Italy Warnings Or Dangers

 
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Most Viewed Warnings Or Dangers in Italy

1.

Pickpockets and Purse-Snatchers   Rome

Pickpockets and Purse-Snatchers, Rome

 171 Reviews  It didnt happen to me yet however i heard my dad saying on our trip on bus 64 that goes from the vatican to termini that on this bus there are many pickpockets.I also overheard once that the airport... 

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2.

Acqua Alta   Venice

Acqua Alta, Venice

 37 Reviews  Venetians are used to carrying on their lives during times of Aqua Alta (High Water). Although most common between October and early March, It isn't unknown for it to occur at other times. Raised... 

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3.

Pickpockets   Florence

Pickpockets, Florence

 53 Reviews   Pickpockets are everywhere, especially where tourists like to hang out – so take common sense precautions as you travel in Florence. - Don’t flash your valuables around – expensive camera equipment,... 

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4.

Central Station   Milan

Central Station, Milan

 16 Reviews  Having read so many horror stories about Stazione Centrale Milan I think it's a good idea to make a tip about it. Context: I am a solo middle-aged female traveller. I am European. Milan Centrale is... 

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5.

Other   Verona

Other, Verona

 14 Reviews  Most attractions and other buildings, some shops etc will be closed on a Monday But don't worry, there's still plenty to see and do, especially a lazy walk between the piazzas or some people watching... 

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6.

The dogs   Pompeii

The dogs, Pompeii

 12 Reviews  While we were there in April 2010 the signs around Pompeii were quite clear. The dogs have started out as strays but have been 'adopted' by Pompeii which has been establlished as a dog sanctuary. All... 

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7.

The Tower   Pisa

The Tower, Pisa

 18 Reviews  I have never felt the need to climb the Tower, but you may. You will certainly need to book your ticket online in advance. Tower tickets are strictly limited per day, and are frequently block-booked... 

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8.

Historic Centre: not always a safe place!   Genoa

Historic Centre: not always a safe place!, Genoa

 8 Reviews  I lived in Genoa for 6 months on a yacht that was being refitted in Amico yard. There were 8 yachts where the crews were friendly - a total of about 50 crew members all from Aus, NZ, SA, Brits and all... 

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9.

Beggars and Cons   Rome

Beggars and Cons, Rome

 95 Reviews  Types you'd least expect to rob you blind will in the Rome train station - and the cops now it well, so beware - nobody official cares. There's a con where a seemingly nice young man offers to help... 

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10.

Pickpockets, etc   Venice

Pickpockets, etc, Venice

 25 Reviews  I strongly advise against carrying pepper spray and similar. Only very low doses (10%) are currently legal in Italy and they are more likely to enrage a thief that disable him (or her). Furthermore,... 

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11.

Shopping   Florence

Shopping, Florence

 14 Reviews  I don't really know what happened; my Italian isn't good enough, and the shopkeeper couldn't/wouldn't speak English. But is was a most unpleasant experience, and possibly worth relating as a... 

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12.

Pick Pockets   Milan

Pick Pockets, Milan

 25 Reviews  Mugging is rare in Italy but pickpockets are common and extremely skilled, especially in Naples, Rome and Milan, with Florence close behind. Organise your valuables so that pickpockets can't get at... 

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13.

Pick Pockets   Verona

Pick Pockets, Verona

 5 Reviews  This is Portoni della Bra, the City Gate - entrance into the Centro Storico of Verona. This part of the town is very crowded with thousands of tourists, also it is crowded with pickpockets too. Be... 

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14.

Pickpokets   Pisa

Pickpokets, Pisa

 16 Reviews  A trip to Tuscany was spoiled yesterday when my girlfriend's purse was stolen on the bus back to the airport. It's not as if we weren't aware of the dangers and what to look out for, but she realised... 

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15.

Train Stations   Rome

Train Stations, Rome

 26 Reviews  Many stairs to negotiate. As an elderly single lady traveling alone with relatively heavy baggage I was helped by a young Brit traveling with his girl friend. I suggest to elderly travelers, arrive or... 

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16.

Pigeons   Venice

Pigeons, Venice

 46 Reviews  Many tourists seem to delight in feeding the local pidgeons. Some even lie flat on the ground in St Mark's square and somewhat bizzarely cover themeselves in crumbs. Well, each to their own but... 

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17.

Traffic   Florence

Traffic, Florence

 18 Reviews  They are like bees buzzing around Florence. The drivers of these mopeds think they are immune to the law, so it is not unusual for them to drive up the street in the wrong direction. So, if you should... 

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18.

