Rome is as full of traffic as is filled with beauty. It easily gets jammed at almost every major road. But so as to not avoid missing every single glorious moment of your visit in this beautiful city, biking is the ultimate way to travel here.

It’s fast and it’s the only way you are going to make it past every roadblock of this magnificently crowded city.

The city’s antipollution politics has made bike riding more popular and coupled with the swarming cars and vehicles it is the fastest route to any place there as it saves a lot of time and the trouble with parking.

Right from the leafy pathways of the Borghese Gardens, the Roman version of Central Park down the glamorous Via Veneto toward the breathtaking Colosseum it is simply put the best way to see the city.

The view keeps getting better as the wind sweeps across your face as you keep pedaling around the pedestrian square and its Bernini fountain and then touch the Piazza della Rotonda alongside the huge dome of the Pantheon, still intact after 19 centuries.

Out here as much preferred it is to travel on bike one needs to be very alert to avoid the quick snapping of the bikes from right under your nose. Other than that bikes have plenty of advantages over scooters like themetal bars prevent motor vehicles, but not bicycles. In Trastevere, the lively neighborhood west of the river, most alleys are open only to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Rome has been always said to be courteous to cyclists though the only problem one might come across other than keeping your eyes on your ride always is to find a secure place to tie up your bike so as to prey your eyes on the exquisite beauty of Rome.

Even through the major gridlocks one can be sure that a bicyclist has eternal rewards as Rome is after all, a city of contrast, best cherished by means of speedy mobility.

Although the city’s hills, mature cobblestones and solid streets can make biking tricky for some, it’s now easier than ever to enjoy the highlights from the bicycle seat.

The number of bicycle lanes and rental shops and the indulgence of Rome’s otherwise aggressive drivers make biking in Rome fitting.

Some places for Bike rentals:

The headquarters for the Parco Via Appia Antica (Via Appia Antica 42; 39-06-513-5316) is two miles from the Colosseum, outside the Porta San Sebastiano, and offers bike rentals (3 euros an hour for the first three hours, and 10 euros a day).

Bici & Baci (Via del Viminale 5; 39-06-482-8443; www.bicibaci.com), two blocks west of the Stazione Termini.

Danilo Collalti (Via del Pellegrino 80/82; 39-06-6880-1084).

Bici Pincio (Viale della Pineta; 39-06-678-4374) in the Borghese Gardens.

via source: Nytimes

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