We were warned about Naples and Palermo - Are they safe? 

Hi Cherrie, LOL, and we totally understand and agree (despite our video). We had a really lovely time in Palermo and would love to go back and explore even more of it. Definitely salt of the earth people who were very kind. Because Sicily is a more challenging part of Italy to access or travel to/from easily or as cheaply as other places, so there's at least a few organic reasons for it not to be the first place a tourist travels to Italy to see.

I agree. We spent 5 amazing days in Palermo. Eating great food. Swimming at Mondello. Walking all over. No problems but just use your common sense.

@@DekeZivven It wasn't beach season, so no swimming for us. But definitely it's a reason to go back. So glad you also had a great experience! -Judy

Hi @MisoMarie! We loved Sicily! We would return in a heartbeat! Thank you so much for watching! -Judy

Hi Deb, we traveled to Portugal in early October. We had some odd circumstances surrounding the trip (work issues, just coming out of a three-month jury trial, and having to reschedule the initial trip because of being a jurist), so it didn't go as well as we hoped. Not sure if you caught our video, but we didn't love it enough to live there full time. In fairness, we stayed in Lisbon and Porto and had only a day trip to Caiscas. Coming from San Francisco, we strongly want to avoid hills to get everywhere, and as you know, both Lisbon and Porto are very uphill (especially when we stayed down by the river in Porto!). We'd like to take a fresh look at the rest of the country as visitors and not as potential expats because we only saw a small subsection and continue to hear wonderful things about it. And it's one of the safest countries in the world, which is a huge plus! We recognize that full-time travel isn't for everyone, so thank you for following along anyway! Best wishes for a happy and safe New Year. -Judy & Kevin

Thanks, Cheryl, for your comment and for sharing your perspective. We were thrilled to be able to experience both of these great cities, and we’d love to go back to them. There was not enough time this go round, but they each offered us something special. -Judy

Hi Diane. Thank you for the compliment, for watching, and for commenting. It all really helps our channel to grow. We didn't say enough about the people, and you are right, they were very friendly and courteous. Sounds like you took a great three-week trip! We are planning to visit Puglia next month for a week and then to Assisi since we've never been to either place. Not sure if you saw them, but we have a video about the six Italian cities we visited in March 2022 and also a few episodes on my efforts-in progress-to obtain Italian dual citizenship. We've been to Italy three times before this visit in November, and each trip trumps the previous one. You are absolutely right that it's an amazing part of the world, and we can't get enough of it, either! Our side visit to Castellammare del Golfo is where my birth father's family is originally from (and my birth mother's family is from just outside of Napoli)! Have a great New Year! -Judy

Thanks for watching, Penny! There are a lot fewer guns in Italy as well! -Judy

The neighborhood we stayed in in Palermo originally seemed a little sketchy arriving at night, but we never felt unsafe there after getting acquainted with the area. We saw some trash and a small bit of damaged property, but that is not the same as unsafe. You are right about main railway stations, but even in Palermo, they weren’t too bad. Napoli had one station that wasn’t great, but truly no different than several of our streets in San Francisco with the homeless. For us, part of traveling is learning that some things may be different, but we try to give a city and its people a fair chance. We have been grateful to stay in local areas and not always the most touristy parts. We definitely would visit Palermo again and Sicily in general. There is so much to see and really wonderful people. They are just as wary about us! -Judy

Thanks for letting us know, Joseph. Unfortunately, there are no stores in Greece selling some of the smaller bags. I may do a review of the two I have and include some info on the others, which all will have similar features. Would that be helpful, or would you rather wait until we are in a city with distributors? -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie the specific city isn’t as relevant to me so much as the products you’ve found useful and those details.

Okay, good to know. And I probably wasn't clear. I have two bags, but if you want me to try more, I need to wait until we leave Greece since I can't buy any in this country. There are no vendors here who carry them.

Hi Erin, Us, too! In some ways it's like wrinkles and grey hair. They are a reflection that you've lived and experienced some things! You can't have history without having some bumps and scrapes, and those are part of the attraction for us! -Judy

We absolutely agree!

