# Close Protection in Florence, Italy

Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/cities/florence/

Close protection and executive security in Florence, Italy. Italian licensing, cultural event security, and vetted drivers for HNWI and art-market visitors.


## Threats

- **Petty Crime and Pickpocketing**: FCDO Italy (2024) notes pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common in tourist areas. Florence is heavily affected due to high tourist density. Specific risk areas include Santa Croce piazza, Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi queue, and Mercato Centrale.
- **Distraction Theft**: Teams working in pairs use distraction techniques near the Duomo, in Via Roma and Via dei Calzaiuoli, and on public buses. FCDO Italy (2024) documents this pattern across major Italian tourist cities, with Florence among the most affected.
- **Demonstrations**: Italy experiences periodic strikes and demonstrations. FCDO (2024) advises avoiding political gatherings. Protests occasionally affect Piazza della Repubblica and surrounding streets in Florence.
- **Vehicle Crime**: Thefts from hire cars at motorway service stations are documented. FCDO (2024) notes this risk particularly on the A1 Florence-Rome corridor. Unattended vehicles in tourist parking areas are also targeted.

## Regulations

- **Licensing**: Private security is governed by the Testo unico delle leggi di pubblica sicurezza (TULPS, Regio Decreto 18 giugno 1931, n. 773), its implementing regulation as amended by DPR 153/2008, and Ministerial Decree 269/2010. Under article 134 the Prefetto licenses security institutes to guard movable and immovable property and to carry out private investigations, and no licence may be granted for operations that involve public functions or limit individual freedom. Under articles 133 and 138, guardie particolari giurate guard property, and the Prefetto approves each one for two years. In Florence the licensing authority is the Prefettura di Firenze. Italian law creates no licence for private close protection, and a May 2024 submission to the Chamber of Deputies described it as not allowing guardie giurate to protect people. Ask any provider which licence covers the work it proposes, and take local legal advice before engagement.
- **Firearms**: Under article 138 of the TULPS, when the Prefetto approves a guardia particolare giurata, the Prefetto may also issue a licence to carry arms at a reduced fee where the conditions are met. That licence goes with a role that guards property. The TULPS sets out no licence for armed close protection by private security.
- **Foreign operators**: Article 134 of the TULPS limits the licence to Italian and EU citizens, and lets EU citizens obtain a licence to guard property on the same terms as Italians. Article 138 requires each guardia particolare giurata to be an Italian or EU citizen. A company or guard from outside the EU has no route to these licences.

Sources, checked 2026-10-06:

- [TULPS (Regio Decreto 18 giugno 1931, n. 773), article 133, text (Brocardi)](https://brocardi.it/testo-unico-pubblica-sicurezza/titolo-iv/art133.html)
- [TULPS, article 134, text (Brocardi)](https://brocardi.it/testo-unico-pubblica-sicurezza/titolo-iv/art134.html)
- [TULPS, article 138, text (Brocardi)](https://brocardi.it/testo-unico-pubblica-sicurezza/titolo-iv/art138.html)
- [Prefettura, Decreto Ministeriale 1 dicembre 2010, n. 269, as amended](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/sites/default/files/57/2024-01/d.m._n._269_2010_emendato.pdf)
- [DPR 4 agosto 2008, n. 153, text (tiropratico.com)](https://www.tiropratico.com/leggi/153_2008.pdf)
- [Camera dei deputati, written submission by Verisure Italia on A.C. 1660 (20 May 2024)](https://documenti.camera.it/leg19/documentiAcquisiti/COM01/Progettodilegge/leg19.com01.Progettodilegge.Contributo%20Scritto.PUBBLICO.ideGes.29378.20-05-2024-18-02-28.512.pdf)

## Zones

Lower-risk areas:

- Oltrarno: South bank residential and artisan district, quieter than the historic centre, lower tourist density and reduced pickpocketing risk.
- Fiesole hills: Hilltop residential area above Florence, lower crime density, suitable for villa-based stays and estate security deployments.

Elevated-risk areas:

- Piazza del Duomo and Piazza Santa Croce: Very high tourist density throughout the day; pickpocketing teams are regularly documented by Italian police in these squares.
- Stazione Santa Maria Novella: Bag theft and distraction crime are consistent problems at and around Florence's main rail terminus.

## Emergency contacts

- Emergency Services: 112
- Polizia di Stato: 113
- Fire Brigade: 115
- Ambulance (Emergenza Sanitaria): 118
- British Embassy Rome: +39 06 4220 0001
- US Embassy Rome: +39 06 46741

## Warnings

- FCDO Italy (2024) advises vigilance against pickpocketing particularly in the historic centre; Florence is consistently identified as one of Italy's highest-risk cities for tourist-targeting theft.
- FCDO (2024) advises against attending political demonstrations; protests in Italy can turn confrontational with little warning.
- FCDO (2024) notes thefts from vehicles at motorway service stations; the A1 Florence-Rome corridor is specifically noted; do not leave valuables visible in parked vehicles.