I've also asked this question on Fodor's site:

My college age daughter will be travelling from the airport in Rome to Siena by herself in August and then back in September. I know she needs to take the train to another station from the airport where she will catch the bus to Siena. My question is whether she needs to worry about pickpockets and the like, since she will have her hands full with a luggage bag and her backpack. Any advice is appreciated. Sorry, I'm not trying to insult Rome or Italy, as I would have this concern in any large city train/bus station scenario anywhere.

Is a limo a realistic alternative from the airport to the bus station?

I spent time in Italy when I was a teenager and had no issues making any transfers. There are 1000's of students doing exactly what your daughter is doing. Is it a busy train station yes, should she be aware as you said, yes but it is not a third world bazzar either.

have faith

I don't think you are insulting anyone with this question. It's the privilege of a parent to worry about their children making their way in the world.

I had the same concerns when our daughter flew to Rome and had to get to Siena for her semester abroad in January '06. Her flight got her into Rome late in the evening and so I arranged for a car at the airport to take her to a hotel in Rome for the night. And believe me, the thought of her checking into a hotel by herself made me nuts. But I also wanted to know that she wasn't juggling all her stuff (and since her luggage did not get there with her, she literally had nothing to lug, another story).

She was going to take a taxi to the train in the morning, the taxi took her to the bus station instead, but since the bus took her into the city itself, it turned out to be a good error.

My point is, I guess, is that while your daughter could probably negotiate her way to the bus station, it certainly would be a fine parental thing to do to arrange a car transfer to the bus station for her. Again, not knowing where she is flying from, as in will she have been on a plane for hours and really exhausted, is another consideration. Only you know your daughter, and your comfort zone as a parent.

That said, my daughter ended her trip with getting herself in and out of many airports and train stations in many countries in Europe, including a flight to Cairo. I still do not regret my "hand-holding" at the beginning of her adventure.

Marcia

Just so you're aware, the bus to Siena goes from the Tiburtina bus station, which is across from the Tiburtina train station. If she takes the train, it runs every 15 minutes from the airport and it's the one that doesn't show a destination of Roma Termini. It says Fara Sabina or Orte.

While she is traveling and transferring her luggage, she should have all the zippers secured. There are thieves that will try any opportunity to steal. She should not worry about her safety and she should learn the word for "thief" which is "ladro" (LAH-dro) and yell it if she catches someone trying to take something from her.

Make sure her important document are well secured before she leaves the secure area of the airport.

If she will be needing cash, there is an ATM to the right as you exit the International Arrivals area at Fiumicino.

She should be cautious but not paranoid. My daughter had a great semester in Italy in thefall of 2000.

Thanks Fibonacci and others. Although I live in Olympia now, I went to school at SFASU in the early 70's (among other places). I still have fond memories of East Texas, especially a place called Blue Hole where we used to go swimming.

I have made this trip, and the area in which I would be extra cautious is the pathway between Rome Tiburtina station and the bus depot. It is only a few hundred yards, but was quite busy, and there were a number of "gypsies" hassling travelers for funds.

I obviously do not wish to slur the Romany peoples in general, but groups of people in gypsy costumes are often associated with petty crime , particularly pickpocketing in Rome.

Other than that, the journey to Siena is quite straightforward. I presume your daughter has booked her bus ticket on the Sena bus website - it is often much cheaper.

TimW

You can get a map of the Rome train system from ATAC (the Rome transportation agency). Click on "Mappe and Percosi" and then click on "Metro e ferrovie regionali" and you can download a map of the system.

The trains will be to the left (assuming she arrives at the International terminal C) and she should follow the signs "Ai Treni" (to the trains). She'll go down an escalator, under the street in front of the terminal and up a double escalator to the train platform. The FR1 to Tiburtina is on the left and the Leonardo Express to Termini is on the right. She can buy a ticket at the news stand or at the train ticket booth. They will probably assume she'll want to go to Termini, so she should say "Tiburtina" (tee-buhr-TEE-na)when she buys her ticket. It should cost about 5-6 euros to get to Tiburtina.

Heres a link to the train schedule from FCO for the FM-1 (also called the FR1) train. FCO - Tiburtina schedule It's in Italian. Let me know if you need help with it.