Recently, there have been two middle-aged men working near the Spanish Steps. They approach you, asking where you are from and begin to tie bracelets around your wrists. When they are done they will try to charge you upwards of €20 for each bracelet. There are also two men in their early twenties doing the same thing around Piazza Navona. If anyone makes any attempt to reach for your hand, retract quickly. If you get trapped, you can refuse to pay, but this may not be wise if there are not many people around. You can also find these individuals outside of the Colosseum, which is a popular congregation for tourists. Carry small bills, or just change, in your wallet, so if you find yourself in cornered to pay for the bracelet, you can convince them that €1 or €2 is all you have. When taking a taxi, be sure to remember license number written on the card door. In seconds your taxi bill can raise by 5, 10 or more euros. When giving money to taxi driver, be careful. Be careful of con-men who may approach you at tourist sights such as the Colosseum or Circus Maximus. A car may pull up next to you, and the driver ask you for directions to the Vatican. He will strike up a conversation with you while he sits in his car, and tell you he is a sales representative for a large French fashion house. He will then tell you he likes you and he would like to give you a gift of a coat worth several thousand euros. As you reach inside his car to take the bag the coat is in, he will ask you for €200 for gas, as his car is nearly empty.
Emergencies
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In an emergency call 112 (Carabinieri), 113 (Police), 118 (medical first aid) or 115 (firemen). Carry the address of your embassy or consulate.
Cope
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Police. To report theft you should generally go to the Carabinieri station nearest where the theft occured. Ask people at the scene of the crime where to go. Left Luggage Termini. You can leave luggage at Termini but they have a lot of security and only one Xray machine so there can be a +100 people queue. It costs about €4 per bag (of any size) for the first 5 hours, €0.80 per bag for each hour thereafter. There's a sign limiting bags to 20kg each, but no facility for weighing them (that I saw) so it's probably not enforced. Splashnet laundry, internet, left luggage, Via Varesi 33, 100 m west of Termini. €2 per luggage left (and 15 min of internet included).
Embassies and consulates
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[[Image:|Image:]] Afghanistan Embassy, ☎ +39 06