Safety in Rome
When embarking on your journey to Italy, it’s natural to feel concerned about safety. With traveling comes an unfiltered world of new experiences such as interacting with people from all across the world and walks of life. These interactions can be some of the most fulfilling and educational experiences but also the most alarming at times. After spending two months in Italy, we have observed that women are often targeted by Italian men in social settings, on public transportation and in business transactions. Keep in mind we are using the word “target” as a replacement for annoyance and general hassle. Italy is a modern country where women are theoretically equal to men. Any kind of violence against women is a crime and is seen as unacceptable. So please do not run for the hills! In the following safety sections, that the general lesson to be learned is self-awareness. You should always employ the same precautions for your own safety that you would employ in the United States.
Dealing with Italian Men
Let’s face it, whole novels could be written about Italian men. Whether you’re looking for a bite to eat, shopping or going to on a run, most likely you will receive your fair share of comments and whistles. When learning best to deal with unwanted attention from Italian men, we’ve found it’s important to understand Italian speech codes. These speech codes are essentially how Italian’s communicate in their own environment. Speech code theory (Philipsen, 2005) involves a “look and listen” way of noting what is going on around you. This is done so by trying to figure out a culture in its own terms by observing the perspective of those in it rather than your own perspective. Look at how other Italian women act towards men within their own culture. Do they respond when these men give them unwanted attention? If so, what are they saying? Take these observations a step further by observing these women’s use of facial expressions and body language. How are men reacting to the response or lack of response? It’s easiest to learn how to best deal with attention from Italian men by observing women already integrated in the Italian culture.
These types of interactions will happen nearly every day. When visiting the Pantheon on January 19, 2015 our team observed the following interaction between two men and a woman that will give you a better idea of what to expect for yourself, what to observe and how to interpret and apply observations:
The Italian men dressed as ancient Roman gladiators are obsessing over a young woman taking pictures at the Pantheon. They offer her a free picture with them though they were just seeking money from others for the same photo. The woman shook her head politely and continued to take her photo alone.
The men insisted on the picture and moved on either side of her. The women raised her voice, signaled them to stop with her hand and walked away from the situation.
The most important lesson to be taken from this type of observation is that the woman stood her ground by letting the men know that they were making her feel uncomfortable. She did this with two key forms of nonverbal communication: pitch of voice and body language. With the raising of her voice, using hand gestures and walking away from the situation, it was clearly understood exactly what was taking place, even with a language barrier. By observing interactions like these you can see that you don’t need to be afraid to stand up to overly friendly Italian men and how to best deal with these types of situations.
Public Transportation
When traveling the best way to strike up a conversation with new people is by using public transportation. However, the importance of maintaining self-awareness while riding a bus or train in Italy cannot be stressed enough since these means of transportation are heavily targeted for petty crime. The idea of social stratification (Silverman, 1966) is a great source to turn to in order to understand how differences separate people and how these differences can create a problem within a culture. Silverman says, “A crucial part of this problem is to determine the features of other persons that people attend to and how they evaluate these features in deciding whether to show deference, expect deference, or neither” (Silverman, 1966, p. 900). Before traveling in Italy, reflect on suspicious behavior that would identify a stranger as someone that is criminally targeting others and how this behavior will change the way you communicate with them. Observing visual cues such as physical appearance and nonverbal communication heightens your social perception (Young, 2.1, 2015). The risk of becoming a victim of petty crime can drastically decrease by remaining self-aware of surrounding suspicious activity and keeping valuables on the front side of the body at all times.
One of our most shocking memories involving safety occurred at the Roma Termni on January 22, 2015. On this day several older men strolled around the station to ask various women if they would like assistance with booking their train tickets. After making a round, the men would group together and discuss something quietly. The majority of these women seemed well aware of their surroundings and kept track of their belongings; very few actually accepted the men’s help. Though one older man, dressed casually and holding a pen was able to catch the attention of a female traveler. He assisted her on the self-service ticket machine, staying close by her side and kept his eyes on her purse. Two policemen drove by and signaled for the man to leave. The man walked to the door, waited until the police left and then proceeded to approach the woman again. The woman sensed something was off and kindly asked the man to leave her alone.
