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Sexual Harassment and Italian Men

As a woman, you must be aware of Italian attitudes towards unaccompanied females with sometimes lead to incidents of nuisance and groping. Many outdated notions and myths persist among Italian men, including the idea that all foreign women are wanton sluts who find latin lotharios irresistible and whose repeated insistence that they want to be left alone is merely a cute foreign way of saying "Please take me to bed, you delicious Italian stallion".

Beware of any crowded situation, such as buses and busy public places.  If you receive unwelcome attention in a public place, complain loudly and repeatedly so that everyone in the vicinity is aware of what is happening - the majority of Italians, especially the women, are appalled by this barbaric behaviour and will do all they can to assist you.  Do not worry about the lack of English in Italy, everyone will immediately understand what is happening if you attract their attention and your stalker is likely to melt back into the crowd within seconds.

Be even more careful not to place yourself in vulnerable situations in which you are alone, such as walking back to your apartment or hotel late at night.  Even if you are catching a taxi, it is better to travel with someone else.  If possible, as your hotel or restaurant to phone for a taxi come to pick you up.  Only use officially licensed taxis and be extremely cautious when dealing with taxi touts at airports and train stations.

If you are from the UK, be aware that very different cultural rules apply to women becoming drunk in public and, if you find yourself in trouble when clearly intoxicated, you will be surprised by how much less sympathy and assistance normal Italian passersby will be willing to extend to you.  The presumption is that any women allowing herself to get into that state is probably looking for trouble anyway.  The dregs of Italian manhood are well aware of this and will swiftly zone in on any young foreign woman who has had a few too many drinks.

For the same reason, you must be careful about what you eat and drink when out for the night.  The number of tourists who are robbed and assaulting after having their food or drink "spiked" with extremely powerful sleeping drugs, such as Rophenol, have soared in recent years.  When out, pay close attention to small details, such as whether the Italian girls present are keeping their drinks within their line-of-sight at all times, including taking them to the lavatory.