Cobbles, punctures, pedestrians, mopeds and fiats racing along on narrow streets, why would you want to cycle in Rome? Actually.. it is not so bad after you get used to it, but if you do come with a bike, bring a sense of humour, a robust bike (think hybrid or MTB not your best road bike) and many spare inner tubes (or concrete wheels). Expect adventure and multiple hair raising moments. It is not a place for nervous cyclists. But the food makes all the fear worthwhile!
Rome is an amazing city, with spectacular sights around almost every corner.
We spent 4 days here guided by a map called: Andiamo in Bici a Roma. This gives you the best routes but also several surprises, including muddy fields around the 'burbs, outside the city walls. One memorable cycle ride started at the Spanish steps (before it became a heaving mass of humanity)
We headed to the bike path along the Tiber. This runs N-S and is mostly without traffic, looks serene, but has many steps to carry bikes up and down to the higher level and various hazards for punctures including holes, glass, sharp gravel. We remained happy and smiling though (bike path and St Peters in background)
St Peters square is an amazing sight but the queues for the Vatican Museum and Sistine chapel are horrendous. We booked a guided tour and learnt about the genius of Raphael and Michelangelo, how St Peters is the second version, built with marble plundered from the Colosseo. We skipped most lines with a guide, but overall it is still a claustrophobic experience and certainly not a spiritual one. Our advice: go once in your life or/and then buy a book. We could not wait to get outside and back on the bikes.
One side, down the street to St Peters and the Vatican; the other Castel San Angelo - the setting for Tosca and Dan Brown novels.
On the bridge we found an amazing sight; how these street entertainers keep the balance we were not sure, until a friend told us....
Nevertheless this is quite a sight.
One spot not on the cycling map, but recommended by friends was Piazza Garibaldi. This is quite high up and therefore has some of the best views across Rome - a 360 degree view.
We took a train to Tivoli to see the fountains and gardens of the Villa D'Este on the only day it rained,
but cycled back into Rome using a combination of Lonely planet, google maps and the trusty bike map. The countryside is interesting 35km + outside of Rome but like most big cities, inside the M25 equivalent, much of it is industrialised, retail parks, autostradas, housing, broken beer bottles and graffiti! We have not seen many female cyclists on the roads here (traditional Italy expects woman to be mamma and madonna and to rule kitchen, house, husband and son).
Another highlight of our Rome trip was the Villa Borghese. This collection was the fruits of the then Pope's nephew ("nipote" in Italian and hence the term "nepotism"), Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who managed to acquire pretty well anything that took his fancy (by arresting and then blackmailing people with desirable art collections). Below is one of the most remarkable marble sculptures - Pluto and Proserpina - made by Bernini in the early 17th century. Proserpina's leg is just like flesh.
Finally, sunset on our visit.
Much less cycling this week as we ramp down and rest before the mad dash across Europe by car, ferry and train to Lands End, ready to start on 24 Sep.
