We will be visiting Northern and Central Italy later this month; is it necessary -- or advisable -- to carry our passports with us at all times? I realize we need our passports to buy an Italian SIM card (and of course at passport control when entering the country and returning to the US), but otherwise do we need to carry our passports?
Along similar lines, is there any benefit to carrying a color photocopy rather than the actual passport?
The law says you must carry your passport. Period.
Now people will tell you they have carried a photocopy and had no problem. If you do that, just know there is a risk that the cop isn't satisfied with that
Another misconception is that there are pickpocketers that want to steal your passport. That isn't true. Passports have no value. Keep it away from your wallet/money and you should have no worries there.
Another couple of things you’ll need it for are: checking into your lodgings, and leaving luggage in storage.
What they said^^^^
Get yourself a secure personal storage device: moneybelt, neck wallet, hidden pocket - the list goes on. Carry your passport there, and not just in a pocket or ( even worse) a day bag.
The average cop or other official won't know if your DL or library card is authentic. Your passport is the only legal ID when you are in a foreign country.
You would also likely need it, as well as your DL and IDP if renting a car.
The law (art. 6 c.3 of the Uniform Immigration Law) requires it.
The alien who, at the request of the public security officers and agents, fails to comply, without justified reason, with the order to show the passport or other identification document and residence permit or other document certifying the regular presence in the territory of the State is punished with arrest up to one year and with a fine of up to € 2,000.
Some people prefer to leave it in the hotel safe and take their chance rather than to take the risk of losing it or having it stolen by a pickpocket, but that is a personal choice. There are circumstances when you will need identification, besides when requested by police (which is very rare, unless you look like a middle eastern or African immigrant, who get stopped and questioned by their immigration status by police all the time for any reason). In any case, if you prefer to take that chance and leave it in the hotel safe, carry a photocopy of the passport and be sure you are never too far from your hotel. So if you stay in Florence, I wouldn't go on a day trip to Siena without a passport.
Also keep your passport secure at all times in your body and separate from your wallet. It is true that thieves are not interested in stealing your passport, but if the passport is in the same purse where the wallet is and the purse is snatched by a thief, the passport goes with it. Replacing the passport at the US consulate is probably easy and relatively fast, but not every city has a US Consulate. The US Consulate of Florence covers a large territory in Italy, including Emilia Romagna. So if you are in Montepulciano and you lose your passport, you need to travel all the way to Florence. If you lose it in Umbria, you need to go all the way to Rome. That's a hassle that is going to eat away precious vacation time if it happens.
We carry ours because in the event of an emergency that requires you to get out of a country quickly (e.g., political unrest, natural disaster, etc.) and you can’t get back to your hotel, the one item you’ll need is a passport. It proves your nationality and will allow you to leave. Plus, as another responder stated, it’s required in most countries.
In June, we were in the train station traveling from Florence to Venice. While waiting for our train, the police walked up to us and asked to see our passports. While polite and professional, it was somewhat unexpected; however as we were traveling we all had them handy and there were no issues. From here forward, yes, we will keep our passports on us for this reason and all the reasons previously stated. My husband and son have rfid neck wallets tucked in their shirts, and my daughter and I have travelon secure handbags (rfid / slash resistant).
jaimeelsabio put it very well above. In the words of Nike, Just Do It. It's like having a credit card, you just need it.
As an aside, I was on a French train on a daytrip with a cranky conductor and he insisted on seeing my passport. For no good reason.
