So a safety tip is that you just never keep your phone in your back pocket or your wallet or anything because there's a lot of pickpocketing in the room and like big cities in those areas. So I would just recommend keeping your wallet or your phone inside a backpack or like a fanny pack and just making sure you watch it carefully.
So for the most part, Italy is pretty safe. In some of the more touristy areas, you have to worry about pickpockets, but that's not so much a safety thing, that's more of just an inconvenience thing. But you learn early on, like, little tips and tricks on, like, ways to kind of keep your stuff safe. Yeah, for the most part, safety is not too big of a deal. I mean, people are out, like, on walks and on the buses pretty frequently, so you don't really have to worry about, like, being caught, like, alone with someone sketchy. We got followed a few times, but for the most part, I felt like God really protected us. Just don't, like, give your personal information out.
So let me tell you about the mafia. Just kidding, that's not really a thing. Yes, the mafia is a thing, but as far as something you need to be concerned about, no. Italy is a very safe country. The only thing that you have to really keep your eye out is because it is such a touristy location. There's lots of, you know, kind of scams, pickpocketing, um, never accept strings of beads from Africans or selfie sticks from anyone. Just don't accept little knickknacks from people that are trying to hand them to you. Don't take pictures with Roman soldiers. And then just keep your eyes out on your belongings.
There are gypsies in Rome known as Zingari and they're very skilled. They won't hurt you, but if you wear your backpack on your back and don't pay close attention, they do have razor blades or some way to just kind of slit along the side and remove things. They can also use that on your back pocket, a little razor blade slit and your wallet drops and you don't even feel things. So just pay attention. The Italians are great people, the Zingari are a little bit tricky sometimes, but like I said, I never felt like I was in danger, but you definitely want to pay attention to your stuff.
Just be aware of your surroundings. Italy is a very safe place, but when a native is telling you not to go to a certain area because there are scary people there, listen to that. I would add to that, in those scary areas, if you do decide to go, go during daylight hours. Do not stay there at night. That is my biggest tip. When you're on a bus or something and you have a backpack or a bag, just keep your hand on it. There are pickpocketers and gypsies, people that will try and take your things. But other than that, in most places, it's fairly crowded as well. So just especially when it's dark, I would say be aware of your surroundings and try and stay in well-lit areas, just common sense things.