Or, how to glide alongside the Colosseum looking quite cool
One of my favorite things to do is take long walks around this city of mine. Rome dresses herself to fit the season, and all of her monuments, neighbourhoods, and pizzerie change according to her mood. There’s nothing like the exploration of and general snooping about in the most eternal of cities – but, admittedly, it’s exhausting after a bit. Especially in the warmest months, I see tourists trooping around, their hats slightly droopy from the heat, and I wonder how much enjoyment they’re getting out of the Fontana di Trevi like that. And then the Segways came. I regularly see whole groups of tourists happily zipping past, poised forward on these machines that seem to glide over the san pietrini like it’s no big deal (as a woman who regularly attempts this gliding over cobblestones in heels, I assure you, it is a big deal), and so my curiosity got the best of me.
Enter Segway Tours, a company that makes it incredibly easy to see Rome from the comfort of a Segway Personal Transporter. For 70 euro, the company will take you on a 3-hour panoramic city tour through the historic center and show you all the best sites, landmarks, and scenery. They offer tours in English as well as Spanish, German, French, and Russian on audioguide, and have daily tours at 10:30 am, 3 pm, and 7:30 pm. The evening tour is lovely during the summer months, as the days are long and there is nothing like seeing Rome while the sun goes down, watching the city catch and hold the glow from the sunset.
The tour will take you zipping around the city enjoying stunning sights and sounds, and its main stops include Piazza Navona, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Obelisk of Domitian, the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, Pamphili palace, the Fountain of Neptune, Moor Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and of course, the Colosseum itself.
Don’t miss out on exploring this new way – and don’t forget to stop for gelato, because there’s always time for that.
