Italy Knife Laws

[oracle5]

For any Italian members of the forum or people who have visited.

Me, my wife, and some of her family will be taking a trip through Italy and I'm wanting to get more info on the knife laws. I've read different things such as 3 inches and under, or only with a specific purpose like hunting/fishing, nonlocking. So what is it really? If its specific purpose I think a SAK has lots of uses and would have a blade under 3 inches. Could I have something like a Spyderco UK Penknife?

I'm not out looking to stab people or use it for self defense and I'm not looking to bring my ZT 560 with me but I feel naked without a knife and who wants to walk around another country naked.

 

[glistam]

I have been there recently, have spoken with natives who are knife enthusiasts, and also source laws from a popular knife magazine.

My best understanding is that you cannot EDC any sort of knife out in public. Carrying any knife must have a legitimate reason, and the police are rather limited in what they consider "legitimate," a fact made all the more difficult by the language barrier. When purchasing knives or carrying for food use, it is best that they remain packaged and in some sort of bag like a sales bag or backpack in a manner that suggests no intention to pull it out rapidly. Offensive knives such a daggers or switchblades are outright illegal to own even at home in a locked display case: You must have a special permit.

Furthermore, in my most recent trip I observed that many types of major building, including some art galleries like the Uffizi, as well as all bank branches, subject entrants to a full airport-style search with x-ray of all bags and a metal detector.

If you bring anything, bring a relatively inexpensive multitool and keep it in your hotel room. Do not carry any sort of blade around with you.
If your concern is defense, I can reassure you that criminals in Italy are far more likely to steal from your or swindle you than perpetrate acts of violence. But if you want to armed in some way, I'd go with a heavy padlock and a sturdy metal pen. I carried both with me through the airports and numerous security checkpoints without a second glance.

 

[TOM1960]

I have been there recently, have spoken with natives who are knife enthusiasts, and also source laws from a popular knife magazine.

My best understanding is that you cannot EDC any sort of knife out in public. Carrying any knife must have a legitimate reason, and the police are rather limited in what they consider "legitimate," a fact made all the more difficult by the language barrier. When purchasing knives or carrying for food use, it is best that they remain packaged and in some sort of bag like a sales bag or backpack in a manner that suggests no intention to pull it out rapidly. Offensive knives such a daggers or switchblades are outright illegal to own even at home in a locked display case: You must have a special permit.

Furthermore, in my most recent trip I observed that many types of major building, including some art galleries like the Uffizi, as well as all bank branches, subject entrants to a full airport-style search with x-ray of all bags and a metal detector.

If you bring anything, bring a relatively inexpensive multitool and keep it in your hotel room. Do not carry any sort of blade around with you.
If your concern is defense, I can reassure you that criminals in Italy are far more likely to steal from your or swindle you than perpetrate acts of violence. But if you want to armed in some way, I'd go with a heavy padlock and a sturdy metal pen. I carried both with me through the airports and numerous security checkpoints without a second glance.

One of my co-workers went to Italy last year to visit family. He has been there several times. He said that the biggest problems are the beggars (mostly Gypsies) and pickpockets, so he carried his wallet in one of those heavy-duty nylon leg pouches. I asked if he brought any kind of knife and he said that he carried a small SAK at all times and nobody gave him so much as a second glance. Some steel-toed footwear, such as Brahma-brand steel-toed running shoes or work boots, are also a good addition to the vacation wardrobe. Handy for self-defense, very discreet and 100% legal.

 

[philbro]

A good reason for carrying a knife is snorkelling or scuba diving, just carry it in a bag with your mask & flippers.
I haven't done this in Italy, but it works fine in Greece. I carried an LMF2 as my dive knife.

 

[lazarus]

I am Italian,
you can not take any knife.
is only allowed if you're going to hunt or if you're doing an activity in which you can serve your knife, like yourself for example mushroom picking

 

[jeffu87]

You guys are all bat s*** crazy lol. I'm there all the time and bring a cold steel talwar . Don't ask don't tell, Be smart, and choose your battles. Technically the rules are simple.
Under 4 or 3 inches( width of your 4 fingers across).
No locking folders.
Absolutely no double edge.
Must have a "reason".

That being said I carry daily and I've had absolutely zero issues. I mean, don't be swinging it out in front of a carabinieri (sheriff) or bring it into placss like the vatican or other secured facilities (choose your battles) .

I'm really tired of reading I'll informed or flat out scare tactic "no no no oh God no knives ever "

When I travel with them I leave the folders open and wrapped in my luggage along with my axe and several wood carving knives and my strider sa.

