by Ian Sutton » October 31st, 2020, 12:47 am
EmmaGray wrote: ↑September 4th, 2020, 3:49 am
Those places are considered as generally safe ones. But I would also be prepared, since in Italy, in general, are a lot of muggers and pickpocketers. So always, keep an eye on your belongings. Paris is, also, not a very safe place in these terms. So keep an eye on your belongings, and don’t take all your documents and money with you.
That entirely depends on where you go in Italy, France and indeed any country.
If you only ever go to the big tourist destinations, along with the hordes of other transient tourists, then yes that is what creates a setting for pickpockets and bag-snatchers. Outside of these easy pickings, pickpocketing is simply not a viable career option.
Thus if going to any major tourist destination, take proper precautions and also extend that caution to public transport to/from that location. That would be true in Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Venice, London etc.
However, if you explore these countries away from the tourist hordes, then you'll find there is no such 'general' problem, general being a foreigner's perception based on the vast majority of tourists getting no further than Rome/Venice/Florence. If you go to St Omer, Utrecht, Aosta or Durham and you'll need no more precautions than you would at home, and for some of our home locations, quite a lot less.
Whilst your photo album may not contain an array of the most famous landmarks, the interaction with local people will be much more rewarding and especially in Italy, you can experience a level of hospitality that is exceptional. It's possible to do this without learning the local language, but making even a little effort goes a long way to being able to build a rapport with the people you interact with.
It's a choice that needs to be individual. For some the famous sites are vital to the experience, as is the ability to get by without a worry speaking, hearing and reading English. If that's the case, then the negatives that come from the mass tourist trail (poor quality food, dirtiness, crowds, petty crime) are to be tolerated for the positives.
Regards
Ian
[quote=EmmaGray post_id=3068499 time=1599216575 user_id=32881]
Those places are considered as generally safe ones. But I would also be prepared, since in Italy, in general, are a lot of muggers and pickpocketers. So always, keep an eye on your belongings. Paris is, also, not a very safe place in these terms. So keep an eye on your belongings, and don’t take all your documents and money with you. [/quote]
That entirely depends on where you go in Italy, France and indeed any country.
If you only ever go to the big tourist destinations, along with the hordes of other transient tourists, then yes that is what creates a setting for pickpockets and bag-snatchers. Outside of these easy pickings, pickpocketing is simply not a viable career option.
Thus if going to any major tourist destination, take proper precautions and also extend that caution to public transport to/from that location. That would be true in Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Venice, London etc.
However, if you explore these countries away from the tourist hordes, then you'll find there is no such 'general' problem, general being a foreigner's perception based on the vast majority of tourists getting no further than Rome/Venice/Florence. If you go to St Omer, Utrecht, Aosta or Durham and you'll need no more precautions than you would at home, and for some of our home locations, quite a lot less.
Whilst your photo album may not contain an array of the most famous landmarks, the interaction with local people will be much more rewarding and especially in Italy, you can experience a level of hospitality that is exceptional. It's possible to do this without learning the local language, but making even a little effort goes a long way to being able to build a rapport with the people you interact with.
It's a choice that needs to be individual. For some the famous sites are vital to the experience, as is the ability to get by without a worry speaking, hearing and reading English. If that's the case, then the negatives that come from the mass tourist trail (poor quality food, dirtiness, crowds, petty crime) are to be tolerated for the positives.
Regards
Ian