Traveling to Italy in a few days and have booked advanced tickets for several sites/activities in Sorrento, Florence, Venice, Milan and Rome. In each case, I have "named" tickets and the receipts all indicate a need to show ID.
Do I need to provide my physical passport, or can I show a printed copy? Or can I show my US drivers license?
I'm just wondering if I can leave my physical passport in the hotel safe and/or locked in my suitcase?
Grazie!
I don't have an answer to your question regarding tourist attractions.
However, Italian law requires non-EU citizens to carry legal identification. For a US citizen, that would be your passport. While the chance of being asked for your ID by authorities is generally low, failure to present your ID can result in fine or detention.
You are required by law to carry your passport as that is your official ID
Safest place for it is secure in a money belt or buried deep on your person
Lots of discussion on this topic
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/carrying-passport-a6e36241-cd9d-44ff-a568-356151b08848
We have been randomly stopped and asked to show our passports.
I am pretty sure I have shown my license for anything I needed ID for, so you probably wouldn't have to take your passport out of the depths of your moneybelt :)
Legally, you must carry a recognized ID, which for Americans means your passport.
However, for tourist sites with nominative tickets, you can usually just show any photo ID.
Thanks!
I will be using a money belt...which would, depending on the day, hold my passport, small wallet with license and credit cards, and cash. I guess I'll carry all of these things every day.
The one venue I specifically remember having to show passport was the Last Supper.
For others a DL is probably sufficient as others have reported.
Keep your passport in the money belt along with extra cards etc but maybe just carry your DL, 1 card and a bit of cash in a zippered pocket in your pants or purse. That is what we do.
Nobody wants your DL. Actually nobody wants your passport either. They do want your phone so never put it down on a table and don't walk around with it in your hand/in your face.
