Is it allowed and safe for someone to sleep on the street or in a park in Italy? I'm thinking of doing this?

Question

I'm from the US. I'm thinking of taking a backpack, a jacket and sleeping on the street to safe money, does it sound like a good idea?

Answer 1

I am italian, italy is NOT filled with mafia!!! but it is not safe to sleep in a park, in italy, in the us, in england, etc. Look for youth hostels, instead, they are cheap, or campsites, on the coast they are great.

Answer 2

Honestly, every single person would like to save money, but I don't think it would be too good to go to Italy. Maybe London, England. Italy as mafia's and I truly think people would bug you. Also, how would you eat? You would starve and how would you get a job and get back home? Don't you have a family here that would take you in?

If you do, just be careful. You might want to pack a knife or something, just in case.

Answer 3

of course it's not safe to sleep on the streeet or in a park like in an other country in  the world!!!

Answer 4

Very unsafe and very bad idea.  Italy is overrun with gypsies.  I and my Italian neighbors have to shut our homes with wooden shutters and bars over the windows every night.  (and that is in a decent neighborhood).  The govt here sort of allows these gypsies to exist all over this country.  If you sleep outdoors you will be a prime target for them and will most likely be robbed and or beaten.  Sorry if this was not the answer you wanted, but better safe than very sorry!!

Answer 5

yeah u do that and come back scarred for life, italy is full of mafias like in the movies go to some country like japan, africa, vietinam (they will kill u there more swiflty)

Answer 6

First of all Italy is not filled with mafia.  Secondly, the rate of rape and murder in Italy is very low.  I would say sleeping on the street in the US would be much more dangerous.  That being said, if you are in a big city- Rome, Florence, Naples, or anywhere in the south (Naples and areas south of there) it would not be safe, you may (probably) would be mugged and possibly beaten up/hurt in some way.

Italy does not have a visible homeless situation (that I have seen) so you will stand out greatly and probably attract the attention of police.  There are people that beg on the streets during the day but they seem to go somewhere at night because I never see them at night.

You need to look into hostels or in bigger cities the church offer inexpensive lodging.  

If you are determined to sleep outside, you need to find a park or somewhere in the countryside.  Right in the city would not be wise and again, not allowed and likely to draw attention by police- in other words,you'd be forced to move anyway.  Find small towns with countryside areas.  In Italy there is public property and there is personal property, but the personal property is not private property.  You can legally sleep/sit/walk/be on someone's personal property and they have no legal recourse against you.  We constantly have people driving up our drive and parking and walking through our olive groves and there is nothing we can do to stop this.  However, they may take matters into their own hands.....

Answer 7

hi there, well i'm italian, and i like to highlight the fact that the country is not filled up by gangster or mafiosi...like many ignorant people said.. anyway said that , i really want to discourage u on your idea of sleeping around.

Unfortunatly we do have micro crimes and  if u r going to sleep around (especially in the big cities) u might end up beaten or worse..(by n**i or by immigrants.). But if u r not traveling alone u can easily sleep on the beaches(in emilia romagna, or liguria always in little town remember) i do it since a long time and notthing ever happen to me but i'm local and was never alone.

anyway good luck and keep your eye wide open!

Answer 8

I definately don't recommend it! You are just asking for trouble...especially if you are planning on staying in big cities like Rome, Florence, etc. Traveling doesn't mean you have to be scared of what is around every corner, but you do need to use common sense and at least the same amount of caution you would in your own country at night.

Instead you are better off staying at youth hostels! Cheaper than hotels, you share a bunk bed in a room with other travelers. In  the bigger cities these can cost $20-30/night, but thats much better than $100/night for your slightly below average hotel. If you are willing to stay outside of the bigger cities and venture into the country a little more...maybe Pisa, Almalfi coast, heel of the boot, then you will spend less maybe only $12-18/night.

there are tons of websites, but a good one to start with is:

http://www.hostels.com/

Another idea  to look into if you are looking for  a cheap way to stay somewhere for an extended stay you could look into farm work that allows you to stay a week or more in exhange for help picking veggies and other stuff.

