Mr. Ly Dat Thu (31 years old) has been in Italy for 7 years and is studying for a master's degree in Medicine at the University of Rome. He shares how to recognize pickpockets and how to avoid losing your suitcase when traveling in this beautiful country.
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| Tourists at the Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy. (Photo: Ly Dat Thu) |
Recently, I have read many comments about theft and pickpocketing when Vietnamese tourists come to Italy. Negative comments appear continuously, unintentionally causing tourists to have a negative view of Italy and be afraid to visit this beautiful country.
As a Vietnamese who has lived for many years in Rome - the largest and most complicated city in Italy, I find the situation not so scary. I would like to share my experiences in Italy so that tourists can refer to them when coming to this country.
Report lost property to the police
The purpose of filing a police report is to get a certificate of pickpocketing and loss of important documents. With this certificate, you can re-issue new documents.
Local people who get pickpocketed also go to the police station to report, then use that to get new documents, residence cards, passports, health insurance cards...
In many places, the certificate issued when reporting a theft to the police station is required to have the documents replaced.
Keep your passport safe
Losing money or property is not as worrying as losing your passport. You must get a new passport or travel document to return to Vietnam. Suppose you are traveling to Milan or Venice and lose your passport, you will have to contact the Vietnamese Embassy and go to Rome.
I often advise tourists to leave their passports in their rooms or ask the hotel receptionist to keep them for them. When going out, just take a photo of it on your phone and it will be enough.
Luggage storage on board
There are three main types of trains in Italy. Regular trains are the cheapest but slowest, stopping at many stations. They only travel within one administrative region or two adjacent regions.
Mid-range trains, also known as regional trains, travel further, stop at fewer stations, and have first and regular class cabins.
The third type is the high-speed train that runs across the country. On high-speed trains, if you buy an economy class ticket, you can put a small suitcase in the overhead rack. A medium-sized suitcase can be placed between the two rows of seats, right behind where you sit, and you can reach it with your hand.
If you are using a large suitcase, you must leave it at the end of the corridor of the train compartment. You must always keep an eye on this suitcase.
To overcome this problem, you can choose to buy a higher class ticket. The price is more expensive but the seats are comfortable, with spacious space for luggage right next to it.
There are couples who carry 7-8 medium and large sized suitcases, but when flying business class, they can leave their luggage around without having to keep an eye on it.
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| Economy class compartment of high-speed train, Italy. (Photo: Ly Dat Thu) |
Send luggage to a secure location
At Roma Termini station (Rome) or Firenze Maria Novellla station (Florence), visitors can find signs in English and Italian, guiding them to the luggage storage area of the State Post Office.
If you send your luggage within the first 4 hours, the cost is 6 Euros (about 160,000 VND)/package. For every additional hour, add 1 Euro (about 26,500 VND). You can leave your luggage here and feel secure to go sightseeing and exploring.
Look ahead and behind
Every peak tourist season, I post many articles sharing with Vietnamese tourists about my experience in identifying pickpockets in Italy.
Be very careful of women who pretend to be pregnant or carry large black bags to cover their hands and make it easier to do their business. They often "ambush" at major train stations. These subjects usually come in groups of 3-5 people, dressed a bit shabbily.
When you need someone to take your photo, you should look for groups of Korean, Japanese, Chinese guests or ask Western guests traveling in family groups.
Be careful not to hand your phone over to thieves for a few photos. When taking photos, be aware of your surroundings and hold your phone firmly in your hand. Buy a phone strap for added safety.
Some other experiences
In the backpack, tourists should only bring a water bottle, tissues, scarf, light windbreaker... Do not bring anything important in the backpack.
Travelers should bring some cash and keep it somewhere you can always see it. When you need to spend, use a card or an electronic wallet on your phone.
On the subway, you should stand near the closed door, away from the open door. Stand so that your back is against a wall, not a person, because then it will be easier to "defend" the sides and front.
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| Mr. Ly Dat Thu (middle) leads a group of Vietnamese tourists on a tour of Italy. (Photo: NVCC) |
If you are traveling in a large group, you should always tell each other and keep an eye on each other's bags. Pickpockets often target crowded carriages.
You should dress simply, looking as similar to the locals as possible. If you want to wear fashionable clothes or branded items to take beautiful photos, it is best to call a technology taxi to travel instead of public transport.
Don't let fear cause you to miss opportunities.
In 2025, there will be a Catholic pilgrimage Holy Year, which traditionally only happens once every 25 years. Therefore, there may be many pickpockets and robbers.
The Italian, Roman and Vatican governments will be working together to ensure the event, so visitors can expect to see troops, police and guards all over Rome. It will be busier but safer than ever.
Italy is incredibly beautiful with Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, the misty pine-covered Tuscany region or the vast blue sea against the majestic mountains of Amalfi Bay. This is also a country with a long history and culture, possessing many world heritages.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nguoi-viet-chia-se-kinh-nghiem-du-lich-italy-tan-huong-tron-ven-ky-nghi-o-xu-so-huyen-thoai-305205.html
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