Great way to get around? or bad idea?

Riding a scooter in Rome reminds me of the old Groucho Marx quiz show, You Bet Your Life.

Driving a scooter in Rome would be a death sentence : )

Are you an experienced scooter driver? Very scary!

Unless you have a lots of courage, guts, skills and are a local used to all the traffic of Rome, dont do it. But if you insist, I may suggest that you buy a nice life insurance...

Hi,

Do you have a death wish?

Dont forget to say your prayers.

I agree with everyone else, unless you are very experienced at driving a scooter in fast traffic...DON'T DO IT!

I personally loved the scooters and they made me laugh the way they zipped in and out of traffic, but I wouldn't want to try it myself.

The only traffic rule that seemed to be followed in Rome was that the lines down the middle of the street were there for advisory purposes only.

Italian scooters have a dedicated lane in the big cities - it's the white stripes dividing those big lanes the cars and buses travel in.
Roman traffic is typically 4 lanes of vehicles fitting into 3 lanes of roads, and the bikes squeeze in and dart through the space that's left.

I saw this poor woman in rome wipe out on her scooter -- that was enough for me.

I've seen too many scooter riders in Italian cities knocked over by cars to advise anyone of trying it.

It really is a great way to get around but it's far more dangerous than it appears. I waited 7 hours to be seen for a sprained arm in Ospedale S. Maria Nuova's Emergency Room (Florence) because 16 moped accidents took precedence. Most of the injured were young Americans.

My Dad owned a Harley. He never let me ride it but as soon as I was 21, I started renting mopeds. I had no fear. During one lengthy visit to Monte Carlo in the early 80's, an athlete friend and I decided we wanted to ride our mopeds to Nice along the Grande Corniche. Less then 10 minutes into the ride, he crashed into the side of a cliff and ended up needing cosmetic surgery on his upper lip. When you invite danger, you just never know where it will lead.

In spite of all this, I still love a moped ride in Florence and Rome on any early Sat. or Sun. morning. With camera and tripod strapped across my back, I fly through the streets and scream Halleluiah!

I spent 3 years in rome travelling by scooter - left the car in the garage 'cause parking was a nightmare.

If you can handle motor/bikes with confidence - do it! You'll love it!


---------------DISCLAIMER----------


If you dither - are scared-OR not prepared to kick the side lights off a Fiat 500 at 45 kph, whilst shouting derogatory remarks about the drivers' parents - forget it! - take the bus...

Great idea , indeed. It's certainly a fast and different way to visit the city.
Smarts may have replaced Fiat500 but all observations above are true and
riding on cobblestone roads is not than confort.
So, unless you have long experience riding in New York City or Calcutta, I'd use other transportation systems.