Theft and Illness:
When Things go Down the Tubes

TRAVELING IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN. However, it's a sad fact that things can go wrong: You could step on a nail, eat something you shouldn't have, or get robbed. While accidents and misfortunes can ruin your vacation, there are a number of steps you can take to keep them from having much longer lasting repercussions.

BEFORE YOU COME, make copies of all your documents and store them in your luggage, as far from the originals as you can. Also, write down the numbers of all your credit cards and your passport, and get the number to call to report a stolen credit card (ask the people who issued the card for it). Visit the dentist to get your teeth checked, and make sure all your prescriptions are filled. Carry copies of your prescriptions with you just in case you run out of something. If you suffer from potentially life-threatening allergies (e.g. bee stings) or conditions (e.g. asthma) bring adrenaline or whatever it is you need to take. Also bring a prescription for a refill -- this summer an Italian tourist died of an asthma attack in front of a pharmacy in Paris because the pharmacist refused to give him asthma medication without a valid prescription. While the Italian Order of Pharmacists says this cannot happen here, it's best to be safe.

TO GET HELP IN AN EMERGENCY once you're here you need to remember two numbers: 113, the police hotline, and 118, the medical hotline.

If you are robbed and injured or involved in an accident or other such unpleasantness call (or have someone call) 113; the operator will dispatch the appropriate assistance, be it police, a fire brigade, or an ambulance. 118 is for medical emergencies, and will put you in contact with a doctor. Explain the problem and the doctor will evaluate the case and then decide what to do, for example send an ambulance with a doctor or an EMT on board (it varies from region to region; in Tuscany you'll get a doctor). Emergency medial treatment is free; the doctor will see to admitting you to the nearest hospital. One very important thing: unless you are unconscious, you must agree to being treated or admitted. The doctor cannot force you to enter a hospital against your will. A second lesser point: In many parts of Italy, including Tuscany, ambulances are owned by religious or secular confraternities and manned by dedicated, well-trained volunteers; if you wish to thank them make an offering to the organization.

THEFT

If you discover you have had your pocket picked, or that your rented car has been broken into or stolen, there's not much point in calling 113: You should go to the police to report the theft -- they will have you fill out a denuncia, a form saying what was taken and under what circumstances. It is especially important that you mention credit cards, because with this document it will be easier to refuse payment of a suspicious item on the bill. Next, find a phone and call your credit card theft number (you did get it, didn't you?). If you are American and want to go through AT&T (at American rates, which are substantially lower), the number is 172 1011; an AT&T operator will come on the line. If you have an American Express card you will be able to get it replaced by the nearest American Express office, which will also be able to do something about your traveler's checks if they were American Express. To replace your passport you will have to go to your consulate; check the phone book for the address of the one nearest you (in Tuscany it will likely be in Florence), and bring your denuncia. If your plane tickets were stolen, don't forget to go to the nearest offices of your airline (again, check the phone book). Given the circumstances they will likely reissue you a ticket.

PREVENTING THEFT

• On the street: Mugging is relatively rare in Italy. Pick-pocketing, on the other hand, is not. Keep your wallet in an inside pocket (never your back pocket). Don't put it in a back pack, and if you have it in your purse, make sure the purse is closed and in front of you at all times, especially on crowded busses. Perhaps the best option for wallets and other important documents you don't want to leave in your hotel is a marsupio (the little bags that strap around the waist). In any case, if a gaggle of gypsy children comes up, keep an eye on them; while some distract you the others will try to make off with what you have -- they know well that they cannot be arrested and held. The other thing you should do while walking on the street is keep your bag to the wall, with the strap across your back. Though mugging is rare, drive by snatchings by junkies on mopeds are not (they're called scippi), and a dangling bag is quite inviting. So, be alert to mopeds, especially if you hear one coming up behind you on the sidewalk. If the thief does manage to get hold of your bag, let go of it before you get dragged. It's bad enough loosing your things without ending up in the hospital.
  
  
• In your hotel: The chances of a maid stealing something in your room are small. However, if you have anything of value, say jewelry, ask the manager to put it in the hotel safe.
  