@@FindingGinaMarie most cities in the us are much more dangerous than naples. Most of palermo is fairly safe

@@josephaugello1527 We so agree, Joseph. The number of shootings and mass shootings in the US is terrifying. We loved Palermo and look forward to spending more time in Sicily. Thanks for watching! -Judy

Thank you so much for watching. I think I mention in this video that my father's parents are from Sicily (Castellammare del Golfo) and my mother's family is from Summonte. We loved our time in Naples and Palermo (and frankly all of Italy) and want to return and explore more. And we agree that the negative reputations have no real basis, especially these days. -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie wow Castellammare del Golfo is right next to where my great grandfather was born and raised in Trappeto… I’d like to imagine our ancestors have met somehow in another time…. Lovely thoughts.

@hippychicktarot What a small world! I’d love to think that, too! ♥️ -Judy

Thank you, Nick, for following along! Here's a blog post I wrote about the tour as well. Let me know if you find any discrepancies from what we learned. We had a fabulous time in Palermo and will definitely return! -Judy findingginamarie.com/judys-journal/no-mafia-tour

We admit that both of these cities are safe, but there are many, many people who are unsure before traveling there. We try to reassure people who don't have firsthand experience what they can expect, which is that they don't have much to worry about. And of course, sometimes all creators have to find clever ways to attract viewers or to help their videos stand out among the others talking about the same places. We try not to be clickbait-y (and this was one of our very earliest videos as full-time travelers), but the truth is that those are the videos a lot of people prefer to view. -Judy

I don't know where we ate our favorite food. It was definitely during our six-cities tour of Italy last March. We had great food in Lucca and Florence and Verona, but I don't think I can narrow it down! We haven't been to Cefalu, so I'm adding it to my list of places to visit! Thanks for the recommendation. Is there a particular restaurant or food that is a must-try? -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie let me check my trip report from Cefalu!

@@FindingGinaMarie looks like the restaurant name now is Mandralisca Sedici near the Cefalu Cathedral. It had a different name 15 years ago. Still looks delicious! The reason I love Sicilian food over even really good Italian food from other regions, is that I prefer tomatoes, eggplant, squash, raisins, almonds, lemons, sardines, meat and fish over the northern Italian cream, wheat etc. Some of the shaved ice concoctions of almond, coffee and lemon granita in Sicily were unforgettable. Everything was in fact delicious in Sicily. Hard durum wheat grown there.

We have not had our fill of Sicily! I am actually a huge fan of red sauce, but your combination of ingredients all are really delicious! Hard to go wrong with any of those. I love that each region has its own unique flavors, because experiencing the local cuisine is part of the charm of traveling!

Hi Cheryl, We completely agree. With the exception of the one metro stop in Naples, we felt comfortable the entire time and we never felt unsafe anywhere. Palermo was wonderful, too! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

I don't think this is actually true, Dylan. Historians generally believe that the Mafia actually originated in the 19th century, after the unification of Italy and the transition from feudalism to capitalism. -Judy

How cool for you! Napoli is a bit gritty, but really there are so many interesting parts of the city. We know we barely scratched the surface while we were there. And yes, pickpockets are in every major city, so you always need to be alert and aware of your surroundings. Kevin almost got pickpocketed in Rome this year. Thanks so much for watching! We have an episode coming out thisSaturday from Verona/Lake Como that we hope you will enjoy. Also, we lived in San Francisco for the last 8.5 years before we started traveling full time, so we have plenty of understanding about major cities in California. Small world! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

It’s a common misconception. We specifically say that we felt very comfortable in both cities, even though parts of it (like many major cities) have places that are rundown. We loved our time in these cities and we adore Italy. We think some people’s concerns about Naples and Palermo are overrated and we return to both places in a heartbeat. Here’s a link to our entire video series from our full-time travel in Italy. -Judy Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

We didn't feel unsafe either. We weren't sure what to expect, but we enjoyed ourselves a lot. Thanks for watching. We have an entire series from Italy and in 2024 we will be in Orvieto, Sardinia, Summonte, and a whirlwind two-week trip introducing Italy to our daughter. -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

