Photo ID in Italy

Depends on what the ID request is. A passport copy is of no real value and will not be accepted as official ID. A drivers license is fine for things like audio guide rentals.

DO NOT give up you passport for anything other than checking into your hotel or apartment rental. They will give them back as soon as they get your #.

It is an erroneous assumption. A copy of your passport is only good to prove to the US that you had a passport should it be lost or stolen.

One tip an Italian instructor gave me was to use an expired drivers license when you need to leave ID for an audioguide, etc. (We get to keep our expired ones in Washington State - they just punch a hole in them.) It worked perfectly.

Biff, If photo I.D. is requested by law enforcement, the only acceptable form is a Passport. Copies of a Passport or a Driver's License won't be much help (especially as they may not be able to understand all the English language information on the D.L.). As the others have mentioned, a D.L. does work for "security" when renting AudioGuides. Unfortunately, here in B.C. they don't allow us to keep expired D.L. copies (AFAIK), so I have to leave my current license. Cheers!

Thanks to everyone for the many responses to my question. Very helpful.