Crime
Pickpockets are a big problem in Rome. Make sure your wallet, phone and other valuables are in secure pockets. Stay alert when you're on the metro. There are also gangs of children who will mob you and, by the time you've shooed them away, your pockets have been systematically emptied. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people in Rome who make a living depriving tourists like you of their wallets, and however clever you think you're being, they're almost certainly cleverer. So don't give them an opening.
Bagsnatchers on mopeds can also be a danger. If you must carry a bag, try to sling it over your head and across your body, with the bag hanging away from the road.
There have also been a number of cases reported where young men have been approached by strangers who claim to be lost and looking for directions. They strike up a conversation and then suggest a drink. The bar they 'happen' to take you to is usually a strip club, where you will be presented with a bill for hundreds of euros - drinks for the girl who smiled at you when you arrived - and it's made clear that deeply unpleasant things will happen to you if you don't pay up. More than a few young men have had their holidays cut short by this trick.
There are plenty of scammers and thieves at large in Rome, but as long as you use common sense and are careful, you should be fine. Italians can be very friendly people, but that doesn't mean strangers are any more trustworthy in Rome than they are anywhere else.
