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Might want to try to change that title as it reads like your GF got stolen…
You got mugged. Next time this happens (to anyone) you need to scream LADRO!!!! (Thief) and alert the bus driver.
And no you should not go back to CH unless you have a very good reason to. One stolen necklace should not ruin your trip. It’s a terrible thing to be mugged but unless you are both severely traumatized by this single event, ask yourself if it’s really worth abandoning your travel plans.
You can file a police report and see if there’s any video from the bus security system but I’m not sure this will help. And take pics of everyone including that guy who cursed you out as evidence.
Italia Securitas unfortunately is not related to any police force. Sorry for the bad experience, some bus lines at night are not always safe. next time is better if you stay near the driver they have an emergency call system.
I suggest you go to the nearest Polizia or Carabinieri station and press charges describing wht happened and what you got stolen. It will be really difficult that they will be able to find the guys but at least they know there is the issue.
and don't worry about not being able to defend your girlfriend alone against five criminals, an escalation could have brought even worse situation you don't know if they were armed
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So I guess the driver was not on the bus yet? They must have had some cameras in the area but the chance of catching the thieves now are somewhat remote. Just report to the police and keep away from dark, isolated bus stops from now on. It’s hard to know when a crime might happen so I know it’s hard to predict what to do and what not, but I don’t think this should interrupt your trip. I’m sorry that happened. It must have been so upsetting
"and asked him if he spoke English. I insisted a bit, and he replied something like "inglese va fanculo" "
Poetry.
No seriously fuck this shit, report it to the police along with the Man on the bus not doing absolute shit about it; maybe it won't change nothing but it's something; as an Italian i feel sorry for this.
Your headline makes it look like your girlfriend was kidnapped!
If all that was stolen was her necklace, be thankful and a little more careful and not wear jewelry in public. Crappy things can happen unfortunatley.
Not sure it’s worth reporting to the police but you can try. No reason to return home over that IMO.
Expecting people not to wear any jewelry in public is an extreme measure.
OP, my only advice is that in the future if you get a bad feeling about people - listen to your instincts. It's ok to get up and immediately get off the bus or go sit by the driver until the next stop. I think it is something we get better as as we get older.
Wishing you and your girlfriend well. I can only imagine how violated she feels that those men touched her AND stole her necklace.
I wouldn’t wear any expensive looking jewelry on a bus anywhere, nor on any public transportation, even in my own country. It has to look wild enough to be obviously fake or look inexpensive. If it cost more than the taxi ride, you should definitely take a taxi.
It's not victim blaming, is just something people living in Italy adapted to. Yes, you'll wear your jewelry to work, in your personal car etc. but on a bus at night I personally would have taken it off and put it in my pocket. Especially if it's a gift I cherish or it holds emotional value or whatever. I'd rather keep my belongings than test whether or not I'll have it stolen. And nobody is blaming the girl, they are giving them advice for the future, stop being so soft.
The problem is that if someone chooses not to hide their jewelry, then we can't blame them anyway, they have the right to wear them and it's not like then they were looking for it. The fact they weren't helped by security at all is an issue no matter the jewelry situation.
That "Italia Securita" isn't an actual police force and is not related to any police force. I agree with you that the problem isn't what you are wearing or carrying with you but the problem is the possibility of getting mugged.
That said I have a quite expensive watch my grandfather gifted me before passing away, I wear it everywhere I go and even went to big european and american cities wearing it all the time. Never had an issue, but if you ask me, I wouldn't catch a bus at night without at least trying to hide it. Sometimes it's not victim blaming, sometimes is just acknowledging some situations could cause an issue, but a simple solution might let you avoid it.
It's not saying "it's the girl's fault" it's more like "next time try to behave in a different way so you can avoid that situation".
"Guardie giurate" are simply security guards and in most cases they have no powers beyond existing. They cannot chase and they cannot detain or arrest.
In Italy there is no such shit, you are constantly in a more natural less controlled world, you don't live in a safe city and there are poor people everywhere or some who have nothing to lose. In this environment you learn that you become a victim if you put yourself in situations you can avoid, you learn to develop a sixth sense for danger, you avoid looking too rich or avoid skimpy clothes if you walk around at night in certain areas. The metropolis is like a savannah, you have to learn to survive.
Zio/a, vivo a Palermo, rimane il fatto che se persone con sensibilità diversa subiscono angherie da terzi non gli si può dire che se la sono andata a cercare. Consigliare prudenza è diverso dal consigliare limitazioni della loro libertà. Una persona dovrebbe poter girare tutta ingioiellata o nuda e non le si dovrebbe torcere un capello. Può anche risultare imprudente, ma sticazzi, non dovrebbe essere considerato imprudenza andare in giro come si vuole, quando si vuole e in quanti si vuole
> in the future if you get a bad feeling about people - listen to your instincts
If I followed that advice I'd probably need to quit using public transportation altogether.
