Pickpockets by the Train Station and other Rome, Italy Warning Or Danger Tips

When I arrived in Rome after my long flight from Toronto, I took a commuter train in from the airport. I thought that I would walk over to my hotel which was located just two blocks from the station. No sooner do I walk out from station that I swarmed by a host of fhree or four old women, one even carrying a baby. One held up a piece of cardboard in front of my face while another attempted to open up my camera bag. I raise my voice (I have a very loud voice) and shouted some expletives and off they went before they could get hold of any of my belongings.
Now when I got to my hotel, I came across other problem with Rome. When I told the hotel cleck of the situation that had just occured, he blamed it on "the Jews". Obviously I do not know if they were Jewish or not, nor should it matter. It was rather, an indication of the simmering racism that exists in Rome.
I actually saw these same group of ladies hanging out at the Forum the next day so I guess they get around and it is something that you should definitely watchout for.

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Except for Athens, Rome has the worse traffic that I experienced in any city in Europe. Obviously this has something to do with the fact that all the streets are so narrow and really not meant for automobile traffic. This means that both cars and buses jam up. I was taking the bus from my hotel into the centre of Rome and it was just stop and start. I started to chatting with an Irishman who was also bothered by the traffic. Finally I decided to jump off the bus. I found that I could get to my destination faster by foot. Oddly enough I wandered into a political demonstration along the way. I suspect this was what was holding up all the traffic.

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