These birds can be found in any major city such as Firenze (Florence), Roma (Rome), Milano (Milan) and Venezia (Venice), but also all throughout the countryside. Because these birds rely so much on humans, they can be found nearly anywhere humans settle.
Piccioni are extremely reliant on their environment, as most anmals are. While many birds eat fruit, bugs or plants, piccioni rely on food and scraps left on the ground by humans. Because of this dependence on humans, Roman piccioni seem particularly brave and domesticated, even compared to those of New York that are known for not fearing humans. They will walk right up to you, eat food from your palm and even rest on your shoulder or head sometimes. If you aren't careful, a few are even brave enough to steal a bite from your food as you're eating it!
These creatures are in no danger of extinction currently. However, humans do pose a threat to them. In the city, carelessness from drivers paired with bad timing on the pigeons' part result in many accidental deaths. It is not uncommon to see pigeons hopping around with an injured wing or foot. In the countryside, pigeons are actually a delicacy and are used in many dishes such as piccione al forno (oven-roasted pigeon).