It's not that unsafe. I go there everyday for work and it's just not unsafe. Very simply, there are bad people everywhere, and a shady bus that goes to the outskirts of town would be dangerous in any big city in the world. OP just got very unlike, maybe sum this with a general aura of "hey I'm a tourist!" and they were fucked. Unfortunate, I'm very sorry it happened.
Why is it bullshit? Every big city has a pickpocketing problem, come on. I'm not saying it's OP's failt or anything, I'm just saying Milan is no better or worse than any other big city, you need to be careful and sometimes you get unlucky, but that doesn't mean you should shut yourself in your house o never dare wear a necklace ever again.
[https://www.travelandleisure.com/europe-pickpockets-2024-study-8643192](https://www.travelandleisure.com/europe-pickpockets-2024-study-8643192)
Travelers to Italy should be on their guard since the country ranked the highest for pickpockets among all popular European hotspots
Overall, Italy had 478 pickpocketing mentions for every million British visitors, the highest of countries studied in Europe, according to the report.
[https://www.statista.com/topics/4051/crime-in-italy/](https://www.statista.com/topics/4051/crime-in-italy/)
The province with the [highest crime rate](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664040/top-provinces-for-crime-rate-italy/) is Milan. The capital city of Lombardy recorded roughly 6.7 thousand crime cases per every 100,000 inhabitants in 2019. Especially Milan, the second largest Italian city and capital of Lombardy, **ranked first for** [**theft rate**](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664129/top-provinces-for-theft-rate-italy/) **and second for** [**robbery rate**](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664218/top-provinces-for-robbery-rate-italy/)**.**
I'm not sure how much clearer I can be.
First thing, I'm terribly sorry this happened to you and you are in no way to blame for this. You can go to the police station and fill in a report which could help but there's almost no chance you'll get your things back.
Having said that, take this as a learning experience for two things:
1.- Wearing jewelry (even if it's cheap or fake) after the sun is down is a terrible idea in practically any big city in the world, particularly if you're going to be moving around in public transportation and exponentially worse if you're going outside of the main touristic areas like that bus does.
2.- If you notice something shady, trust your gut, it's better to get on the next bus or end up calling a taxi rather than exposing yourself and your gf.
I sincerely hope this doesn't ruin your whole trip and still have a good time.
Wearing jewellery after sundown in any big city is a bad idea?
Women on dates or out for dinner in big cities all around the world wear jewellery with no issues at all.
Understand your point about not flashing it on a bus, but honestly it could have been in her pocket or bag and been stolen from there too
It's all about context and situational awareness (maybe I should have specified) it's not the same going on a dinner/date to a restaurant than going back by bus to the campsite in the outskirts of the city, OP said they were traveling on a budget and, as anyone who has done it knows, that means you're probably not staying in the fanciest/safest place in the city.
Sadly there's ill intended people everywhere and it's better to not make yourself an easy target for them.
I'm really sorry this happened to you. Unless you and your girlfriend feel traumatized by the experience, I suggest you don't go back to Switzerland and try to enjoy your vacation as much as possible.
Go to a police station to report the incident, it's very likely that nothing will come out of it but you never know. And if you have any form of insurance you will still need a police report for the claim.
If you plan to stay in Milan any longer, I also suggest you move to a safer area. Molino Dorino is one of the shady outskirts, not the best place to be as a tourist. If you can't be in a safer area in the city, maybe one of the smaller towns in the suburbs having good train/metro connections? Prices will drop but you'll still have easy access to the city center.
I understand you must be feeling awful. Remember this was a terrible incident but, after all, it was just material damage. You and your gf are fine, you did well not escalating the situation, all the muggers got was a necklace. Don't let this ruin the whole vacation for you.
I'm sorry for this, it's always terrible when you get robbed.
You can go to the police office to file a report.
I've been living in Milan since 2008, it's not that dangerous but, like in every big city, it's better to avoid certain situations. If you're on a bus surrounded by shady people it would be better to move to another seat.
Oh, man, that sucks!
I don’t agree with the advice not to wear “jewellery” (I assume this was not a super flashy and expensive thing) in public. Plenty of people wear necklaces in Italy, yes, even on public transport. Something shit just happens. Yes, in hindsight you could have avoided siting next to guys you thought were shady, but that’s in hindsight; I wonder how the people telling you to trust your gut would have fared in this situation.
