Riding and Travelling Information:
I planned the trip so that I would´t need to take any public transportation, unless weather conditions didn´t help at all. But the weather in Rome was perfect for cycling, so I put together my Bike Friday (foldable) while still in the baggage area and left the airport already cyling (even with a couple of setbacks: broken shifter, replaced by a spare I brought, and partially damaged Thule pannier). The total bike + bags weight was around 37kg (7 in each pannier, 5 on my backpak and 3 on other bags) The ride to town is really nice and easy, with just a couple of climbs and slow traffic along most of the way. The scenery starts with lots of fields, then a bit of hills with dense vegetation to ancient Rome, incredible! What a feeling it was to begin seeing the ruins, "fontanas" as I cycled my way to my hotel.
The rest of the day I spent visiting some of Rome´s most famous landmarks, such as the Coliseum, The Vatican and Fontana di Trevi. Centro di Rome (downtown) is not a friendly city for cyclists at all. Traffic is very hectic, there are almost no bike lanes and there are not many cyclists getting around in the middle of the roads, but drivers do respect cyclists. I rode with a lot of weight and had no issues getting around in the middle of traffic, but in many places traffic is so tight, there is no place even for bikes to squeeze through. The main thing to pay attention to is the scooters, as there are many of them and the quickly change directions.
The thing that I enjoyed most about Rome was getting lost, which happened a lot more than what I am used to. It seemed that every time I got lost, I found a place that was worth the extra distance. I rode on a couple of places that I believe are out of the touristy agenda: The bike path that rides along the Tiber River; and up the hill to the Riserva Natural de Monte Mario. Both places are very interesting and easily accessible.
Map:
https://www.strava.com/activities/751698649
Photos:
