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Information required about photographing Italy


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I have shot in Italy lots of times and never had an issue with photographing people so if there is a law, I wasn't aware. One big piece of advice is to be very vigilant about petty thieves and gypsies. They love to work around train stations and other crowed places and they work fast. I got hit up once but they got nothing but I have friends who were not so lucky.

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Another tip besides photography if you stay for more days in Rome is to get a Roma Pass. With it you can use public transports in Rome for free and have discounts at many entrances to landmarks. Also you dont need to stay in the lines with it and can enter right away. You can buy them at every train station or airport for 50 or 60 euro.

 

Mirco

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I have shot in Italy lots of times and never had an issue with photographing people so if there is a law, I wasn't aware. One big piece of advice is to be very vigilant about petty thieves and gypsies. They love to work around train stations and other crowed places and they work fast. I got hit up once but they got nothing but I have friends who were not so lucky.

 

. . . whereas I'd advise you ignore the nationality / ethnic origins of all the people around you and instead keep a high awareness of the behaviour of all the people around you, regardless of nationality / ethnic origin.

 

dd

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Don't be tempted to have a drink in one of the bars near the tourist hotspots. If the thieves don't get you, the rip off prices surely will. I got to the point of asking for the, rarely advertised, price before ordering.

 

I've not encountered any problems taking photos in Italy, but have to say that Rome would not be my favoured destination in what is an otherwise lovely country - but cities are not my thing.

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Don't be tempted to have a drink in one of the bars near the tourist hotspots. If the thieves don't get you, the rip off prices surely will. I got to the point of asking for the, rarely advertised, price before ordering.

 

I've not encountered any problems taking photos in Italy, but have to say that Rome would not be my favoured destination in what is an otherwise lovely country - but cities are not my thing.

 

Thats exactly what I was going to say!

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The most important thing with Rome is finding somewhere to eat at decent prices!! Just around the corner from Termini Station, Pizzeria del Secolo on Via Vicenza....try the mushroom ones...careful though, the football might be on the tv.

 

Never had any trouble in Rome when photographing, city is scruffy but felt quite safe walking/working at night. As with all cities (sadly) watch the Metro when it's busy (not as bad as Barcelona for pickpockets).

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Its a great city for walking around, loads to see and photograph, no problems photographing people that I came across; as previously noted watch out for petty thieves, and also, dont get ripped off by the hugely inflated prices of the horse and carriage merchants!

 

Enjoy!   :)

 

Kumar

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I came across this page recently when I was searching for the law on photographing people in the street in Spain, Italy is included here http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Country_specific_consent_requirements.

 

Only problem I ever had in Rome and Italy in general is that everything seems to go on strike whenever I go there, public transport included. Luckily Rome is a great city for walking around.

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Those laws, at least in Europe, are about publication, not photography per se, and they only apply in the country itself. They don't impact on putting a picture in a library for the photographer. it's down to the publisher.

I loooked more closely into it in Germany after once being told I had 'kein recht'. Fortunately it's kein recht to publish, in some circumstances, not take.

OP, despite what DD says it's not hard to spot the gypsies. Stay away from the buses if they are around.

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OP, despite what DD says it's not hard to spot the gypsies. Stay away from the buses if they are around.

 

I did not say it was hard to spot Roma folk. I was saying something very specific about the practise of affixing a particularly odious label to every person of any specific nationality or ethnic origin. You can quote me anywhere / everywhere until the cows come home on that one.

 

dd

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'Gypsy' isn't odious in my book. In our case I didn't even use the term, the police did. I didn't mention nationality or ethnic origin myself.

The OP is from the UK and he and I know what we mean. I'm sorry if you don't, T

This was a thread to help him with his trip.

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'Gypsy' isn't odious in my book. In our case I didn't even use the term, the police did. I didn't mention nationality or ethnic origin myself.

The OP is from the UK and he and I know what we mean. I'm sorry if you don't, T

This was a thread to help him with his trip.

 

FGS, I was clearly commenting on a post posted before you joined the thread . . . sigh.

 

I too was offering advice to the OP.

 

dd

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I am going back to Rome in a few weeks too, really looking forward to it. Here are my top of the head notes for Rome:

 

I haven't encountered any problems with taking photos there. Very strict about no photos in the Sistine Chapel, but I wouldn't evn bother there. They don't stop you anywhere else in the Vatican museums. Rome is so busy with tourists, that everyone seems to be taking photos and even people with big fancy cameras don't stand out much.

 

There is a flower market at night near the Termini station, very nice, but very dodgy just a few steps away from the stalls. As with all big stations in major cities, the Termini attracts a lot of people who just seem to hang around in groups and give the impression they are up to no good.

 

At ticket machines for the metro, you will often get young girls crowding around trying to help you with how to operate the machine. I haven't had any problem with them, I've given them a few coins, but am aware that they might not be just being helpful!  Keep some change in your pocket for toilets - they have them in stations etc, but you need to put money in a machine to get in.

 

You might also be approached with the old scam of having stuff on a board or tray and while they distract you with that, there are little kids trying to get into your pockets / bag under the tray. And the usual rose sellers who will try to place a flower in your hand and then want a fiver for it. And who will follow you for hundreds of yards, trying to force a flower into your hand, if you are not very firm with them.  (Scottish firm, in my case!).

