being a voracious reader. But the average American would only be exposed to that ethnic group/culture through pop culture which generally doesn’t use it as a slur. I’ve read articles that have theorized that one reason for this is that the US is a melting pot— They tend to blend in better because people don’t necessarily ask about ethnic background, and if they speculated, Romani would not be the first guess.

I’m not sure where some posters are getting the ESL idea from either. OP doesn’t have great grammar but her vocabulary and phrasing is typically American I would think.

suze

I use the same purse I use at home. I carry my Passport Card and leave my actual passport locked up at the hotel.