What to wear in a church and other Rome, Italy Warning Or Danger Tips

In Italy, you have to be properly dressed to enter a Church. You must have your shoulders and knees covered. But you don't have to be covered from head to toe or wear dressy clothes. I wore a sleeveless dress, and put a cotton shirt over it when entering St. Peter's Basilica and the other churches. Another guy in the group was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and put on a pair of sweatpants before entering the churches. Our group leader wore a sleeveless dress and wore a wrap over her shoulders.

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Be very careful with your money. There are a lot of pickpockets in Rome, and they often target tourists. I highly recommend wearing a money belt, it's worn in your clothes so that people can't see it unless you lift your shirt. If you wear a fanny pack, put it through the belt loops in your pants/shorts, and pin it onto your clothes. Once, we heard a group of tourists yelling, and when we looked we saw a gypsy kid running away with a fanny pack. She had just unbuckled the pack and ran away, it could have been prevented if the man had secured it to his clothes.

Also, DO NOT put your wallet in your back pocket. It's very easy for a pickpocket to steal it that way. If you have a purse, keep in in front of you and hold on to it, don't let it dangle (pickpockets can cut purse straps). Never set it down under the table at a restaurant or put it somewhere where it can be easily reached and grabbed. Don't wear fancy jewelry, and don't flash your cash.

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The locals in general are very warm and don't mind body contact with people (hugging, two-cheek kiss, etc), which is cool (it's a cultural thing), but some men try to take it a little too far. Some (but not all) men try to feel up young girls, especially in cramped places were people are packed together like sardines.

Funny story:
One time in the subway, a middle-aged Italian man tried to feel up a girl from another WYD group, and my chaperone noticed. My chaperone said (in a threatening voice) to the man "You keep your hands to yourself or I'm gonna punch you!" He got confused and she said "Yeah, I'm gonna punch you!" He asked her if she was the girl's mother, and she said "Yeah!" (even though it wasn't true, she was trying to protect the girl). Then she turned to a girl in our WYD group and said "Watch out for his hands". The girl thought that my chaperone meant that the man was a pickpocket, so she yelled to the entire subway car "We have a pickpocket here, watch out!" We all looked at the man, and some people were pointing and whispering. The man got embarassed and went to a different subway car on the next stop.

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In the summer, the temperatures can go over 40 degrees Celcius. The temperature is usually cool in the mornings, but gets extremely hot in the afternoons. Definitely wear sunscreen and drink lots of water to stay hydrated. A few people in my group had problems with sunburn and dehydration, but these problems can be avoided.

Just a note on water - if you want normal water, you have to ask for non-carbonated water. If you don't, they'll probably give you carbonated water, which tastes yucky (although if you're extremely thirsty, you probably won't care...). If you don't like carbonated water, always ask for "Acqua no-fizzante" (non-carbonated water).

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The driving is crazy in Rome! Be very careful when crossing the street, because they go fast and won't stop for you.

Also, watch out for the motorbikes. I almost got run over by a motorbike that jumped the curb onto the sidewalk.

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I saw a few of them on the bridges across the Tevere, a few in Trastevere, and others in the Piazza Navona. Either way, I wouldn't buy counterfeit bags (or clothes) since these things are usually connected to the mafia (these "goods" are also made in sweatshops). Also, I wouldn't risk getting fined (even bringing this stuff back to your home country can be illegal). If you see any vendor with stuff spread out on a sheet, they're probably an illegal immigrant selling junk - whenever one of their "scouts" sees the police, they warn the vendor, then the vendor just picks up the sheet with all the stuff still in it and runs.

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