has anyone rented Vespas for a day in Florence? How do you do it? Costs? Am I
out of my mind???

Daisy, have you been to Florence? It's manic, traffic wise, and even though I've ridden scooters in beach resorts in Greece and consider myself a confident car driver, I wouldn't fancy it much in Florence.

However, I'm never one to stand in the way of adventure, so...

http://www.florencebybike.it/scooter-new.htm

Hi d,

>Am I out of my mind???

Not necessarily, but it would be a good idea to have your head examined.

Seriously, unless your are a skilled and experienced moto driver, it would be very dangerous.

"Vespa" is Italian for "wasp". They are a noisy nuisance. Why would anyone want to spoil a beautiful city by buzzing around on a scooter. If you want to play on a scooter, why not do it somewhere else - at home, perhaps (assuming you don't live near me).

But Geoff, surely scooter riding teenagers are as much a part of the Italian culture as pasta, opera and michelangelo? I may not want to risk my head on a scooter there myself, but I wouldn't want them banned either.

It's not scooter riding teenagers that worry me. On my first ever trip to Italy, I was almost knocked down by three nuns riding side by side on scooters. I had foolishly assumed the black and white alternating stripes on the road were a pedestrian crossing.

>I was almost knocked down by three nuns riding side by side on scooters.<

Wasn't that a Monty Python sketch?

"... surely scooter riding teenagers are as much a part of the Italian culture as pasta, opera and michelangelo?"
Of course, but why would visiting tourists want to go around on a scooter any more than visting tourists would want to attempt to sing an opera or paint like Michelangelo.

okay, so I have surmised that the vespa idea isn't my finest..but I sure laughed at your responses...and I will be sure to be on the lookout for those
aggressive nuns!

Daisy - I still think it is a wonderful idea, but I am not sure I have the courage to do it (and I often commute to work on a scooter).

I don't know about Florence, but when I looked into scooter rental, I found it suprisingly expensive. For example, on my recent trip to sicily, the local company wanted more than €50 a day for a 125cc machine. ven with extended period discount, it was still €250 for a week - slightly more than I paid for my basic 2 door , non aircon car.

Sounds like a good way to get killed.