Hi Seb, There are a lot of murders throughout the United States. However, a lot of Americans still feel (mistakenly) that the US is safe. Sometimes it's mostly about the devil you know versus the devil you don't. There's a lot of mystery and TV hype about the Mafia, especially in Italy, and it unfortunately creates a shroud of mystery around Naples and Sicily. We've tried to dispel those concerns in this video. -Judy

We would never dream of driving in Napoli, and really don't drive anywhere on our travels if we can help it (except for the US, which is so spread out). In many parts of Italy, and of course certain parts of Napoli and also Palermo, we felt like even being pedestrians is a tricky prospect! But I love your Italian saying! My birth family is from outside of Napoli, so it holds a part of my heart! We have an entire series from Italy, and we'll be in various parts of the country scattered throughout the rest of the year (with detours to other cities/countries mixed in). Thanks for watching and for sharing this fun quote with us! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

@@FindingGinaMarie thanks for sending the link! I will definitely have a look at your Italian series!

@@MT-ys6ju Thank you so much! We'll be in Orvieto in just a few short weeks and are looking forward to being back in Europe (and especially Italy!). -Judy

Hi Bunny, We agree that being mindful of your surroundings and watching your items are some of the most practical things you can do. Yes, some of our Airbnbs do have safe boxes. In fact the one in Cambodia we are in now has one. However, I don't like putting something in there because I worry I'll leave it behind. If you're using something in a hostel, etc., I would have two or three types of reminders so that you empty it. We've felt very safe in the Airbnbs that we've chosen, but we lock our doors and there are devices you can use as additional safety measures to give you peace of mind, especially when you're traveling along. Here's an article I put together specifically to help with this question: findingginamarie.com/articles/stress-free-stays-how-to-choose-secure-your-perfect-travel-home

It actually was only firecrackers 🧨 We were fine! Thanks for watching! -Judy

We agree, Giuseppe. Any major city is going to have issues, you just need to keep your eyes open. And we felt very safe in a Napoli and Palermo. We are eager to revisit both! -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie One thing I kept interpreting from your comments - you mentioned feeling uneasy or unsafe on a few occasions but what you were experiencing was due to unfamiliarity - a “fear” of the unknown. Might I suggest a few things…. Always make a copy of your passport and keep it somewhere safe. Do more research on locations, i.e; I usually pack a map of my area and I highlight things like police stations, hospitals, embassy locations and the routes to get there. I do a little research ahead of time to understand the transportation systems and operating times. The more you know about a location, the less “fear” you will have….and yes, I have travelled extensively around the world over the last 30+ years.

Hi Giuseppe, I felt uneasy when we first arrived in Palermo in part because the area we arrived in late at night looked unkept and I was projecting a bit about what the Airbnb might be like. I don't always recommend arriving after dark because you get a flawed sense of a place. Although we'd traveled a lot, we'd never stayed in Airbnbs before our trip to Naples and Palermo. So it was our virgin trip as full-time travelers. Our unease was completely unwarranted, and we got the cool market experience on top of everything. Your suggestion to get a good lay of the land and familiarize yourself with key locations is a very smart idea. Thanks for the tip. Someone suggested also getting the emergency number (911 in the US) for the country you are in. WanderOnwards pulled together this comprehensive list for emergency/fire/police by country: Article: wanderonwards.co/how-to-call-911-in-europe/#:~:text=Unfortunately%2C%20911%20doesn%27t%20work,European%20countries%2C%20nothing%20will%20happen.