During this observation, it was obvious by the man’s nonverbal cues that he has bad intentions behind assisting the woman with her train ticket. These nonverbal cues included the man hovering closely to the woman, keeping his eyes on her purse while her eyes were on the machine and how their physical distance between one another (proxemics) increased significantly after the police were present. However, it’s assumed from the woman’s point of view that this man appeared to be an official worker at the train station because this form of scamming isn’t common in other parts of the world such as the United States. It wasn’t until the police interfered that the woman realized what was actually happening. Attempted theft like this is extremely common in Italy, especially in highly populated public places such as tourist areas and transportation stations. Always watch out for groups working together to pickpocket and never lay your trust in someone that doesn’t appear to be an official staff member. Actual staff members will be wearing attire with logos indicating whom they work for and often stay at booths that require you to seek their help. If you need assistance purchasing a train ticket or metro ticket, always look for an information center in the surrounding area. These information centers are not only at major stations but also scattered around the cities. By maintaining self-awareness of stranger’s nonverbal cues and appearance, your overall safety on and around public transportation systems will not be an issue.
Scamming
Another concern among female travelers is being scammed or ripped off. There are many subtle ways to be taken advantage of in Italy by those you will encounter everyday such as cab drivers, vendors and even restaurant waiters. Be smart by knowing what you’re paying for before handing the money over, count your change and always ask for a receipt. Due to high government taxes in Italy, many locals will not give receipts to customers in order to save themselves money. This act of tax evasion has led to 25% of the Italian economy remaining “underground” (Orsi, 2012, p. 18). How does this affect you as foreigner? Well, the Italian police can actually inspect your purchased goods and demand to see a receipt, if you do not have proof of the purchase then you will be fined. The outcome of social interaction during exchanges relates to the role each party takes. The only way for you to be scammed or ripped off while exchanging money is if dominance exists. Dominance in social exchanges, “only exists if submission also exists” (Ciliberti, 1992, p. 4). In order to not be taken advantage of like this, you must never give the opposing party power or control in the situation.
One time when taking a cab in Rome, our team faced a difficult situation that involved a taxi driver attempting to overcharge us for our cab fare. We were traveling with a group of eight therefore needed two cabs. One group of four, which included the only male traveling with us that day, had a cab driver who turned on his meter with no problem and took them where we needed to go. On the contrary, the other group of all females was traveling with a cab driver that refused to turn on his meter. The driver insisted that the fare was a standard rate for where we were going. The girls raised their pitch of voice to the driver, insisted that he turn on the meter or they would like to be let out of the cab. The cab driver was angered by their request but turned the meter on rather than fighting with the women. Research shows that there is a relationship between male dominance measure, female economic power and male aggression (Sanday,1981, p. 256). In order to avoid sparking unwanted aggression when exchanging money, always be polite while communicating what you want and what you are willing to pay. It’s not worth putting yourself in danger in order to save money but it’s also important to stand up for yourself when you believe you’re being taken advantage of. As a female American tourist, naturally locals will seek you as an easy target because you are unfamiliar with your surroundings and are not traveling with male company. From this cab experience, you can see how easily it is to be scammed for money if you take orders from others as the rule of thumb. If something doesn’t seem right, speak up rather giving someone else power over you. Ultimately, this will save yourself from being taking advantage.
Let the Fear Go
Moving to a new country with new people, new rules and a new way of life can be not only be intimidating but also concerning at times. However, never allow this unfamiliar ground to create fear or prevent you from fully embracing the Italian culture. Interacting with locals will teach you more about the culture than a book ever could. Though social interactions in Italy can lead to you having safety concerns because of overly friendly Italian men, petty crime on public transportation and scams in business transactions, doesn’t mean they will happen. By maintaining self-awareness at all times, standing up for yourself and not submitting yourself to others, you will maintain a very safe lifestyle in Italy.
