I’d been told to keep an eye peeled for pickpockets, gypsies and gypsy pickpockets while I’m vacationing in Rome this August, and I thought, how bad can it be? I’ll just ensure my wallet is in my front pocket.
Today, though, a friendly New York-born-and-bred coworker cautioned me as well. She’s been to Rome twice and said a fannypack or money belt was absolutely necessary for securing one’s money and other portable valuables. Yikes! Now that a lifetime New Yorker has emphasized the magical disappearing quality of tourist money in Rome, I’m inclined to believe it’s a serious situation and will buy that money belt. Although this doesn’t mean I still can’t execute the idea I had to keep an empty decoy wallet prominently stuck in my back pocket just to see how quickly and quietly it could be filched.