• Police At pl Lorenzo is where to report theft.
• Left Luggage Termini. You can leave luggage at Termini but they have a lot of security and only one X-ray machine so there can be a +100 people queue.
• Splasnet laundry, internet, left luggage, Via Varesi 33, 100 m west of Termini. €2 per luggage left (and 15 min of internet included).

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Embassies and consulates

• the Australian Embassy 149, Via Antonio Bosio 5 00161 Rome, tel 06 85 2721 (0830 to 1650, Monday to Friday), fax 06 85 272 300
• the Austrian Embassy 150, Via Pergolesi 3 00198 Roma, tel 068440141 (0900 to 1200, Monday to Friday), fax 068543286
• the British Embassy 151, Via XX Settembre 80 I-00187 ROMA RM, tel 06 4220 0001 (9am-5pm), 06 4220 2603 (out of office hours), fax 06 4220 2347
• the Canadian Embassy 152, Via Zara 30, 00198 Rome (Visa and Consular Sections), tel 06 44598.1, fax 06 44598.2905 (for Visa/Immigration Services)
• the Finnish Embassy 153, Ambasciata di Finlandia, Via Lisbona 3, 00198 Roma, tel +39 06 852 231 fax +39 06 854 0362, sanomat.roo@formin.fi
• the New Zealand Embassy 154, Via Zara 28 Rome 00198, tel 06 441 7171, fax 06 440 2984, Email: nzemb.rom at flashnet.it
• the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro 155, Ambasciata Della Serbia E Di Montenegro, Via dei Monti Parioli 20, 00197 Roma, tel 06 320-07-96, 06 320-08-90, 06 320-09-59, 06 320-08-05 (all night), fax 06 320-08-68, telex 616-303, email info@ambroma.com
• the South African Embassy 156, Via Tanaro, 14 Rome, tel 06 85.25.41 Monday to Friday. 8am-4.30pm.
• the Spanish Embassy Palazzo Borghese, Largo Fontanella di Borghese, 19 Rome, tel 06 684 04 011
• the US Embassy 157, via Vittorio Veneto 119/A 00187 Roma, tel 06.4674.1 (switchboard) (8:30 AM to 5:30 PM), fax 06.4882.672 or 06.4674.2356
• List of Embassies in Rome 158

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Public conveniences

Clean, well-stocked, public facilities are sometimes hard to find. Those on the way into the Forum from the main road into Rome going to the Colosseum are worth knowing about. Carry tissue paper and soap with you - chances are that there won't be any. At Termini, under platform 24, near the left luggage office, 70c, well provisioned.

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Stay safe

Rome is generally a safe place, even for women travelling alone. As in any big city, it is better if you don't look like a tourist: don't exhibit your camera or camcorder to all and sundry, and keep your money in a safe place. Termini (the main railway station), Esquilino and bus line 64 (Termini to San Pietro) are not so safe, so take extra care in these areas. Read up on the legends concerning tourist scams. Most of them occur regularly in Rome and you will want to see them coming. Watch out especially for bands of kids who will crowd you and reach for your pockets under the cover of newspapers or cardboard sheets.

Rome is also home to two rival Serie A football clubs, A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio, and there is a history of conflict, and even rioting, between the two. If you dare to wear anything that supports either of them, especially during the Rome Derby (when the two clubs play each other), make sure you don't wander into supporters of the other club, or you may be subject to heckling or even confrontation. Play it safe and refrain from openly supporting either club unless you are very familiar with the rivalry.

A great deal of pickpocketing and bag- or purse-snatching takes place in crowded locations, but there is very little violent crime. Members of Italian public would likely be sympathetic if you are a crime victim. Police are also generally friendly if not always helpful. Carabinieri (black uniform) are military police, and Polizia (blue and grey uniform) are civilians, but they both do essentially the same thing and are equally good, or bad. Guardia di Finanza (the grey uniformed ones) do customs work. If you are robbed, try to find a police station and report it. This is essential to establishing a secure travel insurance claim.

Be careful of con-men who may approach you at tourist sights such as the Colosseum or Circus Maximus. Eg. a car may pull up next to you, and the driver ask you for directions to the Vatican. He will strike up a conversation with you while he sits in his car, and tell you he is a sales representative for a large french fashion house. He will then tell you he likes you and he would like to give you a gift of a coat worth several thousand euros. As you reach inside his car to take the bag the coat is in, he will ask you for €200 for gas, as his car is nearly empty. When you refuse, he could turn angry and now demand money from you, any money, of any currency. Don't fall for such confidence-tricks - if something sounds too good to be true, it is.

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Emergencies

In an emergency, call 113 (police) or 118 (medical first aid). Carry the address of your embassy or consulate.

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