Snakes in Italy

It is not the stupidest question of the day But ... consider the source. Yes, they are common to northern Europe including northern Italy but not particularly dangerous. The bite can be painful but mostly likely will not kill you. If you get into more remote areas you might find one but the probability of seeing one is low. They are not aggressive like like some of the North American cousins. The pickpockets in Italy are the snakes that you should be looking for and are far more dangerous.

Your biggest worry should be the snakes on the transatlantic flight to Italy;)

Man, don't you just love these "friends" who always fear-monger about pickpockets, ticks, rail strikes, tap water, lack of toilet paper, no rooms on rue Cler, etc., etc. ? And now snakes ? Am I the only one who has friends who only make positive comments about my travel plans? Geez.

I've hiked in Italy and have never seen a snake on a hiking trail--or a plane for that matter! Not to worry!

I imagine you have far more poisonous snakes in North Carolina than they have in Italy. And that's definitely true for the American Southwest.

Yes, there are vipers in Italy, but the Western and Eastern Diamondbacks you're already aware of from your hiking in the SW and SE are more dangerous and venomous. I hiked the CT and never encountered a snake, but we ran across a rattler on a trail outside of Tucson years ago. Don't worry about it. If you were going to Australia for a hiking trip, however, you might have a few things to be concerned about in this area. Enjoy your vacation!

Go to Ireland. St Patrick did a number on them... ;)

I've hiked in the Cinque Terre and other areas, and haven't yet seen a single snake. However, there are venomous snakes in many parts of western Europe, so hikers should keep this in mind.

AFAIK there are two types of venomous snakes in Italy, Vipera Aspis & Vipera Berus. Of the two, the venom from Aspis is more of a danger. Both types of snakes have hematoxic venom, which is less dangerous than the neurotoxic venom of more dangerous snakes such as the Cobra family.

I live in an area that's well populated with Rattlesnakes and have found that in most cases they're quite timid and will get out of the way of hikers (they tend to "feel" the vibrations in the ground when people are walking nearby). However, if surprised they may strike without warning.

If you follow reasonable precautions, you should have no problems.

Michael...."Snakes on a Plane" is a movie. This was for real:

Stowaways on Southwest Airlines

I asked my Soldier husband the same thing when we were hiking/walking in Germany the other day. He said that all his safety briefings in both Italy and Germany address dangerous animals. According the the Army there are no snakes to fear in Europe. We do have lots of cute little garden lizards. They are harmless and like to play hide and seek. But if you want an animal to worry about encountering, worry about boars. Fierce momma boars.

Of course had he been flying Ryanair they would force him to pay the last minute fare for the scorpion's air travel!

ba dump pump

What in the world happened to Southwest...flying with fuselage fissures, holes in planes, and now scorpions?!? Next thing you know, there will be a bunch of European ticks and mosquitoes on board (or do they have those over there).

thanks for allaying that concern and helping me save a week's worth of great hikes. we weren't overly concerned - the friend who told my wife that is the type of person who perceives danger every where (if you cough in her presence, she tells you about her aunt who had lung cancer). still, it's a relief to know we can cross this worry off our list and focus on more vexing matters like the dollar-euro exchange rate and Italian train schedules. thanks again.

Yes, boars would be a much greater concern to me after what I learned about them when visiting my sister in France a few years ago. They are very territorial and have attacked and even killed people. She lived in an area with a lot of wild boars and was very careful about where and when she went jogging.

While my husband was training in Germany a couple years ago, there was a boar vs. humvee incident. Oddly the boar won when it tore up the tire and scared to soldiers enough to keep them in the truck. So yes, avoid boars.

It's like in Yellowstone National Park, where a lot of guidebooks warn you about the dangers of bears, wolves and rattlesnakes - but the fact is, more visitors there are injured by bison than any other animal.

Completely off topic now, but the previous reply reminded me of a really interesting book I picked up in Yellowstone a few years ago...Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park. It really enhanced the trip by adding color to how dumb people can be around wild animals and dangerous terrain.

Michelle,

A Boar vs. Humvee - interesting match. Given that the soldiers were forced to stay in the truck, I'm assuming they were travelling without sidearms?

Ken- The soliders carry guns and all that, but there is a general order to not kill the local wildlife unless it's life or death. A humvee tire isn't a life or death thing. I like that they have that rule. It is a rule in the states too.

Michelle,

Thanks for the clarification on that. I had a relative posted in Germany with the British Army, so I suppose he would have been operating under the same "rules of engagement".