traveling by bus & train in italy

Sure, in the same way your bag can be grabbed from the storage bin on the train. BUT it rarely happens. The bags are stored under the bus, generally with the assistance of the driver, and we try to sit on the same side as our luggage so we can watch out the window. Not sure what we would do if we saw someone taking our bag. I guess we would try to run after them. We really don't worry about that too much.

You can take a small bag on board, and that's where any valuables or non-replaceables should be. But otherwise, at a stop, most people are too busy retrieving their own bags to worry about trying to take someone else's. It is true that, strictly speaking, most of the time there's nothing to stop someone from taking a bag that doesn't belong to them. But this is a pretty low yield crime, unless they are desperate for dirty clothes and the like. On a few European buses, I was given a claim check for my bag placed under the bus, but this is rare, and I can't remember where it happened.

My question is for the airplane, couldn't anyone take your bag out when you get on the airplane? I've probably read myself into paranoia, but how is it secure? In fact it is not secure. Not even on a plane. In 2000 I checked in one bag in San Francisco with Air France. My final destination was Florence (via CDG). My bag did not arrive to destination. I'm still waiting for it, 12 years later. Someone in Paris is wearing my underwear. Life is full of surprises. Enjoy it until it lasts. Carry your valuables with you as a carry on.

We've taken a bus in Italy several times. We stow our luggage and our tandem bike (in two suitcases) under the bus. I am the same as you, and kind of paranoid that someone will take my stuff, but after 5-6 trips, no problems. We do try to sit right where our luggage is under the bus, and I sit and watch everytime the bus stops to make sure I don't see my bag(s) walking away. So far, no problem. I really think the bus is not a place that people come to try to take your stuff. They are all travelers as well. As others mentioned, make sure anything of value is with you on the bus, not in your luggage. There is very little space on the bus for anything other than a small day pack, shoulder bag. Don't let this fear discourage you from taking the bus if it's your only option. On a train, you have more space for your luggage in the overhead space, or if not crowded, you can put your stuff on the floor by your feet.

Thanks Ellen, that much experience does put my mind at ease.