Traffic   Milan

Traffic, Milan

 12 Reviews  Driving car in Milan might be adventure (a nightmare) for you because of a very huge traffic. However, if you want to test your nerves and courage you are welcom in the club. The best entrance in the... 

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19.

Traffic   Verona

Traffic, Verona

 2 Reviews  Do not drive all around the arena, since you may get ticketed. There are unidentified places where it is tourist-pedestrian only, and no vehicles allowed, but the markings would not show that for you... 

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20.

Prices   Pisa

Prices, Pisa

 8 Reviews  On our way home from a trip to Florence we visited Pisa and wandered up the street away from the cathedral looking for somewher for lunch. We went into a modern, nice looking restaurant with friendly... 

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21.

Proper dress   Rome

Proper dress, Rome

 12 Reviews  There is a dress code if you are to visit St. Peter's Basilica. Shorts are not allowed for men or women, Tank tops, bare shoulders or short skirts are not permitted. Dress appropriately or they will... 

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22.

Taxis   Florence

Taxis, Florence

 3 Reviews  Even with the taxis using meters I got ripped off three times. Once was by not being familiar with the city and I took a taxi from the train station to the Hotel--which was 5 blocks away! It still... 

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23.

Lockers   Pisa

Lockers, Pisa

 1 Review  There is a place at the trainstation to store the luggage, B U T : it is OUT OF ORDER due to the attacks of Sept. 11th. Recently at least the counter was reopened again, where you may hand over your... 

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24.

Traffic   Rome

Traffic, Rome

 59 Reviews  Crossing the road in Rome can be quite a terrifying experience for those of us who come from places where driving is a little less...chaotic and aggressive, let us say. There is a technique to doing... 

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25.

Police Behavior   Rome

Police Behavior, Rome

 13 Reviews  Yes, DON'T! I have to say it the other way around, "Don't Do What the Roman's Don't!" You can see Odessa standing on the steps of the King Vittorio Emanuel II monument. You will be able to see Mother... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Does one single bird makes a flock

by croisbeauty

Most of the southern European countries, Italy included, have bad reputation regarding safety of the tourists and visitors. I have read so many reviews of those who were pickpocketed, who's money was stollen, who were beatten by the locals etc. etc. All mentioned considering Italy too plus panic of maffia if visiting most southern parts of the county. But is it all true what people do write about own experiences or could it be that the truth is somwhere in the middle?The renger from Kenya told me during my first visit there, if you do not disturb the wild animals while they eating or resting or if having baby animals around, they will never attack you. I did respect his good advice, was very close to lions, elephants, hippos and buffalos and was never attacked.What I mean to say is this, do we all learn anything about the country, people, traditions and habbits before visiting it?...

Be Watchful. You Drive Your Own Issues

by acommon1

Common sense Acommon Travel rules as to where ever you go.#1. Don't go where you shouldn't go.#2. Follow the rule of law in the country that you reside.#3. Adhere to the rule of law from your home country.#4. Respect and "pre-" read up on the culture(s).#5. Gain some familiarity with the country's national language prior to your trip.#6. Practice the local language with the locals.#7. If concerned with lodging then don't do what isn't familiar to you.#8. Eat what has been cooked.#9. Drink bottled water that has a seal. Open it yourself.#10. Know your coordinates (esp. North & South). Memorize the major cross-roads prior to taking your trip. #11. Have a copy or two of your Passport in a safe place (either on you personally or in an emergency place).#12. Go electronic (with back up paperwork) when you can.#13. Be reluctant to share your full plans with strangers. #14. Be flexible.#15. How...

Bring warm clothes, official heating periods

by Trekki

This might sound silly for some ears, including mine, but Italy has a law for official heating periods. Since the weather nowadays gives a **** what month or season it is, cooler periods than “normal” for the time of year can result. Depending where you stay, don’t expect the heating systems to work. This has to do with the fact that energy is rather expensive in Italy. Some houses have alternative or independent heating systems, which makes heating outside of the official heating periods easier. When I was in Gubbio mid May 2010, the temperatures dropped at a point in time and Federica told me about this law. But since I was silly enough to have packed not enough clothes, she brought me additional blankets. In between, when I had my language lessons, I was so happy that I my teacher Edvige has a pellet heating system – guess who curled around that one from time to time....In case you...

Pay Cash If You Are From The States

by RoscoeGregg

When visiting Italy be careful with your American credit and debit cards. We are not issued the micro chipped cards that most Europeans are. This means that the banks there can and sometimes do tack on pretty large fees. The store owner will not even know about this. So they cannot warn you.We reviewed our purchases at home and found that in some cases the bank charge was more than the item we purchased. For example we bought a wallet as a gift for a neighbor that kept an eye on our place. It ran just 20 euro. The bank charge was 27 euro.So now we use cash at shops and restaurants. We have not had this problem at hotels but we often receive a discount for cash at hotels so we do not use a card for that anyway. So remember cash is king.

