Despite what you hear about the Mafia, most of the crime you're likely to come across in Italy is of the small-time variety, prevalent in the major cities and the south of the country, where gangs of scippatori or "snatchers" operate. Crowded streets or markets and packed tourist sights are the places to be wary of; scippatori work on foot or on scooters, disappearing before you've had time to react. As well as handbags, they whip wallets, tear off visible jewellery and, if they're really adroit, unstrap watches.

You can minimize the risk of this happening by being discreet: don't flash anything of value, keep a firm hand on your camera, and carry shoulderbags, as Italian women do, slung across your body. It's a good idea, too, to entrust money and credit cards to hotel managers. Never leave anything valuable in your car, and try to park in car parks on well-lit, well-used streets. On the whole it's common sense to avoid badly lit areas completely at night and deserted inner-city areas by day. Confronted with a robber, your best bet is to submit meekly: it's an excitable situation where panic can lead to violence - though very few tourists see anything of this.

Emergencies 
For help in an emergency , call one of the following national emergency telephone numbers.

phone 112 for the police (Carabinieri).

phone 113 for any emergency service, including ambulance (Soccorso Pubblico di Emergenza).

phone 115 for the fire brigade (Vigili del Fuoco).

phone 116 for road assistance (Soccorso Stradale).

phone 118 for an ambulance (Ambulanza)

The Police
If the worst happens, you'll be forced to have some dealings with the police. In Italy these come in many forms, their power split ostensibly to prevent any seizure of power. You're not likely to have much contact with the Guardia di Finanza , responsible for investigating smuggling, tax evasion and other finance-related felonies; and the Vigili Urbani , or town police, are mainly concerned with directing the traffic and punishing parking offences; while the Polizia Stradale patrol motorways. You may, however, have dealings with the Carabinieri , with their military-style uniforms and white shoulder belts, who deal with general crime, public order and drug control. These are the ones Italians are most rude about, but a lot of jokes concerning their supposed stupidity stem from the usual north-south prejudice.

The Carabinieri tend to come from southern Italy - joining the police is one way to escape the poverty trap - and they are posted away from home so as to be well out of the sphere of influence of their families. The Polizia Statale , the other general crime-fighting force, enjoy a fierce rivalry with the Carabinieri and are the ones you'll perhaps have most chance of coming into contact with, since thefts should be reported to them. You'll find the address of the Questura or police station in the local telephone directory (in smaller places it may be just a local commissariato ), and we've included details in the major city listings. The Questura is also where you're supposed to go to obtain a permesso di soggiorno if you're staying for any length of time, or a visa extension if you require

In any brush with the authorities, your experience will depend on the individuals you're dealing with. Apart from topless bathing (permitted, but don't try anything more daring) and camping rough , don't expect a soft touch if you're picked up for any offence, especially if it's drugs related. Drugs are generally frowned upon by everyone above a certain age, and universal hysteria about la droga, fuelled by the serious problem of heroin addiction all over Italy, means that any distinction between the "hard" and "soft" variety has become blurred.

Theoretically everything is illegal above the possession of a few grams of cannabis or marijuana "for personal use", though there's no agreed definition of what this means and you can expect at least a fine for this. In general the south of Italy is more intolerant than the north, and in any case, if found with suspicious substances you can be kept in jail for as long as it takes for them to analyse the stuff, draw up reports and wait for the bureaucratic wheels to grind - which could be several weeks and sometimes months.

Italy guide

Getting there
When to go
Where to go
Italy general info
Italy
Average costs
Credit and debit cards
Cost, money, banks
The euro
Insurance, health cover
Embassies, consulates
Red tapes, visas
Banks and exchange
Travelers with disabilities
North-South divide

Getting around
Ø Trains
Ø Flights
Ø Driving
Ø Cycling, motorbiking
Ø Ferries, hydrofoils
Ø Hitchhiking
 

Festivals:
Ø Religious, traditional
Ø Diary festivals
Ø Food festivals
Ø Arts Festivals
Ø Ferragosto

Italy food and drink
Ø Italian cuisine
Ø Italian pizza
Ø Lunch and dinner
Ø Drinking

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