Tips for Women Travelers

Women feel remarkably welcome in Italy -- sometimes a bit too welcome, actually. It seems every young Italian male is out to prove himself the most irresistible lover on the planet; remember, this is the land of Romeo and Casanova, so they have a lot to live up to. And with most every Italian woman playing the especially hard-to-get Juliet, well, you see what's coming next for attractive foreign women.

It should be noted that, culturally, northern Italy feels a lot more like its Austrian and Swiss neighbors in the sense that the divide between the sexes is not quite as deep, a lot more egalitarian and perhaps less chivalrous than, say, Sicily, but naturally attractive women everywhere will, er, attract attention.

Note that much of the attention is kept to verbal flirtation and that occasional inappropriate touching deserves a slap in the face. These men want to conquer you with their charm, not their muscles. Rape is much rarer in Italy than in the United States -- but it does happen, mostly by non-Italian men, if you believe the newspapers. Use common sense: Don't walk through poorly lit city parks alone late at night, especially in Milan, Turin, and Genoa.