Italy

Trains are the backbone of getting around Italy, and usually the best option between major cities. High-speed Frecciarossa and Italo services connect Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples in a few hours each, while the regional network -- slower, cheaper, no reservation needed -- reaches almost everywhere else.

A car is genuinely useful, sometimes necessary, for rural regions like Tuscany's countryside, Puglia, or Sicily's interior, where train service thins out. It's a liability in historic city centers, though: most have a ZTL ("Zona a Traffico Limitato") restricting non-resident vehicles, enforced by camera and finable even for a rental car days after the trip ends.

Domestic flights connect the mainland to Sicily and Sardinia quickly, though the train-plus-ferry route is common too. Within cities, walking covers most historic centers on its own -- many, including central Venice and much of Florence, are largely car-free by design.

Italy is a safe country to visit by most measures -- violent crime against travelers is rare. The practical risks visitors actually run into are almost entirely petty and preventable.

• Pickpocketing is the most common issue, concentrated on crowded public transport and around major sights -- Rome's Termini station and metro, Naples' historic center, Florence's train station area, and Venice's vaporetto boats and bridges near St. Mark's Square see the most reports. Keep bags zipped and worn in front on crowded transit.
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• Common scams worth recognizing: unofficial photo-op solicitors demanding payment afterward near major landmarks in Rome and Venice, inflated restaurant bills near tourist sites (check for a menu with prices before sitting down), and unlicensed taxi drivers at airports and stations quoting flat fares well above the metered rate.
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• Naples and parts of the south have a reputation that outpaces the actual risk to a normal visitor, but standard city precautions apply: keep valuables out of sight, especially on scooter-heavy streets, and avoid displaying phones or cameras carelessly in crowded areas.
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• Driving poses more everyday risk than crime does -- Italian city traffic (particularly in the south) is fast-moving and dense, mopeds weave between lanes, and ZTL restricted zones fitted with automatic cameras are easy for visitors to enter by mistake, which results in a fine by mail months later rather than anything visible at the time.
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• Emergency number: 112 works free of charge from any phone anywhere in Italy and connects to police, fire, or medical services.
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• Natural hazards: Mount Etna (Sicily) and Vesuvius (near Naples) are both active volcanoes with established monitoring and evacuation plans -- follow local authorities' guidance if visiting either, and check regional alerts before hiking near Etna's active craters.