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Take Walks Often BEFORE Italy

by RoscoeGregg

Not too sure where to put this tip I guess it is a bit of a warning. Most towns and cities are very pedestrian oriented. Walking is often the best and most pleasant way to see Italian cities and towns. Many have traffic free centers that make walking very pleasant.We learned on our first trip that you will enjoy your visit much more if you come to Italy fit for walking. It is one thing to go for an occasional walk after dinner but before you know it you have been walking all day in Italy. Your knees get sore and you begin to enjoy it less.We walk some every day at home for several weeks before we leave for Italy. Aside from being a fun time to spend together each evening it insures that we will have a better time in Italy.The key seems to be that you do it enough to toughen up the tendons and ligaments in your legs. This will help you avoid becoming sore on your trip.A side benefit is...

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Trenitalia cancels two trains to FR, one to SL

by GyuriFT

Trenitalia is again FS and again new "surprise".- They canceled the Venice-Ljubljana "Casanova" daily train, so now only the night connection will remain from Bucharest/Budapest/Moscow/Belgrade- They canceled at least two connection to FranceIt is not clear yet what other gifts are coming up, by and of the May we will know. The Giacomo Casanova runs till April 1. Of course, only in Italian, English-speaking customers don't need to know the "good" news:http://tinyurl.com/23qhjkATTENZIONE: l'EC Riviera "Ligure" circola solo fino al 6 aprile 2008. ATTENZIONE: l'EC Riviera "Sanremo" circola solo fino al 6 aprile 2008. ATTENZIONE: l'EuroCity "Casanova" circola solo fino al 31 marzo 2008.This looks like great "fun", the entire railway traffic to Italy from Hungary/Balkan/CIS/Slovenia is a SINGLE train.The cut to southern France looks like a throat cut.

PREVENT FIRES!

by ant1606

Every summer many acres of precious bush and forest are gone forever. And people too.And regardless of the country, as fire doesn't know borders.Please keep a fire-prevention attitude and try to save lives. ALWAYS!Visit herebelow link for hints.

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No warnings, just learn some "rules" :)

by Trekki

When I look at the warning & danger section in the Italy travel guide I come across so many “warnings” which are actually no warnings but clear cases that someone missed the rule “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” or learn the rules before setting a foot into a foreign country. Things are not like at home.First of all there is the thing with coperto. That’s the cover fee in restaurants and it is not meant to rip off tourists. Italians pay the same. And it is completely irrelevant if this isn’t done at home or any other country. It is done in Italy and .. take it or leave it (it = Italy) is what I want to tell everyone who rants about it. The background of this cover fee is simply the cost for laying the table, including washing the linen and providing bread. In other countries tips are not included. Is this classified as rip off? No, it counts as common knowledge. So please prepare and...

Some motorway mergers can be deadly!

by Trekki

From my driving experience in Italy, the autostrade are excellent roads which are really safe despite the chaotic traffic otherwise. There is one exception I know of though (and there might be more with such a merger scheme): the connection between Autostrada del Sole A1 (Roma-Firenze and then northbound) and Autostrada Adriatica A14 (along Adriatic Sea, Rimini and then Bologna) west of Bologna. At the point where the two meet and merge they run parallel for approx. 100 metres with a continuous line like any other merging motorways; A1 with three lanes and A14 with two lanes. I drove on A1, direction from Firenze, was driving on the rightmost lane and wanted to change to the rightmost lane after the merger but already at the part of the continuous line (= lane crossing forbidden) a guy coming from A14 obviously ignored this line and crossed, cutting me almost dead not only literally...

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The fake handbags etc problem!

by Trekki

Buying fake designers’ items is something many of us like to do, just because they are cheaper than the original stuff. But while it might save us some money at first glance it can get much more expensive when police and customs find out. Since some time, this is no longer a trivial offence but tracked by police and customs. Fines can be heavy, as the BBC article I have added to this website section below shows. And it is not only limited to Italy, but also to France and other EU countries. It means that whoever is being caught can be fined. Although I found another article in UK Telegraph which says that it is ok to buy these goods but I am seriously asking myself how many money the so-called EU study writers got through dark channels for it. It all has to do with intellectual property protection and it is simply illegal to produce and sell any goods which are counterfeited. Thus it is...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Four of us are arriving at Marseille and driving to the Cortona Italy area (farmhouse). I would like to find a nice coastal... 

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A: beautiful drive indeed, done it to Milano. You should get your itinerary from www.viamichelin.com and they will help you trace your stops with hotel/resto recom along the... 

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