Cycling in Rome

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Cycling in Rome is a great way to explore the city. Set out with a guide and be prepared for some grand adventures. Read on to discover one memorable experience cycling in Rome.

Cycling is one of my favorite forms of travel and exercise. I use a stationary bike at home to de-stress and work out during the colder months and a street bike to cruise the neighborhoods, ride alongside the canals, and enjoy the great outdoors when it is warmer. When I travel abroad, I often book a bike tour, so on my last trip to Italy, my daughter Brittney and I booked a tour to cycle in Rome. Little did we know what a great adventure it would be!

Getting around Rome. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

Who Gave You a Degree

I often question how the weather reporters in Vancouver, Washington, stay employed; their predictions are often completely off the mark. I hoped that the weather professionals in Rome had been more accurate as they predicted a 0% chance of rain on the day of our tour. However, I soon concluded that the weather reporters in Rome must have attended the same forecasting school as those from Washington.

A Sunny Outlook While Cycling in Rome

With the early forecast of a 0% chance of rain, my daughter Brittney and I were excited about our ride. It was a beautiful morning for a walk. We left our AirBnB room, which seemed right out of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Eat, Pray, Love. The walls were peeling, and a stairwell was the only access to our fourth-floor apartment. The only thing missing from the scene was scaffolding to hold up the ceiling and a “not-so-nice lady” managing the place. We headed outside to make the three-mile trek from our apartment room in the Trastevere neighborhood to TopBike Rental and Tours.

Brittney in the stairwell of our apartment. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

Discovering the Trastevere Neighborhood

The Trastevere neighborhood is a fabulous place to stay with its old-world cobbled lanes, lush ivy facades, and boho vibe. Famed for its tasty and fashionable restaurants, cafes, and bars, it is a fabulous place for walking. The area is mainly car-free, boasting a labyrinth of backstreets that come alive after dark. Brittney and I stopped for a quick café and pain au chocolat.

Coffee and pain au chocolat before cycling in Rome. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

As we strolled through the neighborhood, which is quiet in the morning, the heat from the early morning sun warmed our bodies and souls. The humidity was high, and although we strolled slowly, our shirts were damp when we arrived at the bike shop.

Cycling in Rome

The planned tour included three hours of riding and sightseeing in the center of Rome. A few clouds peppered the sky, but nothing to forewarn us of what was coming.

Top Bike Rental Tours. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

Our ride began at 8:45 in the morning. We rode past the Colosseum and the Spanish Steps.

While cycling in Rome, we passed the Roman Colosseum. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

We rode through beautiful neighborhoods with lush greenery and blooming bougainvillea. But by 10:30 am, I began to sense trouble.

We say beautiful neighborhoods while cycling in Rome. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

The Storm

We stopped in the plaza and got off our bikes. The sky had grown ominously black, and the clouds besieged the heavens. It looked like we were standing before an angry sea. One wave washed over the next and disappeared into a deep dark blackness. Moments later, the clouds interlocked and grew so enormous they resembled an approaching tidal wave, so powerful it could swallow everything in its path.

Thunder cracked in the sky above and rattled the plaza where we stood by a fountain. A flash of light broke the darkness, and then it happened. The heavens broke open, and an atmospheric river poured down. Torrential rains with hair-whipping winds came out from the sea above.

Soon the cobblestone streets filled with more than eight inches of water, and within moments a swift and hazardous river raced through the plaza. We donned our thin plastic capes and ventured out into the river running from the plaza into the streets.

Roman Rules Vs. US Rules

An atmospheric tidal wave. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard

I do not ride in the rain, even in Rome! At home, I do not ride if it is even slightly wet for fear that I will “wipe out.”

Before the rain, when the sky went black, I asked our guide, “What is it like riding in the rain on these cobblestones?” Looking at them, I could sense that they must get very slick. She replied, “The roads get slippery when wet, and we must go much slower.”

Now it was time for us to experience how people have managed the rains in this area for hundreds of years. Rome has flooded repeatedly. I was scared. I asked Allesandra, our guide, if they had a van to pick us up with the bikes and return us to the bike shop. To my disappointment, her reply was, “No, we don’t have that. We will ride slowly.” My first thought was, oh crap. Brittney and I love adventure, but I never have, by choice or necessity, ridden in conditions like these.

Do as the Romans Do

Sometimes you must look past your fear, face the danger, and realize there will be a story to tell. I climbed aboard my already-saturated bike, and we began the return journey. The heavy downpour rendered my glasses useless.

It was dark, and I concentrated on staying upright while peddling through the river that deepened at every junction. I was shocked at how quickly the water flooded the streets and how fast it ran down the streets, trying to escape to the river nearby. It was a good half-hour ride back to the shop. Allesandra decided not to return via Capitol Hill; going down the hill without brakes would be too dangerous.

Traversing the cobblestone rivers was a frightful experience, but when we arrived on the main streets of Rome, we were in for a new kind of drama. For some unknown reason, car drivers deemed it essential to race between raindrops and to accelerate beyond their average speed. Water sprayed from their wheels as they drove through the small lakes that engulfed the road. We were drenched within the first three minutes of riding in the storm. These moving waterfalls, created by cars, easily penetrated the thin ponchos. Fortunately, it was warm outside—the deluge of water did not give us a chill to add to our discomfort.

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We Made It

We arrived at the shop and disembarked no worse for wear. The sea that fell from the sky washed everything beneath it, including us. Eventually, we arrived back at the bike shop a bit cleaner than when we started.

The dark skies cleared, and the sun dried our clothes. On the walk back to our apartment, we stopped for a bite. Pizza is a popular dish for lunch or dinner in Rome, but people also eat it as a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack.

Pizza tonalle. Photo by Tracy Ellen Beard