43 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Very safe. The coast road is the actual danger: blind bends, buses that take both lanes, and no pavement in most of it. Walking between towns on the road is unwise; the mule paths above it are the alternative and are superb. Rip currents are rare but the sea is deep straight off the shingle.
Comfortable: Amalfi · Positano · Ravello · Atrani · Praiano
- Amalfi Drive — on foot — blind bends, buses that take both lanes, and no pavement
- Scooter hire on that road, which is the commonest visitor accident here
- The stairs everywhere, which are worn, steep and unlit at night
- Naples Centrale — and the streets around it, for pickpockets on the way through
Very safe. The lake road is narrow, busy and has a wall on one side; driving it in August is the mistake most visitors make when the ferries exist. The water is cold and deep a metre from the shore.
Comfortable: Bellagio · Varenna · Menaggio · Como · the ferries
- the lake road in season — narrow, walled and jammed; the ferries exist for a reason
- swimming off the villages — the water is deep and cold a metre from the shore
- the high paths in cloud — they are mountain paths despite starting at a café
Very safe, and the danger is entirely underfoot. The paths are narrow with unfenced drops, and people are hurt on them every season wearing the wrong shoes — trainers at minimum, and check which sections are open before setting out. Trains are packed in August and the platforms are short; mind the gap and the crowd.
Comfortable: Monterosso · Vernazza · Manarola · Riomaggiore
- the coastal paths after heavy rain — landslides close sections without much warning, and the closures last
- the station platforms in August — very crowded, and the trains are short
Very safe, with almost no street crime and towns that are comfortable at any hour. The real risks are the sea and the roads: beaches on the east coast have currents and few lifeguards outside July and August, and the mountain roads are narrow with no barrier. Some famous beaches now cap daily numbers and require booking — check before driving two hours to one.
Comfortable: Alghero old town · Cagliari Castello · Bosa · Villasimius
- the east coast beaches outside July and August — currents, and no lifeguard once the season ends
- the mountain roads in the Gennargentu — narrow, unbarriered, and with livestock on them
- the capped beaches without a booking — La Pelosa and others turn people away at the gate in season
Very comfortable, including late, because opera nights put thousands of people on the streets until one in the morning. The station end is scruffier than the rest and worth ordinary attention after dark. The Arena’s stone steps are unlit and uneven when a performance lets out — most injuries here happen on them.
Comfortable: the centro storico · Piazza Brà · Veronetta, across the river
- the streets right behind the station after dark — the one scruffy corner of an otherwise easy city
- the Arena steps when a performance lets out — unlit, uneven stone and several thousand people leaving at once
Comfortable and very well organised, but this is high mountain country. Weather turns fast and afternoon thunderstorms are the norm in high summer; via ferrata routes need a harness and the knowledge to use it; and the huts must be booked, because turning up at one that is full at 2,000 metres is a serious problem.
Comfortable: the valley towns · the marked paths · the huts
- the high paths on a summer afternoon — thunderstorms build almost daily and there is no shelter above the treeline
- via ferrata routes without a harness — they are climbing routes, not walks, whatever the map suggests
- arriving at a rifugio without a booking — a full hut at 2,000 metres leaves you walking down in the dark
Very comfortable. The lake itself is the thing to respect: the Ora wind gets up almost every afternoon in the north and the water is cold enough below the surface to cramp a strong swimmer. The shore road tunnels have no pavement in places and are unpleasant on foot.
Comfortable: Sirmione · Riva del Garda · Malcesine and the eastern shore
- swimming far out in the afternoon — the Ora wind gets up daily and the water is cold below the surface
- walking through the shore road tunnels — several have no pavement and traffic moving fast
Very comfortable and small enough to cross in twenty minutes. The city is built on ridges, so almost every street is a hill and the cobbles are slick in the rain. On Palio days the Campo is packed solid from the afternoon and there is no leaving it until the race is over.
Comfortable: the whole walled centre · the Campo · the streets round the duomo
- the cobbled ridges in the rain — every street is a hill and the stone is polished smooth
- the Campo on a Palio afternoon — packed solid for hours with no way out until the race ends
Very comfortable. The Circumvesuviana is the exception and a well-known one: pickpocketing on the Pompeii and Naples trains is routine in season, particularly in the crush at the doors. The cliff steps down to Marina Grande are steep and unlit at night.
Comfortable: the centro storico · the Villa Comunale terrace · Marina Grande
- the Circumvesuviana in season — pickpocketing in the door crush is routine on the Pompeii trains
- the cliff steps to Marina Grande at night — steep, worn and unlit most of the way down
Very comfortable. The pressure points are logistical: the last ferries fill in season and missing one is expensive, the Blue Grotto involves transferring into a rowing boat in swell and is cancelled often, and the cliff paths are narrow with long drops. Prices in Capri town are among the highest in Italy.
Comfortable: Capri town · Anacapri · the marked cliff paths
- the Blue Grotto transfer in any swell — you step from a launch into a rowing boat in open water
- the last ferry of the day in season — they fill, and a night on Capri unplanned is very expensive
- the narrow cliff paths — long drops and no barrier on several stretches
Very comfortable. The town is steep and stepped throughout, which is the practical difficulty. Etna excursions are the thing to take seriously: above 2,900 metres a guide is compulsory, the weather turns fast, and eruptions close the upper mountain at no notice.
Comfortable: Corso Umberto and the whole town · Mazzarò and Isola Bella · Castelmola
- the upper slopes of Etna without a guide — compulsory above 2,900 metres, and the mountain closes without notice
- the stepped lanes in the wet — the town is built on a slope and every lane is a staircase
Very comfortable. The Sassi are the hazard: unlit steps everywhere, no handrails on many of them, and a surface polished by six hundred years of feet. Proper shoes matter more here than anywhere else in Italy, and a torch is genuinely useful at night.
Comfortable: both Sassi · the Piano, the upper town · the cathedral ridge
- the Sassi steps after dark — unlit, worn smooth and frequently without a handrail
- the Murgia paths in the heat — no shade, no water, and the ravine reflects the sun
Very comfortable. Cortina’s three ski mountains are separate and not linked by lift, which catches people out and wastes half-days. The First World War tunnels on the Lagazuoi are open and unlit, and the high paths hold snow well into the summer.
Comfortable: Corso Italia and the centre · the lift stations · the valley hamlets
- the Lagazuoi war tunnels — open, unlit, wet and stepped — a torch is not optional
- assuming the three mountains connect — they do not, and finding out at four in the afternoon costs a taxi
Very comfortable. The Sella Ronda has a last-lift time and people who set off after about two in the afternoon do not finish it, which is the single most common mistake in this valley. The high paths hold snow into June and the huts must be booked.
Comfortable: Ortisei · Santa Cristina · Selva
- starting the Sella Ronda after the early afternoon — the circuit has a last-lift time and people get stranded on the wrong side
- the high paths in early summer — they hold snow into June and the walking maps do not say so
Very comfortable, and busy with students until late, which keeps the centre lively rather than empty. The area immediately around the station is the exception and worth ordinary care after dark. Cycle theft is the common crime, so a good lock matters if you hire one.
Comfortable: the centro storico · Prato della Valle · the university quarter
- the streets immediately around the station after dark — the one part of the city that empties out and feels it
- leaving a bike unlocked anywhere — the most common theft in a city that cycles everywhere
Pisa Very safe
Very comfortable. The one thing worth knowing is that the streets between the station and the tower are where pickpockets work the coach crowds; the rest of the city is ordinary and quiet. The tower climb is 294 steps with no lift and a worn, sloping stone stair.
Comfortable: the Lungarni · Piazza dei Cavalieri · the university quarter
- the souvenir streets between the station and the tower — where pickpockets work the coach groups
Very comfortable and one of the easiest small cities in Italy to be in. Bikes and pedestrians share the wall path and collisions are the only real hazard, mostly at the corners. The town is walled and gated, which makes it confusing to drive into and easy to walk.
Comfortable: the whole walled town · the wall path · Piazza dell’Anfiteatro
- the blind corners on the wall path — cyclists and walkers share it and the bastions hide what is coming
Very comfortable, and busy with pilgrims rather than a nightlife crowd. The town is steep and cobbled throughout, which is the main difficulty for anyone unsteady on their feet. Dress covering shoulders and knees is enforced at the basilica, not merely requested.
Comfortable: the whole walled town · the basilica approach · Piazza del Comune
- the cobbled slopes in the wet — the town is built on a hillside and the stone is worn shiny
Very comfortable. The real risks are the coastal paths, which are narrow with drops and poorly shaded, and the summer crowds on a single small quay. Prices are the other hazard: a coffee on the piazzetta costs several times the Italian norm and nobody warns you first.
Comfortable: the village and harbour · the reserve paths · Santa Margherita
- the coast paths in the heat — narrow, exposed, with drops and no water along them
- ordering without looking at the price — harbour prices here are several times the Italian norm
Very comfortable and much more ordinary than Capri. The island roads are narrow, steep and busy with scooters, which is where the accidents are. Thermal pools run genuinely hot and the fumarole sand on Maronti will burn bare feet — both are signed, and the signs mean it.
Comfortable: Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte · Sant’Angelo · Forio and the west coast
- the island roads on a scooter — narrow, steep and shared with buses that take the whole width
- the fumarole sand at Maronti — hot enough to cook in, and it burns bare feet
Very comfortable. The city is small, busy in the evening and easy at any hour. The Salento sun in high summer is the genuine risk — midday temperatures on the coast reach the high thirties with no shade on most beaches.
