What is solo travel? (23) Italy

(18) Italy

Italy is a place where you can enjoy a variety of myths and history, including Roman ruins that began with ancient Roman mythology and works of art from the Renaissance era. It is particularly famous for its historic architecture, such as the Colosseum, Vatican City, and the Trevi Fountain.

It is a wonderful destination where you can enjoy the historical city and natural scenery together, such as enjoying gelato with various Italian foods from the Roman Empire and visiting famous architectural landmarks such as various museums.

It is made up of a boot-shaped peninsula and two islands, Sicily and Sardinia, stretching for about 1,200 km from northwest to southeast in the central Mediterranean Sea, and bordered by the Alps to the north. It is in a strategic position that connects Africa to the south and Northern Europe to the north.

Like a synonym for beautiful culture and art, it is affectionately nicknamed “Belpaese”. Although it belongs to the temperate climate zone, the climate in the south and the north is distinctly different, the four seasons of the year are distinct, the total population is about 60 million, and its own Italian language is spoken.

From the historic saying “All roads lead to Rome” during the heyday of the glorious Roman Empire, to the Bardi opera and Milanese fashion, it has been a place that has been loved and loved by everyone in the world since ancient times.

What is unusual is that the Vatican, which can be said to be an independent religious substate, is in the Vatican, the largest center of Catholicism in the world, and the Holy Pope, whose name is there, is located as a symbol of Catholicism.

It is a world-class tourist destination that attracts the second largest number of tourists after France and Spain and is full of related heritage as the heart of the Roman Empire, the cradle of European civilization, and the ruins of Etruscan, ancient Greece and Rome, and the Holy Roman Empire are also scattered throughout.  

In addition, as the center of the Renaissance, there are many beautiful buildings such as the Florence Cathedral and the Duomo, and not only cultural heritage, but also beautiful natural scenery such as the Alps in the north and the beautiful beaches near Naples in the south.

As a gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, it is easy to go through the north to Switzerland and Austria. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the entire country is a tourist destination. Thanks to this fame, it recorded a whopping 62.1 million visitors in 2018.

In the case of tourist spots, English is spoken at a certain level, so you can travel even if you don’t know Italian, but in some areas of northern Italy, English is spoken very well, and security is good. However, please note that there are places such as Naples where security is not very good.

In addition, there are many travelogues in which young women are given work from children to grandfathers, which is mostly true, and there are many men who try to pick up girls, so if you look at the travelogues written by Asian women, there are many stories of cat calling (sexual harassment) experiences.  

And it’s an inconvenient fact, but it is said that among European locals, white men are very easy to see Asian women, and white women often look down on Asian men. Italy can be said to be particularly severe among them.

In addition, Italy is a paradise for pickpockets, so many shoplifters are extreme, but you should be careful in famous tourist spots, although it is a little less common in rural cities. However, if you are too nervous and deliberately expose your belly band,

Pickpockets often target them intensively, so it’s better to go naturally. For example, I often see people secretly spraying dirt on travelers’ clothes and then approaching them to wipe them off and aim for their wallets.

If you deliberately sprinkle or spit on your clothes with food or other dirt, and then say, “Egg money or clothes are dirty,” female tourists will panic and say, “Oh my God,” and often take advantage of their lax attention to steal their wallets and cell phones.

It’s not that you won’t be beaten just because you’re unconditionally careful, it’s important to act naturally and be aware of it. Perhaps pickpockets in southern European countries are punished less than a certain amount if the amount of stolen goods is less than a certain amount, so they often only take cash from the stolen wallet and return it.

Another way is to carry as little cash as possible. As you can see if you get used to backpacking in Italy for a long time, the security in the southern regions, including Naples, where the national income is relatively low, is not good, so you should pay special attention to safety when visiting this area.