Security

Petty theft is a problem throughout Italy ad tends to get worse the farther south you travel. Keep only a limited amount of your money in cash and the bulk in more easily replaceable forms, such as credit cards or travellers cheques. If there is a safe, use it. If you must leave money and documents in your room, divide the former into several stashes and hide them in different places. Lockable luggage is a good deterrent.

On the streets, keep as little on you as possible. The safest thing is a shoulder wallet or under-the-clothes money belt or pouch. External money belts tend to attract attention to your belongings rather than deflect it. If you eschew the use of any such device, keep money in your front pockets and watch out for people who seem to brush close to you. Teams of delinquents employ an infinite number of tricks whereby one distracts you and the other deftly empties your pockets.

Costs

Italy isn't cheap. High admission fees for many museums and monuments keep daily expenditure high. Prices also very significantly between the north and south (they are generally higher in the north), and between cities and provincial or rural areas. A very prudent backpacker might scrape by on around € 40 to € 45 per day, but only eating one simple meal per day, buying a sandwich or pizza slice for lunch, travelling slowly to keep transport costs down and minimising visits to museums and galleries.

One rung up, you can get by on € 55 to € 60 per day if you keep sit-down meals and museums visits to one per day.

If money is no object, you'll find your niche in Italy. There's no shortage of expensive restaurants and pricey shops. Realistically, a traveller wanting to eat two square meals per day, not feel restricted to one museum visit per day and be able to enjoy the odd drink and other minor indulgences should reckon on a minimum daily average of between € 100 to € 130 - possibly more if you are driving.

A basic breakdown of costs per person during an average day for the budget to mid-range traveller could be, breakfast € 1.50 to €2 (coffee and croissant), lunch (sandwich, or pizza slice and mineral water) €3, bottle of mineral water €0.80, public transport (bus or underground railway in a major town) up to €3.10, entrance fee for one museum up to €6.20, sit down dinner € 8 to € 18. On top of that you have to add transport (train/bus/ferry) between destinations.