Comfortable: the baroque centre · Piazza Sant’Oronzo · the streets round Santa Croce
- the Salento beaches at midday in high summer — high thirties with no shade on most of the coast
Comfortable. The valley is high, cold and dry — minus twenty at night in midwinter is ordinary here and catches people who packed for the Alps rather than for this. The village is 15 km long and walking between its ends in the cold is a mistake people make once.
Comfortable: both ends of the village · the lift stations · the valley bus route
- the cold at night in midwinter — minus twenty is ordinary here, which is colder than most of the Alps get
- walking between the ends of the village — it is fifteen kilometres long and the bus is free
Very comfortable and notably calm compared with the Austrian resorts. The Brenta is serious mountain terrain with via ferrata routes that need a harness and the knowledge to use one, and the resort roads over the passes close in heavy snow without much warning.
Comfortable: the resort centre · the lift stations · Pinzolo
- the Brenta via ferrata routes — climbing routes needing a harness, whatever the walking map suggests
- the pass roads in heavy snow — they close at short notice and the detours are long
Very comfortable. The Stelvio race piste is a black run open to the public outside race days and is genuinely severe. The pass road is closed by snow from autumn to early summer and people do try it — the barriers are there because of them.
Comfortable: the old town · the thermal baths · Santa Caterina
- the Stelvio race piste on a public day — a World Cup downhill, and it is as steep as that implies
- the pass road when the barriers are down — it is closed by snow, not by caution, for much of the year
Very comfortable. The real hazard is the bora: gusts over 100 km/h close the coast road, knock people off their feet on the exposed squares, and the city strings ropes along some streets for it. Check the forecast in the cold months and believe it.
Comfortable: Piazza Unità and the Borgo Teresiano · the seafront · the Cavana quarter
- the exposed squares and the coast road in a bora — gusts over 100 km/h knock people down and close roads
- the streets behind the station late at night — quiet and poorly lit, unlike the rest of the centre
Very comfortable, in both towns. The walls are unlit in places and the drop on the outer side is real, so walking the full circuit after dark needs a torch. The airport being called Milan sends people to the wrong city; Bergamo’s own centre is twenty minutes from the terminal.
Comfortable: the Città Alta · the Sentierone and the lower town · the funicular route
- walking the outer walls after dark — long unlit stretches with a genuine drop on one side
Very comfortable and small. The rock edge has railings in most places but not all, and the underground tours involve low ceilings and uneven steps. The town empties after the last train and is very quiet, which suits some visitors and not others.
Comfortable: the whole town on the rock · the cathedral square · the funicular
- the unrailed stretches of the cliff edge — the drop off the tufa is sheer and not fenced all the way round
Very comfortable. The station end is the dullest part and the only place worth ordinary care at night. Dairy visits start at six in the morning and must be booked, which surprises people who turn up expecting to walk in.
Comfortable: the centro storico · the Oltretorrente · the Parco Ducale
- the streets by the station late at night — the one bleak corner of an otherwise gentle city
Very comfortable. The area around the station is scruffy after dark in the usual way and nothing more. The acetaie are family attics rather than businesses and must be booked ahead, sometimes days.
Comfortable: the centro storico · the market quarter · the university streets
- the streets behind the station after dark — the usual scruffy edge, and nothing worse
Very comfortable and notably quiet. The mosaics in Galla Placidia are visited in timed slots of a few minutes, which needs booking in high season. The pine forest between the town and the sea has mosquitoes in the evening worth taking seriously.
Comfortable: the centro storico · the streets round San Vitale · Marina di Ravenna
- the pine forest towards the sea at dusk — mosquitoes in numbers that will end an evening walk
Very safe. The main risks are pickpockets in museum queues and the heat in July and August. Book major museums online or lose hours in line.
Comfortable: Duomo · Oltrarno · San Niccolò
- Santa Maria Novella station
- Parco delle Cascine — after dark
Extremely safe — no cars and few crimes beyond pickpocketing at San Marco. Check for acqua alta flooding forecasts between October and January.
Comfortable: Venice
- Venezia Santa Lucia — and the Rialto vaporetto stops, for pickpockets
- The unlit calli late at night, which is a navigational problem rather than a safety one
Far safer than its reputation; organised crime here has no interest in visitors. Palermo and Catania have ordinary big-city pickpocketing, worst at the markets and the stations. The roads are the real issue: aggressive driving, unlit rural lanes and a habit of parking anywhere. Etna is an active volcano and the summit access changes daily.
Comfortable: Ortigia · Taormina · Cefalù · Palermo · Noto
- Ballarò — and Vucciria markets in Palermo, for pickpockets
- Palermo Centrale — and Catania station at night
- Rural roads at night, which are unlit, unfenced and often unrepaired
- Mount Etna — an active volcano where summit access changes daily — go with a licensed guide
Relaxed and low-crime by Italian standards, and the towns are comfortable at any hour. The risks are practical rather than criminal: driving standards on the coastal roads are casual, August traffic to the beaches is severe, and the sun between noon and four in July genuinely burns.
