Tourists are being targeted in Rome as a surge in muggings and pickpocketing has hit the Italian capital. In the space of a year, the level of street crimes has doubled – leaving tourists feeling increasingly unsafe in the city.
Restaurant and bar owners have said that their customers are being bombarded with gangs of thieves and muggers, and they worry that the crime will only increase as more people travel to Rome for the Vatican Jubilee – an event in the Catholic Church that will bring pilgrims to the city.
Claudio Pica is the head of Fiepet Confesercenti, an association which represents 3,500 cafes, restaurants, and pizzerias.
She said: “We are receiving between 80 and 100 reports a day of muggings, thefts and pickpocketing in the bars and restaurants of central Rome.”
Neighborhoods such as Monti and Trastevere are up on the list of targets as they are both popular tourist areas as well as restaurants and bars near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in the historic center.
Theft is also a big problem on Rome's public transport, which has led to more police patrolling its metro lines.
Matteo Piantedosi, minister of Interior, ordered dozens of police officers to carry out random checks on Metro A line, one used often by tourists to reach St Peter's Square and the Vatican Museums.
The city's police said over 175,000 people had been stopped in random checks since the beginning of 2024 – 70,000 of which were foreigners, and 676 people had been arrested.
During the summer period, when many tourists travel out to Rome, police had to intervene when a fight broke out between tourists and pickpockets, which forced the central Barberini station to close.
The FCDO's offers travel advice for Brits planning to go abroad. Regarding Italy, the website states: “Crime levels are generally low, but there are higher levels of petty crime, particularly bag-snatching and pickpocketing, in city centers and at major tourist attractions.”
Additional information was also provided about public transport. It added: “Take care on public transport, in crowded areas and in city centers, including main stations – particularly in and around Termini station in Rome. ”