Oh and the other old one of trying to get you to sign a petition against drugs or whatever and then demanding that you 'donate' ten euros....... Hmmm. Mostly the same scams you have to watch out for in lots of big cities.

 

If you don't want to buy a weekly ticket for the tube etc., you can buy daily tickets for about 4 euro, (it was the last time) and that allows you to use the buses and the metro all day. It expires at midnight on the day you bought it, so is not really 24 hours!  You must remember to validate this either in the machine on the bus, or automatically when going through the barriers for the metro. The metro can suddenly be shut through strikes, we encountered this on a Friday night and it cost a fortune in taxis to get back to base. The difficulty for me was that some stations still appeared open, so I assumed the closed ones were for maintenance.....  Not so.

 

The Vatican museums / St Peter's are not open on Sundays for tourists and close early afternoon on Saturdays as far as I remember. Check their website, they sometimes have other days closed for certain events. Long queues are to be expected as they X-ray all your bags before you get in. 

 

My tip for visiting museums etc., is to have lunch early and go or to have lunch in the museum. I've frequently found that the entrance queue to the likes of the Vatican museums is fairly short around 1 pm, when everyone else is sitting down to lunch. 

 

It's fairly easy during the day to find quite reasonably priced sandwiches etc., if you just go a few steps off the tourist routes. Even along the Tiber near the centre, there are little cafes up side streets where the locals go - just like at home. They even do deals on a panini, can of juice etc., at lunchtimes.

 

Near the Trevi fountain we left a bar before ordering as I realised that 3 small bottles of beer and two glasses of wine was going to cost 54 euros!  Insist on getting the menu and checking the prices before ordering. Some restaurants are very prickly about credit cards and debit cards and might insist on cash. Weird, in this day and age, but it has happened to me, so I check first if I want to use my debit card.  

 

Italians do not think it rude to stare at you, but they are quite happy if you stare back!  They make a big effort to look good, want to be seen and love a compliment.  Have fun!

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Rome is a great city. Problem is there's just too many tourists. ;-)

 

From what I remember when I lived in Rome, Spanish Steps is a haven for pick-pockets, especially kids shoving newspapers or maps into your face. Be careful. 

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It's no problem to snap one or two pics of the Sistine Chapel, everyone does but maybe things have changed in the last year. Galleria Borghese and some catacombs can't be photographed.  Careful when taking pics of gladiators around the Colosseum and the Pantheon.

 

You will encounter in Rome the same problems you encounter in all major European cities, pickpockets, ridiculous high prices in bars close to main landmarks, dodgy areas around main train stations etc...maybe a little bit more in Rome, because there are more tourists...because it's more beautiful :)

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I was in Rome last year and didn't have any issues apart from in churches.

 

If, like me, you like architecture and want pictures then at times you may be stopped from taking pictures inside churches. The only other incident that happened was at the viewpoint for the Roman Forum. I was there one morning to catch the dawn and a copper was moaning to me and another photographer about the tripod. There was no one else around so it wasn't impeding anyone. However, after a couple of minutes he went away and nothing else was said!

 

And yes, do be aware of who is around you but then that goes for everywhere else these days!!!

 

A few weeks ago I was in Lisbon. I'd heard many many stories of the thieves there. Result? I thought it was safer than Paris!

 

As I remember David Noton saying in a book of his "If you believed everything in the guide books you'd never go anywhere!"

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Italy's privacy laws are quite strict but I don't think they're often imposed.

 

You can't photograph an individual if they are the main subject without their permission unless they are at a public event like a festival etc.

If they're not the main subject but are just in the shot, like a street scene, then that's okay.

 

Children under 16 must not be photographed. The Italian press and TV nearly always blur the faces of children in their reports unless they've had parental permission.

 

In theory, it's illegal to photograph inside stations, airports etc. You're also forbidden from photographing the Carabinieri (military police)! It does seem bizarre as they are always in news reports etc.

 

I often work in Italy and tend to err on the side of caution. If shooting people, I make sure there's a minimum of 3 or 4 people in the shot so that I'm not singling out an individual. If I want an individual then I'll ask permission. 

 

I never photograph children without permission. It's okay If they get caught up in a street scene as you can't help that.

 

As I see it, as a photographer uploading to Alamy, you are in effect publishing your images on their website for all to see. Maybe I'm just too cautious!

 

With regards to Rome, it's a great city, chaotic, manic, fun and of course beautiful. The only problem I've encountered in Rome is trying to cross the road - it's a leap of faith!

 

If you are planning to go into the Sistine Chapel, Forum, Colosseum etc, it maybe worth getting the tickets online before you go, that way you jump the queues!

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The Vatican museums / St Peter's are not open on Sundays for tourists and close early afternoon on Saturdays as far as I remember. Check their website, they sometimes have other days closed for certain events. Long queues are to be expected as they X-ray all your bags before you get in. 

 

As far as I can remember "in theory" taking pictures in Sistine Chapel was not allowed. In reality, you will see. :)

. :)

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The Vatican museums / St Peter's are not open on Sundays for tourists and close early afternoon on Saturdays as far as I remember. Check their website, they sometimes have other days closed for certain events. Long queues are to be expected as they X-ray all your bags before you get in. 

 

 This probably won't help with queues etc: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32447603

 

Michael

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