We are traveling through Italy for 2 weeks, Lake Como, Venice and Sicily. We typically stay in hotels and leave our passports in the hotel inroom safe. This time we are using Air BnBs and most won’t have that amenity. Curious do most folks leave it hidden in the room? Or take it with you in a money belt?
Edited - Thank you all for the insights!
This has been a frequent question. You might use the search function to see previous recent threads. Here is a current one: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/id-requirements-is-photo-of-passport-ok
Briefly, Italy requires you to carry a legal form of ID at all times. If you are an EU citizen, you can carry your national ID card. Otherwise, your passport is your only form of legal ID outside your home country. Carry it securely, in a money belt, neck wallet, hidden pocket, etc - whatever you normally use for deep storage while travelling.
Italian law requires that you have your passport with you at all times. You are expected to follow their laws while you are in their country. Just as we expect people to follow our laws when they visit the United States.
We always carry ours on us. No matter which country we are in.
If you are going to carry it be sure it is in a body safe under your clothes and not in a purse, wallet, pocket or backpack. Although passports are not a target of pickpockets, they also will grab what they can and losing a passport is a far greater risk than being braced for your 'papers' in Italy.
I leave mine in the hotel and never use the safe...just tuck in into layers of clothing I my suitcase.
We are pushing 80 and now travel with group tours. We always follow our guide's advice, which, in Europe, usually is to carry a photo copy of the main page of your passport instead of carrying it on your person. Of course, if you are moving from the hotel to another city, then you must carry it on your person.
I cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, London, ESPECIALLY Barcelona, I always carry my passport in a money belt or neck wallet (the string of the wallet wrapped around my right arm under my shirt, so the wallet is under my left arm.
Unless I’m going to the beach, I keep it on me. In a money belt or a zippered pocket. Never needed the passport except leaving Europe or crossing two borders in 8 trips over the past 27 years, but why risk a hassle? Or a lost passport?
If I’m going to the beach, I’ll keep it in the hotel safe, except once in Barcelona I hid it above a ceiling panel and behind a recessed light fixture.
From what we saw (and heard) in Barcelona in 1999, theft from tourists was over the top, so I decided not to trust the hotel room safe. Even the locals on the Metro wore their backpacks over their chests/stomachs, with at least one hand on it. Women’s purses had zippers in the straps, so they could wear their purses over both shoulders.
And no, I’m not up tight about crime and always on the defense, though I am placing my wallet in my unzipped, back pocket less than I used to. I just don’t want to spend vacation time explaining myself to local police or at the US Consulate.
I carry mine in a neck wallet, under the shirt. I never leave it in the room.
I always carry my passport with me in a money belt under my clothes. I’ve been asked a couple of times to show my passport on a train by armed officers.
I recently took a RS tour in a different country and was very surprised when the guide said to leave our passports in our room during the day. Nope, I still carried mine in my money belt. In an emergency I have my passport, credit card, ATM card and some large Euro bills.
I agree with Jean.
Your PP, a little cash, and some info like travel insurance , a spare credit card , medical info and notes of emergency contacts in an underclothing money belt….at ALL times.
If there’s a fire, flood, earthquake, incident at your accommodation, or you have a medical emergency, then you can get away, get out, fly home, go to hospital….whatever….at a moment’s notice.
Plus…it’s law in Italy that your pp is the legal ID for visitors.