***At the very least, if you are set on spending NO money at all for hotels, then check out couch surfing web sites where you can crash FOR FREE on someones couch or maybe even guest bedroom. You might even make friends that would point out cool stuff to see. But of couse this requires extra caution as well, but might be better than the streets!

2 popular sites are:

http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Good Luck to you! Be safe, and have fun!

Answer 9

i wouldnt

i dont know if its legal or not but

to start off with a lot of italians are very anti america, and so by putting yourself in a vunerable situation youre asking for it really.

also there are a lot, and i mean a lot of midges in italy, particuarly northern italy and you will get bitten to bits!

what i would recomend, is that you camp, get a lightweight tent, or buy one from lidl when you get there, italians are really into camping, so theres lots of campsites all over the place, also its dead cheap you can camp for like a euro a night and most campsites have a swimming pool or are really near the beach.

hope that helps x

Answer 10

You will be moved on by the police, and probably taken in for questioning if you are found sleeping in parks etc.

Youth hostels and church hostels are the answer for cheep travelling. You'll be able to shower, change and wash clothes aswell.

Answer 11

Use a Hostel, its a safer way to go. u may not come back in one piece.

Answer 12

a part the fact that it is dangerous, it i not also allowed in the well organised countries

Answer 13

nooo dont do that first of all u will get rapped and second ur a dumbass if u would ever think of doing that!!!!

Answer 14

Some years ago it was somehow tolerated to sleep in some beaches, but it's not like that anymore: it is clearly forbidden almost everywhere. Cities are not safe, expecially in parks. If you absolutely want to do it, i'd rather stay in the street.

Homeless people are not frequently harassed i guess, apart from the occasional right-wing/drunken attack, but I don't know if you can pass as a homeless.. if you have a nice backpack and a tidy look: not safe.

Mafia-filled or not, what mafia has to do with sleeping on the streets? Yes, probably if you sleep in a street in some areas of Naples you could have mafia (camorra)-related troubles, but otherwise troubles would be caused by normal offenders.

Try couchsurfing.com and be nice and respectful of your hosts (i'm a host there)

PS: Mit-moo, maybe in the sixties you could find 1 euro per night campsites! (or if you find one, let me know..) The average price for a person and a small tent (without a car) is 12/15 E

and I have never, ever heard in all my life one single episode of american bashing! don't take it personally, but it sounds hilarious.

Answer 15

would you feel safe sleeping on the streets of San Francisco or New York?  If not, spend a few dollars and find a hostel

google    hostels international

Answer 16

no dont do this.... go to a hostel... they are cheaper than hotels!!!! would you sleep outside in the park in the country you live in?

Answer 17

Small towns might be o.k. but it is very dangerous in Rome or Naples even in the day time with friends.  I travel a lot, have been to Mexico by myself..etc...and have NEVER been afraid until I was in Rome a couple of weeks ago.  It's not the Italians... it's the tourists...and there is a lot of Anti-American sentiment from other nationalities...on the train and elsewhere.  In Rome (2 days), we were called MFs, idiots, told "shame on you, " and my friends (mid fifties) had her hand smacked by a man for no apparent reason.  On the train from Rome to Ciampiano (great little town where we stayed) two guys (Armenian?) kept glaring at us, became louder and louder, and were visibly upset.  The only part of the ranting we understood was the frequent references to "Americano."  The rest of Italy was a peaceful breeze.  But we met a woman who, in Naples, had a person approach her and rip her earrings out of her ears.  BEWARE!

Answer 18

No.  You will definitely be robbed and might be killed too.

Answer 19

Sorry to say that....but

You must be crazy.. no way in Italy to sleep in the street.

Answer 20

Definitely not! Go to a hostel. They have rooms for as low as $20 a night.

Answer 21

When I travelled europe over 20 years ago..it was ok...today I am not too sure, and no I would not suggest it. Things here are changing, and the police are changing their tactics too,.

I would not suggest this to anyone.  To save money, take night trains and sleep their, hostels, anywhere but not on the street!!  It really isn't safe anymore. 2 days ago an american tourist was drugged and robbed in daylight at the train station...then ended up under a train, yes he died.  I love this place, but it is getting violent in the cities, especially at night.