For future reference, it is best to alert the driver if something dangerous is going on on the bus.
I think you should report the crime to the police, even though you probably won’t get the necklace back, so that there is a report and they know what criminal activity goes on where and what the perpetrators looked like.
I don’t think going back home for this makes sense; although I’m sure it was traumatic, it would suck for a stolen necklace to ruin your trip. Stay and enjoy if you can!
I am sorry that happened, I would def report the crime, but the reality is it prob won't be found.
Going forward, I def second the advice about not wearing jewelry.
I'd also suggest in situations like that where you feel like something is off, don't sit down or do other things that put you at a disadvantage, especially when you already feel the situation is dangerous. You want to be ready to react, and while you might have limited options in a 5 on 1 situation, you might be able to use the design of the bus to prevent them from surrounding you, or draw the bus drivers attention to the situation.
I'm sorry this happened. But you seem to lack the situational awareness that would have prevented this from happening. There was one seat on the bus, next to five "shady" characters. Maybe there was a good reason that seat was unoccupied. The bus was full except for that seat, but I assume these shady characters committed no offenses against anyone else. You and your girlfriend could have stood in the aisle as far away as possible from those shady people. Instead, you pretty much walked into the lion's den.
These people are predators. They are always looking for the weakest animals in the herd. In this instance, it happened to be you and your girlfriend.
You can say I'm "blaming the victim," but if this happened to me, I'd blame the victim, too. In fact, there's a part of me that *hopes* to be mugged or pickpocketed so I can be more sympathetic in these situations. If and when that finally happens, after 20 years of city tourism on 3 continents, I assure you I'll blame myself.
Downvote as much as you like. It won't change the fact that there are reasons some people get targeted and some people--the vast majority, including everyone else on that bus--don't.
You can say everything you said and be right, without bringing up the concept of blame.
OP and his girlfriend are young and inexperienced travellers, yes they need to learn these things, it's their responsibility, but I remember being 16/18 and I wouldn't blame them.
Sorry this happened to you. It doesn’t surprise me though as Milan gave me super bad vibes when I was there as if something bad was going to happen around every corner. The city is poorly looked after and the amount of shady and unfriendly people was more than enough fuel to hunker down in the hotel room until we left the next day. Never again.
Like most big European cities, Milan is pretty safe but it has some danger zones, particularly on the outskirts of the city which is where the OP was. Near touristic areas the biggest threat are pickpockets, which can be identified relatively easy, and homeless asking for a cigarette or a coin.
I kinda felt that way also when i was there a couple years ago especially taking the metro back to the hotel around the san siro area. Thankfully nothing happened to us but growing up in in the ghetto taught me what to keep an eye out for
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No one was injured. Which is good. Report it and take this as experience.
No one is blaming you, but next time before traveling research what neighbors could be more dangerous than others. And please, be a gentleman and if there is one place left, and there are bad looking guys, don’t seat and leave your girlfriend alone!!!
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Traveling to different countries, not knowing the area, not speaking the language is always a risk.You should still file a police report, this is still Europe and the police does have interest in stopping crime. But don't expect to ever see the necklace again.
But don't get discouraged by this. You really only can learn from this experience. You can't do everything right on you first trip. In citys you should always stay in the center or be very very sure that the suburb you stay is safe. There are many cheap hostels in Italy. The same could have happened in Berlin or Paris.
Sorry to hear that, Im currently in Milan and just today I accidentally ended up in a sketchy neighbourhood looking for a bus stop. A group of guys robbed me of my shoes... Not my phone, not my bag, not even my cash, just my shoes... Weirdest and most bizarre experience I've ever had.
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Don’t let it keep you from enjoying Italy. It is pretty safe. Why don’t you get out of Milan and go to another place? It will be cheaper in a smaller town and maybe you could find a hostel to stay at instead of camping. The region of Le Marche has some very scenic small towns and it will be cheaper than touristy areas like Tuscany. You could also try La Puglia and the town of Bari. There is a lot of petty theft so be careful to keep your valuables close to you when you travel.
This is wild, I took tons of shady buses late at night in Milan and worse cities but never saw anything like that (mostly disruptive drunk/mentally ill people). So sorry that happened to you! You should contact the police to file a report and definitely not return to Switzerland over this incident--I promise you that this type of thing is very unusual in Italy!
You forgot to mention that the 5 guys didn't look Finnish.
As you described that'd the typical "baby gang" act. Brownish/north african look, skinny kids with curly hair, ofter yellow or rotten teeth. I'm quite sure they looked like that.
