Although I wouldn't rent a scooter just to whizz around the historic center, a Vespa is an excellent way to visit several outlying sites in a single day βor, my own favorite, making a self-guided tour of the hills of Rome not just the classic Seven Hills within Rome itself, but also the taller ones ringing the cityβlike the Gianicolo βthat offer spectacualr panoramas.
Note: Traffic is very heavy on the streets of Rome, and the rules and norms of driving are much different from our own. Keep that in mind, and read the bit about smart scootering below before taking that Vespa out for a spin. There are several private rental outfits for scooter rental in Rome:. The prices for renting a motorino in Rome are pretty standard across most companies. Note that most have a three-hour minimum rental period. Useful Italian scooter - motorino or scooter rental - noleggio two hours - due ore one day - un giorno helmet - casco moreΒ» Everyone will tell you never to rent a scooter in Italy.
They say motorini are too dangerous, too unstable, too unpredictable, and the surrounding traffic is too insane. They say you'll inevitably get into an accident and return home with, if you're lucky, an ugly road rash from skidding through gravel in your shorts at 30mph and, if you're unlucky, a cracked skull. I rent scooters in Italy all the time and the worst injury I've ever suffered was a bent-back thumbnail once when I misjudged flicking the start button.
The real issue is that people don't treat scooters with respect. They're just too cute: like baby motorcycles, or bikes pretending to be grown-ups with an engine and everything. Plus, they're just so much darn fun!
As a result, many people drive around, without a helmet, at high speeds. They rubberneck the sights, chat with their companion behind them, or sit there texting with one hand and steering with the other. That's just dumb. Remember: a scooter is essentially an undersized, underpowered, under-stabilized motorcycle. It 's not so much that scooters are dangerous as it is tourists are stupid not people: tourists.
