Thursday, August 11, 2016

Scooters in Italy Source Of Concern For American Tourist

I love traveling in Italy, and most of the time I'm overly cautions. My preferred mode of transportation is walking, seconded by public transportation such as a bus or subway. I try to avoid taxi's, although Uber has made them more feasible.

Last year, I was traveling with a group in Italy. My compatriots were first time tourists to Italy and hell bent on renting scooters. We were in Naples, which I had visited a few times before. Scooters are part of the Italian charm and woven into the fabric of the country, right up there with cappuccino.

But I hate scooters. They're dangerous. Renting a scooter in an unfamiliar city is a recipe for disaster. Naples, Italy isn't some laid back banana republic style island destination. It's a bustling city where harebrained scooter drivers hit the gas whenever they see a gap wide enough for their bike.

Road rage seems common. Impossibly tight squeezes the norm. If you have experience riding scooters, put your pride aside and venture through the streets of Naples on foot. If you've never driven a scooter and plan on learning while on vacation in Italy, slap yourself in the face.


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