1. Stay away from eating at establishments close to a major monument or in a famous square like Piazza Navona and Campo De Fiori.

2. It can cost you upwards of fifty euros per person to ride in a gondola for just fifteen minutes, do what the locals do and take a traghetto, a water taxi, they are a lot cheaper.

3. The area surrounding the Colosseum in Rome is absolutely filled with various vendors just dying to relieve you of some money. Most noticeable are the fully-grown men dressed as Roman gladiators. 

4. Via del Corso is a tacky shopping street that is crowded and hectic , the kind of place you go on holiday to avoid.

5. Pisa is packed with street vendors and pickpockets and is the only location in which anyone loose items to thieves. 

6. There are a large proportion of illegal unmarked taxis that are on the road. Make sure you always enter a cab that is registered and has a meter.

7. Around monumental sites, especially Vatican City, you may be approached by unofficial tour guides, ask outright if payment is involved, to avoid any potential confusion.

8. In Rome, it’s so easy to spot coins in almost all the fountains. This always makes people smile. The only one in which you should actually throw a coin and make a wish is the Trevi Fountain, and the Trevi Fountain only!

9. Beware of pickpockets, especially when traveling on buses, but also when in line in the Stazione Termin railway station.

10. Always ask the price for a gelato before you order it.  You will pay at least twice as much for gelato for lesser quality at these portable stands. They are everywhere! Wait and go to the shops, especially the gelato shop in the Pantheon square.