Hi everyone, I want to take a pocket knife with me to Italy this summer mainly for personal protection, but I also do not want to get busted while I am there. I will be seeing Rome for a few days and then going to Assissi and the surrounding area for the next couple of weeks. I have not found anything yet that prohibits the carrying of a knife, but you never know. If anyone can supply me with any infomation I would greatly appreciate it.
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Knife laws in Italy?
- Thread starter magneto
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magneto said:
Hi, I guess I can help you since I live in Rome. The law here is simple: you can't carry a knife if the blade is longer than (I hope i remember correctly) 5 centimeters. Anything bigger than that would get you into serious trouble. The only way to carry a knife is to have a "plausible reason", which means beign a woodsman who has got to do some chopping (no wood to chop in Rome, I assure you) or a hunter (nothing to hunt in Rome nor Assisi, except for cabs). To be honest, I think it's a fair law: there is very little crime here and if you're in trouble there's no need for self-defense equipment, you can easily get help from the police. My advice is: leave your knife at home, come here, enjoy the place, the food, the people and if you have to bring some equipment, bring a fork.
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magneto said:
You're welcome. A knife I really think you could carry with no worries is a small Victorinox. It doesn't look like a "I want to stab somebody" kind of knife, so there shouldn't be problems if the police finds it in your luggage or your backpack.
I carried a belt sheathed Vic Champ all over eastern Sicily from Taormina and Catania down to Siracusa. I also had a Spyderco Endura clipped in my left front pocket. Though I would not ever consider either a weapon perhaps the law might have.
We had a traffic accident (go figure) the first morning in Motta St. Anastasia. Local cops, Caribinierre (sp?) and US Naval MPs. No comments.
Be far more worried about driving than self defense..... you will see what I mean after about 5 minutes.
We had a traffic accident (go figure) the first morning in Motta St. Anastasia. Local cops, Caribinierre (sp?) and US Naval MPs. No comments.
Be far more worried about driving than self defense..... you will see what I mean after about 5 minutes.
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Merek said:
A victorinox folding knife is, in my opinion, the best choice, because it doesn't really look like a weapon. Of course, to avoid any kind of trouble with the law, it's better to carry it in your backpack instead of a belt sheath.
Merek said:We had a traffic accident (go figure) the first morning in Motta St. Anastasia. Local cops, Caribinierre (sp?) and US Naval MPs. No comments.
Be far more worried about driving than self defense..... you will see what I mean after about 5 minutes.
Well, driving accidents happen. But I agree: there are more chances to get involved in a driving accident than to be robbed, stabbed or things like that.
magneto said:
Yes, toothpicks are longer than that.
You see, the lenght of the blade doesn't really matter (of course, the shorter the better) because the police will ask you about the knife anyway (if they find it, I mean). They need to know who you are, why you're carrying a knife and things like that. That's why a small Victorinox, safely kept in your backpack, and a big "I'm a tourist" smile will just work.
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tom19176 said:
As far as I know, there are no restrictions on switchblades if you buy them as a collector (which means that you keep them at home or, if you're flying back home, in your luggage). But to carry a switchblade in your pocket or backpack is a completely different story: it can lead you to serious trouble.
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tom19176 said:
That could easily be true, maybe the law says they can't be sold anymore, but you still can find them in some shops. It's been ten years since I bought mine (which was ugly, useless and broke after a few months, by the way) so I'm not really up to date about this issue.
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the european said:
Hi all, i'm italian and for work I sell knives and blades: the mentioned law about blades dimensions in Itay is not right because this law doesn't exist.
A blade could be carried only for plausible reason (sport activity, camping, hunting etc..) but a plausible reason is not contemplated in a urban center so, for the law, you can't have on you any kind of blades if you are in a city or in a town. Anyway you can take your blade with you closed in a bag or similar.
You don't have any kind of buying restriction for knives in italy: only for sharped blades (katana, wakizashi, sabre etc.) double edged knives and open assisted knives.
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automatic switchblades like stiletto's or Beltrame's automated knives are similar to open assisted blades so.. you can buy it only with a permission