Safety and emergencies
112 is the single emergency number; 113, 115 and 118 remain active. Low violent crime, frequent pickpocketing and tourist scams in big cities. Civil Protection weather and seismic alerts and IT-alert messages on mobile phones.
Sections: Official sources · Risks · Assistance · Scams · Useful numbers
Emergency numbers
The single European emergency number 112 is active throughout Italy, free from landlines and mobiles, with operators who route the call to police, carabinieri, medical rescue or fire brigade and an interpreting service in several languages. The historic numbers still work: 113 State Police, 112 Carabinieri, 115 Fire Brigade, 118 medical emergency, 1530 Coast Guard. For non-urgent care many regions have 116117 (out-of-hours doctor). The 112 Where ARE U app sends your position to the control room. Hospital emergency departments are free for genuine emergencies and charge a fee (ticket) for minor codes.
Common crime and scams
Italy has low levels of violent crime by European standards. The concrete risks for newcomers are property crime in big cities and tourist spots: pickpocketing on crowded metros and buses (in Rome the lines to the Vatican and the Colosseum, in Milan the green line and the central stations, in Naples the historic centre), theft from backpacks and bags in cafés and on beaches, phone snatching. Recurring scams are unlicensed taxi drivers outside stations and airports (use only white taxis with a meter or the official apps), the 'bracelet' or twig offered as a gift and then charged for, fake petitions, restaurant bills padded with items not ordered, fake ticket inspectors and fake police officers asking for documents and wallet. In residential areas the main risk is burglary in August and over the holidays.
Earthquakes, floods, alerts
Earthquakes are a real risk across much of the Apennines, in Calabria, eastern Sicily and Friuli. Anyone living in seismic zone 1 or 2 should know the safe spots in the home (under load-bearing beams, near internal walls), secure tall furniture and know where the waiting areas of the municipal civil-protection plan are. The Civil Protection publishes colour-coded weather and hydrological alerts every day: under an orange or red alert municipalities may close schools and parks and ask people not to travel. The IT-alert system sends warning messages to mobile phones, with no registration, for imminent events (floods, industrial accidents, dam failure, volcanic activity) in the area where you are.
Consular registration and reporting
Foreign citizens can register, if they wish, with their own country's embassy or consulate in Italy: registration makes it possible to be reached in an emergency, for elections or documents. AIRE, the register of Italians living abroad, concerns only Italian citizens living outside Italy and should not be confused with residence in Italy. If documents are stolen or lost, file a report with the police or carabinieri (also online for some offences) and ask the consulate for an emergency travel document.
- 112 – Single emergency number (Ministry of the Interior / Ministry of Health)
- Civil Protection Department – weather and hydrological alerts, seismic risk, municipal plans
- IT-alert – public warning messages on mobile phones
- State Police – online reports and anti-scam advice
- Carabinieri – local stations in almost every municipality
- Your country's embassy or consulate – registration and assistance
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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