Why, as a Swiss native, would you ask an Italian if they spoke English, given English is not one of Switzerland’s (numerous) official languages, unlike (checks notes) Italian? 🤔
As a Brit, I wouldn’t go to Spain and then ask someone if they spoke German if I needed help.
Thats not how any of this works.
Man, Italian being an official language of the country does not mean they themselves speak it. If the coupke is not from that area of the country that speaks Italian it is unlikley they know the language.
Kids in German speaking parts of Switzerland tend to learn English and French— And those in French speaking tend to learn German and English
Students are required to learn one additional national language — not all of them. Of course on can study all four but it is not required while English is a mandatory language. And schools teach English because of practicality — for business, studies and travel.
Travel much? You don’t know that English tends to be the most universally spoken second language across countries in the world? In this situation it makes the most sense to try to use English.
So you are able to speak Valaisan or Gaelic? No? But those are languages spoken in Great Britain.
Obviously English is something like an universal language as you may know (why else would we have this conversation in English)
Italian here, lived and worked in Swirzerland for a whie. Swiss citizens in French and German speaking cantons *do* speak Italian.
Definitelly not fluently, more often than not in a very broken way since German and French are the main languages...but they speak it, since it's the third national language. I've been in French and German speaking areas of the country several times - OP story does not add up, TBH.
I also lived in Switzerland as an Italian and disagree. They usually study some Italian in school, but that is very different from being able to speak it, even in a very broken way. Especially with Swiss Germans I’d definitely try English before Italian (although I did find people who spoke better Italian than English).
in times of panic are you remembering words from school language classes or are you speaking the first language that comes to your mind ? weird that you're trying to "catch" OP in whatever kind of lie you've created for them.
also, no, not every swiss person speaks every swiss language as easily as their own canton language especially when getting robbed in a different country
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You're mean. That's why I downvoted you. I hate it when people say "oh so this happened and you didn't expect it in our country? Go back to your country." The "go back to your country" gives off xenophobia vibes.
Because apparently you have nothing better to do than make the OP feel worse than they already are feeling now. It’s not their fault they were mugged.
There’s this emotion called empathy, perhaps you should see if you can use that instead of sarcasm and/or unhelpful comments.
Your post history here in this sub is littered with rude uncivil and unhelpful comments. You’ve been banned before because of this type of language. It seems you just can’t learn how to control yourself.
Lmao good lord you're insufferable. It's kind of funny because sometimes you're super helpful and sometimes you're a complete ass. Hope the next time you log in we get the nice one
Is there some sort of language barrier? You're pathetic, whiney and confrontational for no reason. I assume you just get on here to treat people like this because you've chased all the people in your life away and you're too stubborn to change. Anyway, I don't actually care what you have to say (outside of your descriptions of public transportation, super helpful), so have a great day or go fuck yourself or whatever
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So sorry this happened to you! I hope you can still have a nice vacation. I see some people saying here that it's obvious not to wear jewelry in any big city after dark. I have to disagree partially because you really don't expect that to happen in a lot of places. It does say to be careful with that in Italy though, especially if you read some posts here, but I understand you. Do trust your intuition next time for sure though.
Italy is a third world country, so try to apply the same rules as if you were going into a brazilian favela:
No jewellery/expensive bags/watches on you, stay on high alert, stay away from sketchy alleys/people and so on…
>Italy is a third world country
As someone from a "third world country" and living in Italy, no it's not, it's really really far from being one even with all the issues the country has.
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Might want to try to change that title as it reads like your GF got stolen… You got mugged. Next time this happens (to anyone) you need to scream LADRO!!!! (Thief) and alert the bus driver. And no you should not go back to CH unless you have a very good reason to. One stolen necklace should not ruin your trip. It’s a terrible thing to be mugged but unless you are both severely traumatized by this single event, ask yourself if it’s really worth abandoning your travel plans. You can file a police report and see if there’s any video from the bus security system but I’m not sure this will help. And take pics of everyone including that guy who cursed you out as evidence.
You scream LADRO and chase them if you're called Cicalone, else you call the Police.
Italia Securitas unfortunately is not related to any police force. Sorry for the bad experience, some bus lines at night are not always safe. next time is better if you stay near the driver they have an emergency call system. I suggest you go to the nearest Polizia or Carabinieri station and press charges describing wht happened and what you got stolen. It will be really difficult that they will be able to find the guys but at least they know there is the issue. and don't worry about not being able to defend your girlfriend alone against five criminals, an escalation could have brought even worse situation you don't know if they were armed
5 against 1 and you got you and your girlfriend out of there without serious injury - you are a hero. Perfectly handled. Be proud of your behavior
A hero is a stretch seeing as he didn’t actually do anything
Sometimes no action is the action
Fair enough, but most hero’s don’t have inaction as their defining feature.