  
• With your car: The standard rules apply. Park in well lit areas, where lots of other cars are parked (in other words, don't leave it by itself in a shadowy alley). Don't leave things, especially bags, in the passenger compartment. They're an invitation. Also, don't transfer everything to your trunk when you get where you're going. If there is a gang of topi d'auto (car mice) on the prowl -- they're common in areas heavily frequented by visitors, for example Assisi -- they'll note what you're doing and rifle your car. So, make sure that when you reach your destination you only have the things you will want with you during your visit in the passenger compartment. If you need to move things, pull over and do so a couple of miles from your destination. Also, don't leave bags in the car when you get to your hotel -- bring them all in.
  
  Other Car Problems? You could break down; ask the people at the rental desk how to handle this eventuality (is it covered by the insurance?). To summon a meccanic while on the highway, use one of the motorist call boxes. Elsewhere, call 116, which is the ACI (Italian Automobile Club) hotline. When the tow truck arrives, it should have ACI written on it and the 116 number as well.

IF YOU FEEL ILL

If it's serious, call 118. If it's not serious, say the flue, you can look up the address of the Guardia Medica, or local Heath Service doctor, and go to the office. Treatment will be inexpensive, but the doctor may not speak your language, and you may have to wait until office hours. For faster service, almost every larger city has a privately organized medical service for tourists, with doctors who make house calls to hotel rooms and whatnot, and are on call 24 hours per day. The number for Florence's Tourist Medical Service is (055) 475 411; for elsewhere ask the person at the desk of your hotel.

AVOIDING PITFALLS

• When you go to a restaurant, think about what you are ordering, and keep your allergies in mind. For example, if you're allergic to eggs, avoid creamy desserts, which contain egg, egg-based pastas (they're called pasta all'uovo) such as tagliatelle, and stuffed pastas, which frequently contain egg in the filling as a binder. Order penne or spaghetti instead. If you are in an inexpensive restaurant be leery of clams or muscles. While they are probably fine, hepatitis is a heavy price to pay if they're not. Likewise, a cooked vegetable is safer than a tossed salad. Again, use your judgment. You are not going to get sick from tainted food at the Enoteca Pinchiorri.
  
  
• When you go out on the town, think about what you are doing. Discos and bars are great fun, and the people you meet will probably be perfect; indeed you may make lifetime friendships. However, don't be in any great hurry, and think twice before you accept an invitation to drive off with someone you don't know. Prince or Princess charming may actually be a toad; rape happens, as does theft. If you will be in the town long enough, try to arrange to meet again, in public. Otherwise exchange addresses. Se son rose fioriranno (if they're roses they'll blossom).
  
  
• Avoid grungy parts of town, especially at night. Italian cities, like those in any other part of the world, have good neighborhoods and bad ones. The latter are quite obvious -- run down, dark, dingy, and either deserted or with large numbers of streetwalkers and groups of people hovering in the shadows. If a place gives you a funny feeling go elsewhere. Also, be careful about wandering down thin dark allies, especially at night (even in the middle of town) -- you could turn a bend and find a junky shooting up. And don't go into parks at night alone -- there's no telling who you might meet.
  
  
• Don't get horridly drunk. A friend who lives in a neighborhood with an American university program tells us he can tell when the new crop of students arrives -- until they get over the ready availability of wine he sees them crawling about on their hands and knees and there's vomit on the sidewalks. This is not what travel is all about; remember that a bottle of wine is quite enough to incapacitate you, or leave you totally devoid of judgment, which is potentially much worse. A couple of summers ago two drunk tourists were hospitalized after they tried to scale the façade of Florence's San Lorenzo and fell off.
  
  
• Finally, and here we tread risky ground: If you seek sexual adventure choose with care and take the necessary precautions. Another friend, who is a doctor with Florence's Tourist Medical Service, tells us that lots of American girls, both tourists and students, come to the office and ask for the morning-after-pill (European women of the same age rarely do). This is a horrendous way to finish a passionate evening, nor is it necessarily the end of it. The tourists move on, but many of the students come back with itching or sores and discover they've picked up syphilis or gonorrhea. Our friend treats them and tells them to get an HIV test. If there's a possibility that you may engage in casual sex during your trip, bring condoms and use them. We are sorry if we may have offended by bringing this up, but it's much better to be safe than sorry.

Plan ahead, be careful, be alert.