Comfortable: Ostuni · Alberobello · Polignano a Mare · Lecce old town
- Bari Vecchia late at night — fine by day and quieter than it should be after midnight
- the coastal road in August — for traffic and for the driving, both of which are casual
Comfortable and student-heavy, busy until late around the university. Petty theft is the only real issue and it concentrates at the station and on the bus to the airport. The Piazza Verdi area gets rowdy on term-time nights rather than threatening.
Comfortable: the university quarter by day · Santo Stefano · Via Zamboni · the Quadrilatero
- the area immediately around the station — for pickpocketing, and quiet in a way the rest of the centre is not
- Piazza Verdi late on term-time nights — loud and messy rather than threatening
Comfortable, with the caveat that this is a resort with an enormous summer club scene: drink spiking and thefts on the beach are the crimes that actually happen here, almost all of them at night in the strip between the clubs. The old town across the railway is a different and calmer place.
Comfortable: the old town · Borgo San Giuliano · the seafront promenade
- the club strip late in the season — spiked drinks and bag thefts are what the police here deal with
- the beach at night — belongings left on a lounger go missing regularly
Safe and quiet by Italian city standards. Porta Palazzo market and the station area want the usual attention for bags; the arcaded centre is comfortable at any hour.
Comfortable: the centre and the arcades · Quadrilatero · San Salvario · the Po riverside · Vanchiglia
- Porta Palazzo market and the station area — busy, and where bags want watching
- the riverside paths late at night — unlit and empty rather than anything else
Comfortable. The city is steep and its escalators shut at night, which leaves a long climb; the streets around the station at the bottom are the least appealing part after dark. Corso Vannucci is busy and safe until very late, particularly during the festival.
Comfortable: Corso Vannucci · the old city on the hill · the Rocca Paolina escalators in the day
- the station area at the bottom of the hill after dark — the one part of the city that is bleak at night
- the climb up when the escalators shut — a long steep walk, and they stop earlier than the bars
Comfortable, with one qualification that matters: parts of the caruggi around Via Prè and Via del Campo are a working red-light and drug area after dark, and locals avoid those specific lanes at night while using the rest of the old town freely. The main streets and the waterfront are fine throughout.
Comfortable: Via Garibaldi and the Rolli streets · the Porto Antico waterfront · Boccadasse and the eastern seafront
- Via Prè and Via del Campo after dark — a working red-light and drug area that locals themselves skirt at night
- the narrowest caruggi at night — no through visibility and very few people once the shops close
Comfortable, and much improved from its old reputation, but Bari Vecchia is a dense residential quarter rather than a museum: keep bags closed and phones away from the road, because scooter snatching is the crime that persists. The Murat grid and the seafront are straightforward.
Comfortable: the Murat grid · the Lungomare · Bari Vecchia in the day
- Bari Vecchia’s quieter lanes late at night — a dense residential quarter where visitors stand out after the bars shut
- phones held near the road — scooter snatching is the one crime that has not gone away
Milan Reasonably safe
Safe overall. Central Station and the metro at rush hour are where pickpockets operate. The area immediately north of Centrale is best avoided late at night.
Comfortable: Brera · Navigli · Porta Nuova · Città Studi
- Milano Centrale — and Porta Garibaldi, at night
- Piazza del Duomo — for the bracelet and petition scams
- Rogoredo — and the parks around it, which have an open drug scene
Naples Reasonably safe
Scooter-borne bag snatching is the city’s standing warning, and it is real around the station and Spaccanapoli — wear a bag across the body and away from the road. The historic centre and the seafront are busy and comfortable in the evening; the Circumvesuviana is where pickpockets work.
Comfortable: the Lungomare · Chiaia · Vomero · the historic centre by day · Posillipo
- scooter-borne bag snatching — the city’s standing warning; wear a bag across the body and away from the road
- Piazza Garibaldi and the station — the commonest place for it, at any hour
- the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii — crowded, and where pickpockets work the line
- the Spanish Quarter after dark — fine on the main lanes, disorienting off them
Rome Stay alert
You are very unlikely to be hurt in Rome and quite likely to be robbed. Pickpockets work Termini, the 64 bus to the Vatican and the metro relentlessly and professionally. Wear bags across the body, keep nothing in back pockets, and be most alert exactly where you are most distracted — boarding a bus, or looking up at something.
Comfortable: Centro Storico · Trastevere · Monti · Prati
- Roma Termini — and the streets immediately east of it after dark
- Bus 64 and 40 to the Vatican, which are notorious for pickpockets
- Spanish Steps — and the Colosseum, for organised groups working the crowd
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