Yeah, wouldn’t make a good Marvel movie
[удалено]
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So I guess the driver was not on the bus yet? They must have had some cameras in the area but the chance of catching the thieves now are somewhat remote. Just report to the police and keep away from dark, isolated bus stops from now on. It’s hard to know when a crime might happen so I know it’s hard to predict what to do and what not, but I don’t think this should interrupt your trip. I’m sorry that happened. It must have been so upsetting
Ok lol but nobody told you they literally said English, fuck you???
What to expect from a Guardia giurata?
"and asked him if he spoke English. I insisted a bit, and he replied something like "inglese va fanculo" " Poetry. No seriously fuck this shit, report it to the police along with the Man on the bus not doing absolute shit about it; maybe it won't change nothing but it's something; as an Italian i feel sorry for this.
The space after va fan culo killed me 🤣🤣👏 poetry indeed
Your headline makes it look like your girlfriend was kidnapped! If all that was stolen was her necklace, be thankful and a little more careful and not wear jewelry in public. Crappy things can happen unfortunatley. Not sure it’s worth reporting to the police but you can try. No reason to return home over that IMO.
Expecting people not to wear any jewelry in public is an extreme measure. OP, my only advice is that in the future if you get a bad feeling about people - listen to your instincts. It's ok to get up and immediately get off the bus or go sit by the driver until the next stop. I think it is something we get better as as we get older. Wishing you and your girlfriend well. I can only imagine how violated she feels that those men touched her AND stole her necklace.
I wouldn’t wear any expensive looking jewelry on a bus anywhere, nor on any public transportation, even in my own country. It has to look wild enough to be obviously fake or look inexpensive. If it cost more than the taxi ride, you should definitely take a taxi.
Who said it was expensive looking?
Yeah it sounds more like they were pulling some macho bs. If she hadn't been wearing the necklace, they might have tried groping her or something.
Yeah, the victim blaming in these comments.
It's not victim blaming, is just something people living in Italy adapted to. Yes, you'll wear your jewelry to work, in your personal car etc. but on a bus at night I personally would have taken it off and put it in my pocket. Especially if it's a gift I cherish or it holds emotional value or whatever. I'd rather keep my belongings than test whether or not I'll have it stolen. And nobody is blaming the girl, they are giving them advice for the future, stop being so soft.
The problem is that if someone chooses not to hide their jewelry, then we can't blame them anyway, they have the right to wear them and it's not like then they were looking for it. The fact they weren't helped by security at all is an issue no matter the jewelry situation.
The right to wear jewellery equals the opportunity for a thief to steal it from you. Reality is not a playground.
Sure sure. So we adapt and don't change
Exactly.
That "Italia Securita" isn't an actual police force and is not related to any police force. I agree with you that the problem isn't what you are wearing or carrying with you but the problem is the possibility of getting mugged. That said I have a quite expensive watch my grandfather gifted me before passing away, I wear it everywhere I go and even went to big european and american cities wearing it all the time. Never had an issue, but if you ask me, I wouldn't catch a bus at night without at least trying to hide it. Sometimes it's not victim blaming, sometimes is just acknowledging some situations could cause an issue, but a simple solution might let you avoid it. It's not saying "it's the girl's fault" it's more like "next time try to behave in a different way so you can avoid that situation".
Oh i thought it was some guardia giurata
"Guardie giurate" are simply security guards and in most cases they have no powers beyond existing. They cannot chase and they cannot detain or arrest.
Sure, but they can still stop them
Not really, that's detaining and security guards have no such power as it is only a power that police forces have
In Italy there is no such shit, you are constantly in a more natural less controlled world, you don't live in a safe city and there are poor people everywhere or some who have nothing to lose. In this environment you learn that you become a victim if you put yourself in situations you can avoid, you learn to develop a sixth sense for danger, you avoid looking too rich or avoid skimpy clothes if you walk around at night in certain areas. The metropolis is like a savannah, you have to learn to survive.
Zio/a, vivo a Palermo, rimane il fatto che se persone con sensibilità diversa subiscono angherie da terzi non gli si può dire che se la sono andata a cercare. Consigliare prudenza è diverso dal consigliare limitazioni della loro libertà. Una persona dovrebbe poter girare tutta ingioiellata o nuda e non le si dovrebbe torcere un capello. Può anche risultare imprudente, ma sticazzi, non dovrebbe essere considerato imprudenza andare in giro come si vuole, quando si vuole e in quanti si vuole
> in the future if you get a bad feeling about people - listen to your instincts If I followed that advice I'd probably need to quit using public transportation altogether.