When embarking on your journey to Italy, it’s natural to feel concerned about safety. With traveling comes an unfiltered world of new experiences such as interacting with people from all across the world and walks of life. These interactions can be some of the most fulfilling and educational experiences but also the most alarming at times. After spending two months in Italy, we have observed that women are often targeted by Italian men in social settings, on public transportation and in business transactions. Keep in mind we are using the word “target” as a replacement for annoyance and general hassle. Italy is a modern country where women are theoretically equal to men. Any kind of violence against women is a crime and is seen as unacceptable. So please do not run for the hills! In the following safety sections, that the general lesson to be learned is self-awareness. You should always employ the same precautions for your own safety that you would employ in the United States.
Dealing with Italian Men
Let’s face it, whole novels could be written about Italian men. Whether you’re looking for a bite to eat, shopping or going to on a run, most likely you will receive your fair share of comments and whistles. When learning best to deal with unwanted attention from Italian men, we’ve found it’s important to understand Italian speech codes. These speech codes are essentially how Italian’s communicate in their own environment. Speech code theory (Philipsen, 2005) involves a “look and listen” way of noting what is going on around you. This is done so by trying to figure out a culture in its own terms by observing the perspective of those in it rather than your own perspective. Look at how other Italian women act towards men within their own culture. Do they respond when these men give them unwanted attention? If so, what are they saying? Take these observations a step further by observing these women’s use of facial expressions and body language. How are men reacting to the response or lack of response? It’s easiest to learn how to best deal with attention from Italian men by observing women already integrated in the Italian culture.
These types of interactions will happen nearly every day. When visiting the Pantheon on January 19, 2015 our team observed the following interaction between two men and a woman that will give you a better idea of what to expect for yourself, what to observe and how to interpret and apply observations:
The Italian men dressed as ancient Roman gladiators are obsessing over a young woman taking pictures at the Pantheon. They offer her a free picture with them though they were just seeking money from others for the same photo. The woman shook her head politely and continued to take her photo alone.
The men insisted on the picture and moved on either side of her. The women raised her voice, signaled them to stop with her hand and walked away from the situation.
The most important lesson to be taken from this type of observation is that the woman stood her ground by letting the men know that they were making her feel uncomfortable. She did this with two key forms of nonverbal communication: pitch of voice and body language. With the raising of her voice, using hand gestures and walking away from the situation, it was clearly understood exactly what was taking place, even with a language barrier. By observing interactions like these you can see that you don’t need to be afraid to stand up to overly friendly Italian men and how to best deal with these types of situations.
Public Transportation
When traveling the best way to strike up a conversation with new people is by using public transportation. However, the importance of maintaining self-awareness while riding a bus or train in Italy cannot be stressed enough since these means of transportation are heavily targeted for petty crime. The idea of social stratification (Silverman, 1966) is a great source to turn to in order to understand how differences separate people and how these differences can create a problem within a culture. Silverman says, “A crucial part of this problem is to determine the features of other persons that people attend to and how they evaluate these features in deciding whether to show deference, expect deference, or neither” (Silverman, 1966, p. 900). Before traveling in Italy, reflect on suspicious behavior that would identify a stranger as someone that is criminally targeting others and how this behavior will change the way you communicate with them. Observing visual cues such as physical appearance and nonverbal communication heightens your social perception (Young, 2.1, 2015). The risk of becoming a victim of petty crime can drastically decrease by remaining self-aware of surrounding suspicious activity and keeping valuables on the front side of the body at all times.
One of our most shocking memories involving safety occurred at the Roma Termni on January 22, 2015. On this day several older men strolled around the station to ask various women if they would like assistance with booking their train tickets. After making a round, the men would group together and discuss something quietly. The majority of these women seemed well aware of their surroundings and kept track of their belongings; very few actually accepted the men’s help. Though one older man, dressed casually and holding a pen was able to catch the attention of a female traveler. He assisted her on the self-service ticket machine, staying close by her side and kept his eyes on her purse. Two policemen drove by and signaled for the man to leave. The man walked to the door, waited until the police left and then proceeded to approach the woman again. The woman sensed something was off and kindly asked the man to leave her alone.
