Traveling to Rome

ender07 · Post by **ender07** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:40 pm

Me and my wife are traveling to Europe this summer for 3 weeks and we were going to stay in Rome for 4 days. Do you think we should rent some scooters and travel around local style?

(We would be getting insurance on the scooters for sure if we did this.)

mverps · Post by **mverps** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:42 pm

sounds like a great and fun way to see the sites to me.

Hellvis · Post by **Hellvis** » Wed May 01, 2013 12:14 am

You also have to get an international driver license, check with your local AAA, they usually can give you info what is needed. Also the traffic inside Rome is a killer so you have to be more aware. It is not the same driving like here and it can be difficult if you are not used to it.

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Wed May 01, 2013 12:23 am

I've seen scooter rentals there so I know they have them. But I have to tell you it looks like madness there. Keep in mind every rule that you understand here, including the spidey sense you get from riding on 2 wheels does not apply there, plus the roads are really cobbled and trecherous. Honestly I think if you are traveling elsewhere in italy, it may not be as bad (from what I have observed, Rome is the worst!). As long as they are not striking (50/50 chance it seems) the public transportation is good!

MrChet · Post by **MrChet** » Wed May 01, 2013 12:41 am

I have a friend who owns a hotel in Rome. He took me two up on the back of his scooter with my 40lb backpack in between his legs on a ride through the city to an apt I was staying at. It had to be one of the scariest rides I've been on...but it was fun.

I'd suggest maybe renting outside of the city center and driving around a bit before hitting the main arteries.

slotrod65 · Post by **slotrod65** » Wed May 01, 2013 1:10 am

My trips to Italy inspired my getting a scooter, but there is no way in hell I would drive one there. I am a NY driver, and the way they drive in Italy scares the crap out of me. Never mind those wet cobblestones...

Stormswift · Post by **Stormswift** » Wed May 01, 2013 4:15 am

Buy some good Itaiah helmets and che k out yhdif leather in case riding g stuff is cheaper over there

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Wed May 01, 2013 12:14 pm

As an italian who grew up in the madness that is Milan traffic and who lane splits regularly... getting a scooter in Rome is suicide unless you are already used to riding like that. If you are used to having your own lane and following car traffic you will not enjoy it there. If you must go and ride in the countryside, but Rome itself is just asking for trouble.

slotrod65 · Post by **slotrod65** » Wed May 01, 2013 12:20 pm

I will say: when in Italy, check out scootering gear. Last November I was in Naples, and picked up a great helmet at a shop named, oddly enough, Scotland. We were just walking down the street when their motto caught my eye: la mode in moto. (fashion in motion). I now wish I had checked out jackets as well.

Below is a link to their website: http://www.scotlanditalia.com/index2.php

olhogrider · Post by **olhogrider** » Wed May 01, 2013 2:45 pm

On another forum, I wish I could remember which one, there was talk of people on an organized scooter tour. The problem was insurance. Turns out the renter wound up buying the wrecked scooter out of their own pocket. There are some problems with insurance that you really want to look into. The tour only included liability. Also, you should read Vroom with a View. One man's adventure scootering through Italy on a vintage Vespa.

GrittyTacoman · Post by **GrittyTacoman** » Wed May 01, 2013 3:37 pm

On a bit of a tangent...

When my wife and I were in Europe we went to a Roman restaurant near the Trevi Fountain that ended up being one of our best dining experiences of the whole trip. It's called "Sacro e Profano" and here's the address: Via dei Maroniti, 29, Rome, Italy (Trevi). Amazing food, just the thing after a day of scootering!

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Wed May 01, 2013 3:46 pm

olhogrider wrote:On another forum, I wish I could remember which one, there was talk of people on an organized scooter tour. The problem was insurance. Turns out the renter wound up buying the wrecked scooter out of their own pocket. There are some problems with insurance that you really want to look into. The tour only included liability. Also, you should read Vroom with a View. One man's adventure scootering through Italy on a vintage Vespa.

Indeed, insurance in Italy does not cover collisions in the way that american insurance does.

My mother was very shocked when I told her that after rear-ending that car I received enough money to buy myself a new scooter.

jrstone · Post by **jrstone** » Wed May 01, 2013 4:08 pm

You couldn't get me on a scooter in Rome. I will definitely rent a scooter when I go back to London though. The traffic there, although heavy, isn't insane.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed May 01, 2013 8:08 pm

Heh, yeah, I almost got creamed crossing the street near the Vatican by a priest riding a scooter wearing a cassock.

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Wed May 01, 2013 8:56 pm

PeteH wrote:Heh, yeah, I almost got creamed crossing the street near the Vatican by a priest riding a scooter wearing a cassock.

I've never seen a scooter wearing a cassock.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed May 01, 2013 9:07 pm

Danged on-screen keyboard. Missed the punctuation. My bad phrasing didn't exactly help.

ender07 · Post by **ender07** » Wed May 01, 2013 9:32 pm

So even though it's where modern scootering was born, since I don't have a death wish, I should probably just enjoy the culture and sights and forgo renting a scooter is what I'm hearing from most of you.

I did go on youtube and look at some of the scooter vlogs/vids after some comments and saw how crazy it is. Plus with the insurance being different over there, I would rather not have to buy a wrecked scooter in case it came to that. I guess we will just have to buy some scooter related things and take in the city by foot or taxi!

TVB · Post by **TVB** » Thu May 02, 2013 1:37 am

PeteH wrote:Danged on-screen keyboard. Missed the punctuation. My bad phrasing didn't exactly help.

Nah, if you'd punctuated it differently, I would pretended to think that you were wearing the cassock.