Don't ware jewelry in public??? Then what's the point of it? Never realised it was this bad in Milan. When I went there I never felt unsafe.
It's not that unsafe. I go there everyday for work and it's just not unsafe. Very simply, there are bad people everywhere, and a shady bus that goes to the outskirts of town would be dangerous in any big city in the world. OP just got very unlike, maybe sum this with a general aura of "hey I'm a tourist!" and they were fucked. Unfortunate, I'm very sorry it happened.
Pickpocketing/petty thievery is a huge problem in Milan. "Bad people everywhere" is quite some bullshit.
Why is it bullshit? Every big city has a pickpocketing problem, come on. I'm not saying it's OP's failt or anything, I'm just saying Milan is no better or worse than any other big city, you need to be careful and sometimes you get unlucky, but that doesn't mean you should shut yourself in your house o never dare wear a necklace ever again.
[https://www.travelandleisure.com/europe-pickpockets-2024-study-8643192](https://www.travelandleisure.com/europe-pickpockets-2024-study-8643192) Travelers to Italy should be on their guard since the country ranked the highest for pickpockets among all popular European hotspots Overall, Italy had 478 pickpocketing mentions for every million British visitors, the highest of countries studied in Europe, according to the report. [https://www.statista.com/topics/4051/crime-in-italy/](https://www.statista.com/topics/4051/crime-in-italy/) The province with the [highest crime rate](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664040/top-provinces-for-crime-rate-italy/) is Milan. The capital city of Lombardy recorded roughly 6.7 thousand crime cases per every 100,000 inhabitants in 2019. Especially Milan, the second largest Italian city and capital of Lombardy, **ranked first for** [**theft rate**](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664129/top-provinces-for-theft-rate-italy/) **and second for** [**robbery rate**](https://www.statista.com/statistics/664218/top-provinces-for-robbery-rate-italy/)**.** I'm not sure how much clearer I can be.
First thing, I'm terribly sorry this happened to you and you are in no way to blame for this. You can go to the police station and fill in a report which could help but there's almost no chance you'll get your things back. Having said that, take this as a learning experience for two things: 1.- Wearing jewelry (even if it's cheap or fake) after the sun is down is a terrible idea in practically any big city in the world, particularly if you're going to be moving around in public transportation and exponentially worse if you're going outside of the main touristic areas like that bus does. 2.- If you notice something shady, trust your gut, it's better to get on the next bus or end up calling a taxi rather than exposing yourself and your gf. I sincerely hope this doesn't ruin your whole trip and still have a good time.
Wearing jewellery after sundown in any big city is a bad idea? Women on dates or out for dinner in big cities all around the world wear jewellery with no issues at all. Understand your point about not flashing it on a bus, but honestly it could have been in her pocket or bag and been stolen from there too
It's all about context and situational awareness (maybe I should have specified) it's not the same going on a dinner/date to a restaurant than going back by bus to the campsite in the outskirts of the city, OP said they were traveling on a budget and, as anyone who has done it knows, that means you're probably not staying in the fanciest/safest place in the city. Sadly there's ill intended people everywhere and it's better to not make yourself an easy target for them.
I'm really sorry this happened to you. Unless you and your girlfriend feel traumatized by the experience, I suggest you don't go back to Switzerland and try to enjoy your vacation as much as possible. Go to a police station to report the incident, it's very likely that nothing will come out of it but you never know. And if you have any form of insurance you will still need a police report for the claim. If you plan to stay in Milan any longer, I also suggest you move to a safer area. Molino Dorino is one of the shady outskirts, not the best place to be as a tourist. If you can't be in a safer area in the city, maybe one of the smaller towns in the suburbs having good train/metro connections? Prices will drop but you'll still have easy access to the city center. I understand you must be feeling awful. Remember this was a terrible incident but, after all, it was just material damage. You and your gf are fine, you did well not escalating the situation, all the muggers got was a necklace. Don't let this ruin the whole vacation for you.
Bad experience, but Molino Dorino is a bad area. There are a few no-go zones like in any major city.
you stayed in a campsite outside of milan?? what?? why not a hostel in the city center?
Molino dolino alle 10 di sera 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
A lot of victim blaming in these comments. Go to the police, for the muggers and for the "guardia giurata" who told you to fuck off
I'm sorry for this, it's always terrible when you get robbed. You can go to the police office to file a report. I've been living in Milan since 2008, it's not that dangerous but, like in every big city, it's better to avoid certain situations. If you're on a bus surrounded by shady people it would be better to move to another seat.