During this observation, it was obvious by the man’s nonverbal cues that he has bad intentions behind assisting the woman with her train ticket. These nonverbal cues included the man hovering closely to the woman, keeping his eyes on her purse while her eyes were on the machine and how their physical distance between one another (proxemics) increased significantly after the police were present. However, it’s assumed from the woman’s point of view that this man appeared to be an official worker at the train station because this form of scamming isn’t common in other parts of the world such as the United States. It wasn’t until the police interfered that the woman realized what was actually happening. Attempted theft like this is extremely common in Italy, especially in highly populated public places such as tourist areas and transportation stations. Always watch out for groups working together to pickpocket and never lay your trust in someone that doesn’t appear to be an official staff member. Actual staff members will be wearing attire with logos indicating whom they work for and often stay at booths that require you to seek their help. If you need assistance purchasing a train ticket or metro ticket, always look for an information center in the surrounding area. These information centers are not only at major stations but also scattered around the cities. By maintaining self-awareness of stranger’s nonverbal cues and appearance, your overall safety on and around public transportation systems will not be an issue.
Scamming
Another concern among female travelers is being scammed or ripped off. There are many subtle ways to be taken advantage of in Italy by those you will encounter everyday such as cab drivers, vendors and even restaurant waiters. Be smart by knowing what you’re paying for before handing the money over, count your change and always ask for a receipt. Due to high government taxes in Italy, many locals will not give receipts to customers in order to save themselves money. This act of tax evasion has led to 25% of the Italian economy remaining “underground” (Orsi, 2012, p. 18). How does this affect you as foreigner? Well, the Italian police can actually inspect your purchased goods and demand to see a receipt, if you do not have proof of the purchase then you will be fined. The outcome of social interaction during exchanges relates to the role each party takes. The only way for you to be scammed or ripped off while exchanging money is if dominance exists. Dominance in social exchanges, “only exists if submission also exists” (Ciliberti, 1992, p. 4). In order to not be taken advantage of like this, you must never give the opposing party power or control in the situation.
One time when taking a cab in Rome, our team faced a difficult situation that involved a taxi driver attempting to overcharge us for our cab fare. We were traveling with a group of eight therefore needed two cabs. One group of four, which included the only male traveling with us that day, had a cab driver who turned on his meter with no problem and took them where we needed to go. On the contrary, the other group of all females was traveling with a cab driver that refused to turn on his meter. The driver insisted that the fare was a standard rate for where we were going. The girls raised their pitch of voice to the driver, insisted that he turn on the meter or they would like to be let out of the cab. The cab driver was angered by their request but turned the meter on rather than fighting with the women. Research shows that there is a relationship between male dominance measure, female economic power and male aggression (Sanday,1981, p. 256). In order to avoid sparking unwanted aggression when exchanging money, always be polite while communicating what you want and what you are willing to pay. It’s not worth putting yourself in danger in order to save money but it’s also important to stand up for yourself when you believe you’re being taken advantage of. As a female American tourist, naturally locals will seek you as an easy target because you are unfamiliar with your surroundings and are not traveling with male company. From this cab experience, you can see how easily it is to be scammed for money if you take orders from others as the rule of thumb. If something doesn’t seem right, speak up rather giving someone else power over you. Ultimately, this will save yourself from being taking advantage.
Let the Fear Go
Moving to a new country with new people, new rules and a new way of life can be not only be intimidating but also concerning at times. However, never allow this unfamiliar ground to create fear or prevent you from fully embracing the Italian culture. Interacting with locals will teach you more about the culture than a book ever could. Though social interactions in Italy can lead to you having safety concerns because of overly friendly Italian men, petty crime on public transportation and scams in business transactions, doesn’t mean they will happen. By maintaining self-awareness at all times, standing up for yourself and not submitting yourself to others, you will maintain a very safe lifestyle in Italy.