Renting a scooter in Rome

Listen to Ron, listen to Ron, listen to Ron. Take the bus, take the subway, walk (Rome is a very walkable city). Have a great trip.

The Appia Antica is open to scooter and automobile traffic. Vendors will tell you that Scooters are allowed into most ZTL areas and pretty much everywhere except "pedestrian only" zones. For some Romans this includes sidewalks & crosswalks! I've never received a summons for riding a scooter in a ZTL...

That said, the Appia Antica is closed to ALL traffic (including scooters) on Sundays, as it becomes a pedestrian only walkway. Note that riding a scooter on Appia Antica is like riding a waverunner - the dips and potholes on the old cobblestone road could loosen your fillings! We've taken that ride many times on our scooter(s).

If you're renting a scooter in Rome I would caution you. Having previous motorcycle experience is very helpful. Also, do not get an underpowered scooter. For two people, rent a 125cc which is the largest you can drive in Italy without an Italian motorcycle license. You'll need the 125cc horsepower to get out of trouble and up some of the hills! Get one with a "bauletto" (storage box for 2nd helmet) and windshield.

If you've never ridden a bike before, Rome IS PROBABLY NOT the place to learn! And even those with experience often shake their heads at Roman drivers. The biggest challenges seem to be other motorini drivers, taxis, buses, potholes, rough roads, people in crosswalks, confusing signage, and cars - in that order!!!! (One-way streets are "optional" when on a scooter - at least that's what I tell my wife!)

Depending on the season and the vendor, rentals usually start around E50 a day for a 125cc. Some vendors will ask for an IDP (International Drivers Permit) but most do not... If you have an "incidente" you'd better have an IDP! If you Google Rome scooters you will see many, many vendors!

Good luck - and if you see a crazy woman driver on a faded green Yamaha scooter (my wife), please get out of her way!!!

Ciao,
Ron

Ron, besides being one of the best pieces of advice that I've yet seen on this site, your personal experience with both living in Rome and riding around on motorscooters makes it priceless.

I couldn't help notice with odd coincidence, that your above post was your number "666" when I read it. Could it be that "you know who" (and not Lord Voldemort) is riding a motorscooter somewhere in Rome? Just curious. I need to get back there soon.

Larry - LOL ... thanks for the post # count... I just returned from a motorino run to the US Ambassador's Residence to drop off mail for a friend who works there and almost got wiped out by a garbage truck... so maybe you have something there!!!!

Now at Post 667 and counting!

Ciao,
Ron

I most definitely agree with Ron's advice! Rome would not be my choice for touring by Scooter. Normal traffic conventions that we enjoy in North America seem to be somewhat "limited" in Rome. If you do decide to rent the Scooter, I'd suggest getting the full CDW, make sure you have good travel medical insurance and also have the IDP.

You might check Rick's "Italy" book as there are alternatives for getting to the Catacombs (page 681 in the 2008 edition).

Buona Fortuna!

I know of two young ladies who insisted that they rode their put-puts all over their home town in Colorado, (an upscale resort area) and even drove them in metropolitan areas like San Francisco. They insisted on their 'right' to do anything any Italian did, especially Italian males. So they rode their rented Vespas in Roma with all the cute Italian girls in their short skirts. Other than the several thoursand Euro it cost to replace the bikes, they also enjoyed the six extra weeks they spent in hospital and recuperating.

cml

Rome is the last city on Earth I would ride a scooter in.
Take Ron's advice or rent this:
http://abacus-es.net/share/imgfetch/scooter.php?img=rickshaw_03.jpg

Charles,

Interesting story! That certainly confirms my previous comments regarding maximum CDW and good medical insurance!

Perhaps the two young ladies would be interesting in posting here on the topic of renting Scooters in Rome?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp26BqSoJ4c

The above youtube link is a "must watch" for anyone considering riding a Scooter in Rome... If you watch this and think the rider is nuts, by my observation this is all pretty normal stuff in Rome... more than a little scary.

My guess is that most of those who propose riding a vespa or similar contraption in Italy, on regular roads with traffic, have never done it before (we're not talking California or Greek Islands with little traffic, we're talking Italy) and are in the category of "not knowing what they don't know" about this subject.At a minimum, they should check to see if they're like most Americans who go to Italy and don't realize their medical insurance doesn't cover them over there--get insurance that covers $50,000 in medical evacuation cost and that doesn't exclude "hazardous activities." This subject comes up here about 5 times a year, so let's say there have been 10 inquiries in the last 2 years and 5 or 10 replies per inquiry--and so far I can't recall even one of these 50 or 100 replies saying something like: I did it and you should too. Why is this?Can we have one reply from someone who can honestly say: I was a tourist in Italy, I rode a vespa on roads with traffic, it was fun and I recommend it to others.