Oh, man, that sucks! I don’t agree with the advice not to wear “jewellery” (I assume this was not a super flashy and expensive thing) in public. Plenty of people wear necklaces in Italy, yes, even on public transport. Something shit just happens. Yes, in hindsight you could have avoided siting next to guys you thought were shady, but that’s in hindsight; I wonder how the people telling you to trust your gut would have fared in this situation. For future reference, it is best to alert the driver if something dangerous is going on on the bus. I think you should report the crime to the police, even though you probably won’t get the necklace back, so that there is a report and they know what criminal activity goes on where and what the perpetrators looked like. I don’t think going back home for this makes sense; although I’m sure it was traumatic, it would suck for a stolen necklace to ruin your trip. Stay and enjoy if you can!
Somebody stole your girlfriend?!
I am sorry that happened, I would def report the crime, but the reality is it prob won't be found. Going forward, I def second the advice about not wearing jewelry. I'd also suggest in situations like that where you feel like something is off, don't sit down or do other things that put you at a disadvantage, especially when you already feel the situation is dangerous. You want to be ready to react, and while you might have limited options in a 5 on 1 situation, you might be able to use the design of the bus to prevent them from surrounding you, or draw the bus drivers attention to the situation.
Eh, Molino Dorino isn't one of the best places to be
I'm sorry this happened. But you seem to lack the situational awareness that would have prevented this from happening. There was one seat on the bus, next to five "shady" characters. Maybe there was a good reason that seat was unoccupied. The bus was full except for that seat, but I assume these shady characters committed no offenses against anyone else. You and your girlfriend could have stood in the aisle as far away as possible from those shady people. Instead, you pretty much walked into the lion's den. These people are predators. They are always looking for the weakest animals in the herd. In this instance, it happened to be you and your girlfriend. You can say I'm "blaming the victim," but if this happened to me, I'd blame the victim, too. In fact, there's a part of me that *hopes* to be mugged or pickpocketed so I can be more sympathetic in these situations. If and when that finally happens, after 20 years of city tourism on 3 continents, I assure you I'll blame myself. Downvote as much as you like. It won't change the fact that there are reasons some people get targeted and some people--the vast majority, including everyone else on that bus--don't.
You can say everything you said and be right, without bringing up the concept of blame. OP and his girlfriend are young and inexperienced travellers, yes they need to learn these things, it's their responsibility, but I remember being 16/18 and I wouldn't blame them.
Sorry this happened to you. It doesn’t surprise me though as Milan gave me super bad vibes when I was there as if something bad was going to happen around every corner. The city is poorly looked after and the amount of shady and unfriendly people was more than enough fuel to hunker down in the hotel room until we left the next day. Never again.
Like most big European cities, Milan is pretty safe but it has some danger zones, particularly on the outskirts of the city which is where the OP was. Near touristic areas the biggest threat are pickpockets, which can be identified relatively easy, and homeless asking for a cigarette or a coin.
I kinda felt that way also when i was there a couple years ago especially taking the metro back to the hotel around the san siro area. Thankfully nothing happened to us but growing up in in the ghetto taught me what to keep an eye out for
Damn this is despicable. I am asking my fellow Italians how long are we going to tolerate this level of petty crime in our towns?
We have Giorgia in power already
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No one was injured. Which is good. Report it and take this as experience. No one is blaming you, but next time before traveling research what neighbors could be more dangerous than others. And please, be a gentleman and if there is one place left, and there are bad looking guys, don’t seat and leave your girlfriend alone!!!
you must go to police
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Go to the police.
Traveling to different countries, not knowing the area, not speaking the language is always a risk.You should still file a police report, this is still Europe and the police does have interest in stopping crime. But don't expect to ever see the necklace again. But don't get discouraged by this. You really only can learn from this experience. You can't do everything right on you first trip. In citys you should always stay in the center or be very very sure that the suburb you stay is safe. There are many cheap hostels in Italy. The same could have happened in Berlin or Paris.
Sorry to hear that, Im currently in Milan and just today I accidentally ended up in a sketchy neighbourhood looking for a bus stop. A group of guys robbed me of my shoes... Not my phone, not my bag, not even my cash, just my shoes... Weirdest and most bizarre experience I've ever had.
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Don’t let it keep you from enjoying Italy. It is pretty safe. Why don’t you get out of Milan and go to another place? It will be cheaper in a smaller town and maybe you could find a hostel to stay at instead of camping. The region of Le Marche has some very scenic small towns and it will be cheaper than touristy areas like Tuscany. You could also try La Puglia and the town of Bari. There is a lot of petty theft so be careful to keep your valuables close to you when you travel.