Sage advice, Jeff! We definitely have learned to set a price before getting into a taxi. Fortunately we haven't needed one since our arrival in Palermo. We also learned that taxi drivers enjoy their time off. We could not find one to take us back to the train station in Castellammare del Golfo to save our souls. Fortunately we are healthy and could walk because by the time we finally gave up, we had to make a mad dash to be able to make it! And the advice of "nothing good happens after midnight" is a lesson my parents taught me when I was young. True words, except when you are in Italy and the dinner hour is so late! -Judy

Thanks for sharing your experience! We have had to step back at times and ask ourselves if we really are unsafe or if we're actually just uncomfortable because there are cultural differences or unfamiliarity, because it often is those things disguised as danger. But at the same time, it's critical to trust your instincts like you both did and take good precautions. Thanks so much for watching! You might enjoy the rest of our series of videos from Italy, which I'll link below. -Judy Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

Interesting! We've taken note of it, but it seems some of Italy's garbage issues are tied to corruption. Fortunately, we did NOT have any stomach issues anyplace in Italy. I had a bit of Pharaoh's revenge in Cairo though! findingginamarie.com/judys-journal/pharoahs-revenge -Judy

There was garbage around and it felt like garbage collection wasn’t the best, but we’ve seen worse. I think there is some corruption in the sanitation department in Sicily, which contributes to the problem, unfortunately. Here’s a link to our Palermo video where we spotlight some of it. -Judy Palermo: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WtNVUkTrH5c.htmlsi=9Km9RMEFQWOHc_3c

Thanks, Jeff, for the comment. I also wrote a blog post about the Mafia based on our tour and additional information I was compelled to research. It was a fascinating tour. We are having an awesome time and appreciate you are joining us through the magic of RU-vid! -Judy findingginamarie.com/judys-journal/no-mafia-tour

@dandegi2946 You are absolutely right. Some Americans think the US is safe but shootings are often normalized. There is so much less gun crime in most other countries. We were happy to feel completely safe in Naples and Palermo. -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie I am happy you are happy😁👍

Hi Tommy, You know, I did not realize that the Neapolitan Camorra was a separate entity from the Cosa Nostra. Thanks for the info! And you absolutely are right. We addressed the stereotypes-and tried to put them to rest!-since we had a lovely time in both cities. We loved Napoli and Sicily and would travel to both in a heartbeat in order to explore more of their hidden secrets! -Judy

Thank you so much for watching! This is an oldie. It's one of the first videos from when we began our full-time travels, so we're really glad to hear you enjoyed it! -Judy

Thanks, Mike! We are planning an episode that breaks down our budget for travel, so it's great to hear that's interesting to you. Cheers! - Kevin

Thanks for commenting, Todd! One of our goals is to help others, so this is great to hear. Best wishes on your eventual move to Europe. Do you have a target country/city picked yet? - Kevin

Just because there are areas of a big city that require common-sense precautions, doesn’t mean a city is unsafe. I wouldn’t tell people not to visit London, Paris, New York, or San Francisco because of their dicey sections. But I’m interested in your list of safe cities. Which ones do you recommend? - Kevin

@@FindingGinaMarie I wouldn't tell anyone not to visit those cities either, but that doesn't make them safe cities. Safe cities are ones you don't need to worry about taking cautions or constantly checking if your valuables are still there. And you can walk anywhere in the city at night alone as a woman and no one bothers you. That's a safe city.. Examples where you don't need to worry... Iceland, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Austria.. just to name a few. I left my laptop in a train station once in Austria... Came back half an hour later and it was still there. The town I lived in in Finland hadn't had any violent crime in over 50 years. Everyone walked alone at night without any worries. My friends walked all over Singapore alone with valuables, no worries at all. There are still safe places in this world but Naples isn't one of them. I love Naples and went alone, but I wouldn't dare say it wasn't uneasy feeling or that I wasn't heckled a couple times. There are places in Italy a lot safer. Naples is still worth a visit, but people should be realistic about it.

@didihern Thanks for sharing your perspective. -Judy

Thank you so much for watching! We haven’t given tours, but there’s no reason we couldn’t, at least for the ones we’ve enjoyed. We always take video or photos of everywhere we stay. We didn’t love the Airbnb in Palermo, but we liked the central location. Here’s a link if you’d like to look through it: abnb.me/BoGrxU2gBAb We try to avoid taxis when the distances are walkable, but that’s led to some interesting walkups! And we absolutely love trains, so they’re really not a hardship! -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie Thank you for the link! It was nice to take a look.

