Among the many European countries I have been to, Italy is the most beautiful country, but it is the least relaxing country to travel, and it is also the most dangerous country. I always expereinced some large and small theft incidents, it's a pity that you can't enjoy the beautiful scenery to the fullest. Thus, I would like to share my experience and what I learned from the travel.
Accident in my first visit
When we traveled to Italy for the first time with a group, the tour director reminded us that pickpocketing in Italy is very serious, and the group members were all alert. Thus, all of the group members paid hightly attention when gypsies were approaching us with newspapers and covered the tourists. Fortunately all the members of our regiment escaped.
Two Accidents Occurred in Florence are Scary
When we came to Italy for the second time with a group and visited Florence, we were walking in the alley during the day. Although a newlywed couple held their backpacks on their chests, all the cash in the groom's backpack disappeared after passing by a gypsy old lady who was holding a newspaper. I had to admire the skills of these pickpockets are "superior and perfect."
After visiting the Uffizi Gallery, the female tour director noticed the "pickpocketing men's trio" and warned us in Chinese that the three guys were pickpockets. She asked everyone to look at those three men ,after she counted to 3. Some of our group followed the instructions of the director and did so. I wonder how the trio of pickpocketing men's team can "understand" that our tour director said that they were pickpockets. One of the pickpockets walked up to our director and spat at her face. I think our tour director was really unprofessional. She actually put our entire team in danger. She confronted local criminal in a foreign country. What should we do if they had a "backup force"?
Holiday in Rome is not Peaceful
There are pickpockets in the subway station and train
In recent years, I went to Rome with family. Although I told my family to be careful with belongings before the trip, he didn't pay attention when someone was pushing him on the train of undergroud. After getting out of the train, he found that the zipper of his bag was unzipped. Fortunately, the pickpocket might not have sufficient time to steal money and therefore, my family didn't lose anthing. This incident makes me feel that we cannot relax for a moment in a big Italian city.
Great luck in misfortune, get back the laptop
After this incident, I was always watching my family from time to time. As a result, on the day we left Rome to the airport, I put my alptop on the chair next to me at the hotel lobby while we were waiting for the bus to pick us up . When the bus arrived at hotel, I just concentrated on reminding my family about his passport and personal belongings. Halfway to the airport, I suddenly remembered that I forgot the laptop that I left on the chair.
But when I found out, it was already on the way to the airport. It was impossible to ask the bus driver to turn around and go back to the hotel . I therefore called the hotel and asked them to lookd for the laptop in the lobby. I was very lucky that time. The hotel found my laptop soon and deposited it for me. Once the bus arrived at the airport, I immediately hired another taxi to go back to the hotel to pick up my laptop. Fortunately, Rome Airport is not far from the city center and I usually arrived at the airport 3 hours early. There is no traffic jam on the way to and from the hotel, and therefore, I got my laptop back smoothly. Of course, the taxi fare was quite expensive. This lesson taught me it is crucial to choose your travel companions carefully.
The pickpocket's skills keep pace with the times,
We encountered "pseudo-tourists" in Florence
In recent years, the skills of pickpockets in Europe have reached a state of perfection. When I went to Florence with my family to visit the attractions in the old town, I saw a foreigner who seemed to be a tourist with a professional camera. The tourist was taking pictures, reducing the target's alertness, but his another hand was covering my family's backpack. I yelled to stop him at the time, and all the tourists around looked at me. The "pseudo-tourist" also suspended his stealing, but he didn't stop his work. I saw him did it again at other attractions, This incident made me feel that I can't trust anyone when traveling in Italy .
Crisis in and around Milan Central Station
Milan Central Station could be the the most dangerous station in Italy. Because there were many African refugees wandering around the Central Station , money-seekers, and worse still, pickpocketing trios are also waiting for you.
Be vigilant when being questioned
by strangers at Milan Central Station
Once we arrived at Milano Central Railway Station by train, "Pickpocketing Trio" was already eyeing us. One of the three teenager girls came to ask me some questions, but I ignored her and walked straight to the lift. The three teenager girls followed us on our way to take the lift. One teenager girl kept talking to me and the other two were surrounding my family. I saw them unzipped my family's bag, I immediately walked over to zip it up, and looked at the three of them with murderous eyes. At the same time, the lift had reached the lobby floor. I looked at the three girls with very contemptuous eyes and said, "Now, I am leaving this lift". I was thinking that if three of them attacked us , the "boxing aerobic" that I had learned for many years may come in handy. Perhaps, I looked at them with contempt, the three teenage girls eventually walked away in shame.
Milan Central Station is unsafe even with patrolmen
There are many automatic ticket machines in Milan Central Station. When you use the ticket machine, there are often some people approaching and asking if you need help. These people actually want to ask you for money, but they also could be pickpocket, so be sure to refuse them categorically, when they approach you, As you normally have already open your wallet to buy tickets, so you must be very careful with your wallet. To be honest, it's difficult not to feel scared, despite sometimes there were police patrols at Milan Central Station at night. After all, a single policeman can't protect all tourists, right?
Frightening crowd of African refugees
wandering back outside Milan station
When I visited Milan in 2019, there were many African refugees swarming around the central station. Before the trip, I saw on YouTube that the police in Milan were deporting these refugees, but no matter how they chased them, they always gathered there. In the evening, I looked out from hotel, those refugees are betting on the exit of the underground station. So it requires great courge when you visit Milan Central Station. Always remember that you should avoid going near the Central Station at night, this could be the reason why the hotels around Milan Central Station are cheaper. It is highly recommended that you choose a hotel close to Milan Cathedral and other attractions when traveling in Milan, which is not only convenient but also safe. Besides, it is safer to take train from Milano Cadorna station instead of the dangerous Milan Central Station.
Hopefully, this article would be helpful to you.
Have a nice vacation in Italy!
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From Author Linda
During the pandemic of COVID-19, I occasionally started up this blog to fill in the regret of not being able to take a vacation. When writing posts, I often recalled the beautiful memories of past travels. I am glad that I grasped the present and visited many countries. My blog shares my travel experience and introduce the stories and history of attractions, restaurants, and cafes and in-depth introduction. I even made reference to the first-hand information obtained from many relevant websites. Each post took a long time, and I did my best because I hope that the Linda Chou's Lifestyle Blog presents high-quality blog content. If you agree with my philosophy and think my blog matches your liking, please subscribe to the free Linda Lifestyle Blog e-Newsletter or follow me on Facebook. Please press the love sign in the lower right corner of the end of each post to let me know which type of posts you like. The encouragement of readers is the motivation for me to continue writing, thank you all!
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