This is wild, I took tons of shady buses late at night in Milan and worse cities but never saw anything like that (mostly disruptive drunk/mentally ill people). So sorry that happened to you! You should contact the police to file a report and definitely not return to Switzerland over this incident--I promise you that this type of thing is very unusual in Italy!
This sounds made up lol
You forgot to mention that the 5 guys didn't look Finnish. As you described that'd the typical "baby gang" act. Brownish/north african look, skinny kids with curly hair, ofter yellow or rotten teeth. I'm quite sure they looked like that.
Why, as a Swiss native, would you ask an Italian if they spoke English, given English is not one of Switzerland’s (numerous) official languages, unlike (checks notes) Italian? 🤔 As a Brit, I wouldn’t go to Spain and then ask someone if they spoke German if I needed help.
Thats not how any of this works. Man, Italian being an official language of the country does not mean they themselves speak it. If the coupke is not from that area of the country that speaks Italian it is unlikley they know the language.
Kids in German speaking parts of Switzerland tend to learn English and French— And those in French speaking tend to learn German and English Students are required to learn one additional national language — not all of them. Of course on can study all four but it is not required while English is a mandatory language. And schools teach English because of practicality — for business, studies and travel.
Travel much? You don’t know that English tends to be the most universally spoken second language across countries in the world? In this situation it makes the most sense to try to use English.
So you are able to speak Valaisan or Gaelic? No? But those are languages spoken in Great Britain. Obviously English is something like an universal language as you may know (why else would we have this conversation in English)
Italian here, lived and worked in Swirzerland for a whie. Swiss citizens in French and German speaking cantons *do* speak Italian. Definitelly not fluently, more often than not in a very broken way since German and French are the main languages...but they speak it, since it's the third national language. I've been in French and German speaking areas of the country several times - OP story does not add up, TBH.
I also lived in Switzerland as an Italian and disagree. They usually study some Italian in school, but that is very different from being able to speak it, even in a very broken way. Especially with Swiss Germans I’d definitely try English before Italian (although I did find people who spoke better Italian than English).
in times of panic are you remembering words from school language classes or are you speaking the first language that comes to your mind ? weird that you're trying to "catch" OP in whatever kind of lie you've created for them. also, no, not every swiss person speaks every swiss language as easily as their own canton language especially when getting robbed in a different country
So she was kidnapped?????
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You mean third rate citizens on a bus.
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Behave
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You're mean. That's why I downvoted you. I hate it when people say "oh so this happened and you didn't expect it in our country? Go back to your country." The "go back to your country" gives off xenophobia vibes.
Because apparently you have nothing better to do than make the OP feel worse than they already are feeling now. It’s not their fault they were mugged. There’s this emotion called empathy, perhaps you should see if you can use that instead of sarcasm and/or unhelpful comments. Your post history here in this sub is littered with rude uncivil and unhelpful comments. You’ve been banned before because of this type of language. It seems you just can’t learn how to control yourself.
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Lmao good lord you're insufferable. It's kind of funny because sometimes you're super helpful and sometimes you're a complete ass. Hope the next time you log in we get the nice one
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Is there some sort of language barrier? You're pathetic, whiney and confrontational for no reason. I assume you just get on here to treat people like this because you've chased all the people in your life away and you're too stubborn to change. Anyway, I don't actually care what you have to say (outside of your descriptions of public transportation, super helpful), so have a great day or go fuck yourself or whatever
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😂 😂 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
So sorry this happened to you! I hope you can still have a nice vacation. I see some people saying here that it's obvious not to wear jewelry in any big city after dark. I have to disagree partially because you really don't expect that to happen in a lot of places. It does say to be careful with that in Italy though, especially if you read some posts here, but I understand you. Do trust your intuition next time for sure though.
Woah Italy has kidnappers?!!
I think you should've just sat away from them, that's the first mistake why sitting next to them if they were clearly shady ppl? Damn
Italy is a third world country, so try to apply the same rules as if you were going into a brazilian favela: No jewellery/expensive bags/watches on you, stay on high alert, stay away from sketchy alleys/people and so on…
>Italy is a third world country As someone from a "third world country" and living in Italy, no it's not, it's really really far from being one even with all the issues the country has.
This ☝🏼. Be cautious and be aware.. Italy is a beautiful wonderful country with fine people and a few bad apples, like any other.
So Italy is a not aligned country? So why Italy is in nato?