rustfarmer

In Roma, take one of the double-deck bus rides. You'll see a lot in a short time and can go back later to favorite areas.

HallowedHill Loc: Chattanooga, TN

We were there last August. The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona (the streets around it are full of small cafes to grab lunch), Church of San Lugie dei Francesie ( full of Caravaggio master pieces) and Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra are all close together and easily within walking distance. Another grouping is the area with the Roman Ruins( Collossum, Circus Maximus, etc.) and very close by the center of the Italian government including Mussolini's famous balcony. The last area is Vatican City(you could spend the entire day in the Vatican Museum alone) but also worth while is the Trastevere district ( lots of place to eat dinner. Decide what you want to see before you go, get a good map and organize your day. I took my Nikon 55-300 and 17 -55 lens. I used the 17-55 more than 90% of the time. If you have it, take a very fast wide angle prime as most of the museums and churches will let you shoot, but not with a flash. Hope this helps and have fun.

retap

Buy the optional insurance on the car rental. The rules are different in Europe.
Bring a minimum of equipment-body and 18-135 lens is sufficient. Best shots will be wide to medium. I also carried a small point and shoot for street shots-but turn off the flash.

billpan45

I agonized over bringing my kit on a 13-day trip around Italy. Eventually I decided on a Canon G-9. Arriving in Italy I saw every third person had an SLR around their neck. My small camera did amazingly well, taking 2400 pics, and I am very happy I did not tote the big kit.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

During 3 trips to Italy including a 30 day driving tour I found that my 24-105 never was off of the camera.
I had my 70-200 in the bag during all 3 trips and never felt the need to take it out. Just excess and unnecessary weight. You definitely want to be careful and aware of your surroundings. Gypsy women with children and or newspapers to distract and disarm you are common. I found a thief's hand inside of my camera bag on the subway, saw a teenager grab a woman's purse and make it through the subway door just as it was about to close, etc. Still worth the trip, as I never tire of Italy. Have a great trip.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

In Florence, I double strapped my Canon 6D across my chest, and was glad I did. Some kid tried to yank it off me on the walk to the square. One tip I'll share, which is good in any city, Europe, US, or Asia. When walking down a crowded street, every 10-20 steps forward turn around and look for a familiar face behind you. See one, you're being tailed. Best to go to the side stop and wait for that crowd to pass before you move on. At the square in Florence, shoot the Michelangelos then move out of the tourist crowd, and try to be standing alone in the square so you can see if someone wants to approach you. The child thieves move fast, and will be in a crowd, or when you get off a bus or other conveyance. These kids run through a crowd like a snake, and will pick your pocket, steal the wife's purse or reach in and steal the wallet. BTW, be sure the wife's purse has some way to make a secure closure that takes 2 steps to open it. You wallet should be in your front pocket and as deeply as possible. Never, Never disconnect your camera from the strap and lay it on a table, no matter how safe you feel. Cafe's are real grab and run areas. Only take enough Euros for your day trip, not the whole pile. Lock the rest in you hotel safe. Credit cards, take one on the street with you, no debit cards, lock up the rest. Write down all your camera equipment serial numbers. If lost or stolen it will help if it is recovered. Carry only a copy of your passport, not the real one. A US passport is worth lots of money on he black market. So, lock up the original. Have a great trip, enjoy Europe, be safe.

B

foodie65

Remember: no cars allowed in Siena but the city is GREAT!!

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

We spent three weeks in Florence this past December and NEVER felt threatened. Ponte Vecchio and the shopping areas on either side were bustling, but we felt quite safe. My daughter would, on a daily basis, go out at night and in the morning, and she never had a problem. It's a great city, full of great photo ops. I left my Nikon D800E at home and shot with my Sony A6000 and its 16-70mm lens. I got some great shots.

We did tour Tuscany with a guide, and the recommendations that have been posted are spot on. The small, hilltop towns are the best.

As for Rome, I have mostly negative memories, stemming from being ripped off by a cab driver. We flew in overnight, took the train from the airport, walked out of the train station, and, still half asleep, took the first cab we saw. For 20 minutes we motored through Rome until the driver pulled over and pointed at our hotel. We paid him the €50 he asked for. The next day we had to take the train again and discovered the station was a three-minute walk from our hotel.

Venice is wonderful! We were there last month. I would encourage you to buy an all-day water taxi pass, travel the length of the Grand Canal, noting spots you want to visit, and then hop from spot to spot, getting off and on as it suits you. You can catch a gondola ride near the Rialto Bridge, and I highly recommend it. It costs €80, but, hey, when are you going to get the chance again?

Enjoy

Inglese

In fact it is possible to get an, albeit shorter, gondola experience by crossing the Grande Canal using a traghetto which are basically stripped out gondole. Of course, the ride is only about 3 minutes across but the cost is only 2 or 3 euro. When will I get there again? Well, I go every year but then, I have friends there and live in the UK, 100 minutes flying time away.

retap

Old trick-wrap a few rubber bands around the wallet in your front pocket. Carry as little as possible. Defensive touring is like defensive driving. It's sad that things are like this.

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

Took only my D7000 & and 18-200 VR II all over Italy North of Rome in a Tamrac 517 holster case with one strap over my head and on the off shoulder, and the other included strap around my waiste. NO problems in the two weeks we were there, from Rome to Lake Como. Don not advertise Nikon or Canon.

Duane

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I ordered an old-style zippered Nylon money belt where I kept a credit card, cash and a copy of our passports and wore it around my waist, under my shirt.

ValliPride Loc: Lost in Florida

I was at the colosseum and a S Bag grabbed my camera around my neck. I grabbed his arm heard a very distinctive snap, the police were about 40 feet away and just watched as this piece of crap held onto his dislocated arm. Be careful, thieves work in small groups and are Great at the art of distraction,in Florance see Acadamia and enjoy the gelato

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

I am recently back from Italy. Two and half days in Rome. the rest of the time in Florence. While in Rome my hotel was 50 yards from the Trevi Fountain. During the day it is packed with people taking selfies. Street vendors are continually trying to sell selfie stick among other things. The shots I got were usually in the morning before the crowds showed up. I traveled with only two lens, a 45 marco and a 18-250 zoom. I found it to be enough to cover anything i wanted. In Florence the Ponte Vecchio bridge once again is filled with people during the day. And once again a lot of the street people are trying to sell selfie stick. The bridge is empty at 7AM. Good lighting and no fighting the crowds. Did a one day trip to San Gimignano, very interesting place.
As a side note if you keep your camera close to you, there shouldn't be any problems. As a matter of fact while in Florence i saw a young couple at an outdoor restaurant. He had his camera just sitting on the table. It would have been extremely easy for someone to grab and run. I told him, and he thanked me in French. At least I think he thanked me. He immediately put the camera around his neck.
Go and enjoy yourself. We had such a great time we are planning on returning sometime. Hopefully it will not be too far down the road,