Personal Safety
Italy ranked thirty-eighth globally in the Legatum Institute’s Safety and Security Sub-Index (2014) out of 142 countries studied. Legatum also found that 64 percent of Italians said they felt safe walking at night, higher than the global average of 62 percent. Only 4.7 percent of Italians reported being the victim of an assault compared to the global average of seven percent.
Italy’s homicide rate is 0.9 percent per 100,000 people, which is significantly lower than the U.S. homicide rate of 4.7 percent (World Health Organization 2012).
Serious and violent crimes against tourists and expats are rare, but petty crimes are common in cities with high levels of tourism. Additional personal safety information is available at the U.S. Department of State’s website under the topic Safety and Security.
Transportation
Airlines
The World Economic Forum (2014) ranked Italy’s quality of air transport infrastructure seventieth in the world. The country has six major airports that handle most intercontinental air traffic: Milan Linate International Airport (LIN), Milan Malpensa International Airport (MXP), Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) in Rome, Trieste International Airport (TRS), Turin International Airport (TRN) and Palermo International Airport (PMO) in Sicily. Major airlines that provide direct flights from U.S. gateway cities to Italy are Delta, Alitalia, United, US Airways and American Airlines. Alitalia is the largest airline in Italy and the nineteenth largest in the world. Air One is a popular low-cost airline that flies within Italy.
Highways
The World Economic Forum (2014) ranked Italy’s road infrastructure fifty-seventh on its Quality of Roads report. The roads in Italy are considered to be extremely dangerous. In particular, roads near historic sites are extremely narrow, uneven, congested and winding. Visitors and pedestrians should exercise extreme caution when driving or walking on the streets. Italy has one of the highest car accident rates in Europe. Traffic signals are often scarce and violated, which causes fatal collisions with pedestrians and other drivers. During the winter, drivers should always have their headlights on to provide visibility in the fog. U.S. citizens who receive a ticket must pay the amount in full to the officer at that given time. Failure to do so will result in suspension of the vehicle and driver’s license. Traffic moves on the right side of the road and the maximum speed limit is 130 kilometers per hour on the autostrada.
In order to obtain a driver’s license in Italy, you must be at least 18 years old and be in suitable physical condition (a medical certificate is required for eyesight, mental health and physical condition). You must also obtain a learner’s permit, practice driving in Italy, pass a theory test (multiple choice, in Italian) and pass a practical driving test with an instructor and examiner. For details, please visit this website for more information on driving in Italy.
Buses
Italy does not have a national bus network, so determining where you can travel via bus can be a bit difficult. Buses in Italy tend to operate more regionally than nationally. Routes are much easier to locate if you are traveling between two cities within one region, as opposed to one region to another. Despite the difficultly, there are several bus companies that travel regionally: SAIS Autolinee and Train spa. All major urban areas in Italy have low-cost metropolitan bus systems.
Trains
Trains are another popular form of transportation in Italy and, unlike the bus system, have a national network. Trenitalia is perhaps the most preferred train website by both Italians and travelers. It is the site to use for all routes and trains, including sleeper trains, international trains and regional trains to smaller cities.
In addition, these Italian cities have metro train systems to move about within the metropolitan area: Brescia, Catania, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Rome and Turin.
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