Originally Posted by
VitaliU
...{snip}...Airlines will not allow you to fly with just your ID (you will need to show a passport) but you can enter Schengen using your ID card even if you arrive on a flight from the US
Oh, and NEVER try entering the US using your Italian passport
a) The first statement is not true: as a EU citizen you can enter any EU country, Schengen or no Schengen, with your national ID card! Airlines flying within or to Europe always allow passengers to show an EU national identity card for identification at check-in or boarding, no passport required.
b) There are exceptions to the second statement about entering the USA, although you are correct in warning people to not try it: I know of a Greek colleague who entered the US holding an expired passport and blabla-ing the immigration officer until he was let in. Clearly, he must have blabla-ed the CI agents at ATH as well, unless he was really well connected. This was indeed a very rare case, and unless one is a master in the art of blabla-ing like that colleague of mine, one should not plan this method in order to enter the USA.