Thanks guys ! I expect backlash from someone haha

 

[y53p]

You guys are all bat s*** crazy lol. I'm there all the time and bring a cold steel talwar . Don't ask don't tell, Be smart, and choose your battles. Technically the rules are simple.
Under 4 or 3 inches( width of your 4 fingers across).
No locking folders.
Absolutely no double edge.
Must have a "reason".

That being said I carry daily and I've had absolutely zero issues. I mean, don't be swinging it out in front of a carabinieri (sheriff) or bring it into placss like the vatican or other secured facilities (choose your battles) .

I'm really tired of reading I'll informed or flat out scare tactic "no no no oh God no knives ever "

When I travel with them I leave the folders open and wrapped in my luggage along with my axe and several wood carving knives and my strider sa.

Thanks guys ! I expect backlash from someone haha

If nothing happened to you it’s not because it’s legal to carry a knife “under 4 or 3 inches” (this was an old laws that was abolished in 1975 in favour of the “lawful excuse law”, although most -ignorant- Italians, especially the ones who aren’t into knives, believe it to still be active); we have horror stories of people getting fined in the thousands for carrying a SAK with a valid reason. Obviously that’s not always the case, and it very much depends on the cop that searches you (objective law, yay!), but just like those people were unlucky to be searched by some zealous, megalomaniac, “hero”-type cop, you were lucky that wasn’t your case; but both you and those people were and are liable to get legal penalties in the same exact way due to the vague and arbitrary nature of the knife laws here.

 

[Knife_Collector_101]

I find the switchblade thing to be pretty weird with Italy. A lot of people would assume they’re legal there since they’re always being made there. The Italian stiletto switchblade is such a staple of their culture that I bet a lot of people would find that surprising. My understanding is that possession requires some kind of special permit (mainly for knives that have some historical significance or are antiques), but manufacturers and dealers are pretty much exempt from the laws. I believe that tourist shops do sell them as people are always bringing them home from Italy after going on vacation there. So I guess there are stipulations for export sales and sales to people visiting from other countries. I was told by somebody on this forum that the law is kind of a joke as enforcement is apparently very selective. In other words, the police only enforce it when they’re looking to rough up somebody appearing to be doing something shady while carrying switchblades in public.

As far as the other knife regulations, probably best to listen to the advice of people on this forum, including those who live in Italy. Sounds like you should avoid carrying a blade merely for EDC.

 

[y53p]

I spoke with several people on another (Italian) forum, asking them what/if they carry anything for edc. Surprisingly a lot of them do; mostly Victorinox Swiss army knives, oftentimes not on their person, but the general rule of thumb is to “not flaunt it”, so carry an unassuming, innocuous looking knife, preferably a multi tool, where the blade is not the “protagonist”. Edc is apparently very common in rural areas, even of “illegal” “proper weapons” like autos and whatnot, but people just use them for the utility they offer so they don’t care about some dumb politician’s spiel. However, for urban carry, the general consensus on the Italian forum seems to either not carry anything, or to point out that plier multi tool are the most socially accepted ones, especially when carried in a belt sheath (a lot of German/British tourists do that, it’s almost like a stereotype, so people and cops are fairly used to it), though I wouldn’t risk losing a Leatherman Wave and get fined over wanting to tote it around town, though it would probably be your safest bet for a full-sized multitool/pocket knife in urban areas (close to if not better than a SAK). If anything keep it in your vehicle as a repair/utility tool. For edc I personally stick to a Gerber Dime; it’s small enough to be fairly inconspicuous, it’s got several tools aside from the non locking, 2 hand opening, 1.4 inch blade, which doesn’t even really have a tip (as opposed to the terrifying and menacing 1.6 inch, pointy blade on the LM Squirt; still technically illegal but it’s so tiny and innocuous looking I highly doubt even the most zealous cop would hassle me about it, although the chance is, legally speaking, still there), and it’s a “portachiavi”, a “keyring item” which is very much socially accepted here as it looks more harmless, and the concept of legality doesn’t even cross most sheeple’s minds when talking about a keyring item here. It still offers you functionality and it’s way better to have it than not to (and let’s be honest, the blade may be short and look unassuming, but you can make that thing as sharp as you like and it’s as good as any other knife in terms of sheer cutting performance).

Of course though, all of the above applies when you don’t have a “lawful excuse”. Put an apple in your backpack and you can, legally, carry any folding knife you want, even around town, as long as you have something to readily cut with it. Carried my Bugout yesterday thanks to this. Felt good, will do it again. Don’t go carrying a bowie knife or whatever though, unless you’re camping.