Originally Posted by
CX HK
Please forgive my ignorance, as I am not a frequent traveler to the Schengen zone. But it was my understanding that once you enter the Schengen zone through whatever port, you are free to roam (of course, you are still subject to random checks) through Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, etc. It would just seem like the lack of scrutiny at FCO could lead to not only illegal immigration or worse, terrorism, in Italy, but also in the other members of Schengen.
Your understanding is, excepting special circumstances that pop up from time to time, correct in terms of how folks are permitted to move within the region. Still doesn't mean that it is actually a risk. Relatively speaking airports are much stronger borders - in large part due to the number of other checks that happen during the air travel process, from flight manifest checking to airline agents involved in the process - than land or sea borders. From a simple "path of least resistance" concept it is somewhat silly to think that a terrorist group is out there somewhere planning on stationing their operatives in the Schengen zone by hoping the immigration officers are not paying attention that day.