It wasn’t much, but the price was right and the location was interesting. Our Airbnb choices aren’t luxury, but generally they’re pretty comfortable. We’re learning and refining the more we travel.

Yes, exactly! We love finding a single cafe and frequenting it daily, ideally for the entire time we are in a city. We've built so many relationships with our waiters, and in both Cyprus and Egypt we were told how much they enjoyed seeing us every day-and we felt exactly the same! In fact, I wrote about it here: findingginamarie.com/articles/its-all-about-the-little-things We can't always be in a city for a month at a time, but we love when we can because we enjoy truly assimilating as much as possible. Good to hear about Singapore. It's an expensive city, but we continue to hear wonderful things about it. Thanks for the recommendation! -Judy

I can't find the comment you left, but thanks for sharing your interview from Zwolle! It's a pricier country for us, so we haven't been able to visit yet, but we would love to do so. What a passionate man Itommy is, and so hardworking. But it's an expensive place to live, so I completely understand his need to diversify!

@@FindingGinaMarie The Netherlands can be expensive. We found a couple of "hacks" that made it much more accommodating. We were able to get a Dutch rail card that gave us free rail transit anywhere in the country for $100/month. We also found a houseboat right in front of the medieval city wall that was fabulous and made our accommodations much more manageable. We didn't need a car since we were within walking distance of everything and had the rail passes. We found a really great bar right across the canal from us that was as inexpensive as buying drinks at the grocery store and became one of our favorite hang outs.

Thanks for sharing these tips! Did the houseboat feel cramped or claustrophobic? Since we typically stay in a place for a month, even a hotel room can feel cramped. But it might not matter if we stay only a week or two so we can visit someplace that might otherwise be out of limits. Did you book it from Airbnb or some other resource? -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie It was an AirBnB and absolutely NOT cramped. I'm linking to the video we did of it because the boat really was a treasure - perhaps the best accommodation we've EVER had (though we have some cool ones coming up, so there may be some stiff competition!) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H6RceUwUGq0.html

They are cool places. Thanks for watching! -Judy & Kevin

I feel much safer in European cities than any in the United States. For me, life is about experiencing as much as I can. The idea of living life in a bubble to avoid getting hurt isn't living for me. - Kevin

@@FindingGinaMarie that might be true. For example in Finland, you can walk anytime anywhere and no one will come bother you

@@SuperKanuuna Good to know! We haven’t had Finland on our radar, but we will take a look. So many places to visit and never enough time! -Judy

Hi Luke, Thanks for watching. We loved our time in both places and want to return to both because there is so much to explore that we missed. We might try Sicily during a warmer season when some of the beach towns are open. Do you have suggestions for anyplace we should visit or see in particular, or just more of Palermo (which I'm not opposed to at all!). We have an entire Italy series if you want to check it out. -Judy Italy video series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk

I don't actually know, but you shouldn't need it. Naples and Palermo aren't any more dangerous than other major cities, including ones in the US. -Judy

You are right. There’s definitely a presence in the US as well. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! I guess for Naples it depends where you are located. For most situations, we felt safe, but we were not there for an extended period of time. -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie the scampia area and the Spanish quarter is rough in naples. In palermo the area known as the zen is not good. Many Americans are moving to italy southern Italy that is in recent years

@@josephaugello1527 We could see where parts of the Spanish Quarter is very poor, which sometimes can be a condition for more crime. The part where we stayed was actually quite nice. And we deliberately chose to record in the Zen area because it was touted as being not so safe. It could be relative to the time of year when there are fewer tourists. I’m sure if someone has a negative experience there or hears more about crime there, they’ll have a different experience than we did. -Judy

@@FindingGinaMarie I am planning on going maybe for good we will see. I'm willing to say the zen in palermo with the Spanish quarter are safer than the majority of the us

@@josephaugello1527 We would love to hear what happens if you move full time. Please keep us posted! ♥️

Hi Enrique, obviously, we had nothing to worry about in either Napoli or Palermo. They're both lovely cities and we would go back to both in a heartbeat! In fact, it was very special to be in the cities where my family members spent time! -Judy