Flying Through AMS to FCO

If you're taking one airline or code-sharing airlines, your baggage will be checked through. You'll go through passport control in Amsterdam. At FCO, collect your bag and exit. There are no customs to speak of--you simply go through the "nothing to declare" door. It's not like the U.S.--they know who might be carrying something that might need declaring.

Is the trip on one ticket?

One ticket vs two will make for a difference, especially with checked luggage.

One ticket, Delta/KLM. Thank both of you!

There are no customs to speak of--you simply go through the "nothing to declare" door. It's not like the U.S.--they know who might be carrying something that might need declaring.

Well, to be fair, when entering the US, you only make declarations, Customs is a non-issue, not even a need to choose one door or the other. In Europe, your choosing the door is a declaration, with legal impacts if you choose wrong.

In both cases, whether you are aware of it or not, your checked bags have gone through screening, if they do see something, they let you "claim" the bag, then pull you over. In the US they add Dogs (those cute beagles, sometimes drug dogs) So in the long run, not much difference in Customs.

Paul, I know. I just wanted to say the "customs" is a nonissue entering Italy. For most arriving in the U.S., it's basically the same, except that there's more paperwork and more obvious screening as you go from passport control through baggage claim and then past the guys and then out the door. At least it's that way at JFK in New York and often, at Newark.