Modern Vespa

Hey all,
I'm going to Sicily for a couple weeks in September and am planning on renting a Vespa for a couple days and take a few nice rips in the county side. Has anyone done this, and any recommendations about which towns or areas would be best to explore on the bike? Which of the rental shops are most reputable, and are there any red flags or things to consider when renting? Last time I was over there it was rainy and cold the entire time so I never got to ride. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Driving in Palermo or Catania is only for most advanced/skilled drivers.

OK Mobility rents scooters

I rented a Vespa last year while in Sorrento, but that's not Sicily. Drivers and other riders will make things interesting.

Make sure you get an International Driver's License with motorcycle endorsement. Some rental companies will not rent to you without one. I got mine from AAA office, it took 1 day to get it.

I highly recommend renting a scoot though, it's a great way to explore the are. Also - download offline maps of the area you'll be riding to your phone. You never know when coverage may be sketchy.

I am told by Italians that riding a scooter (or any driving, really) gets sketchier the farther South you go. Thus, I only have experience in the Tuscany region, and then really only with a single rental company in Pontedera.

That said, what CrazyCarl stated above is spot-on: you must have an international drivers license with a motorcycle endorsement. Also, check the condition of the scooter -- it will probably be banged up by the time you get it, so note the damage with the shop (or take pictures, or both). Also, don't assume that the scooter they give you will be road-worthy -- check things like the condition of the tire treads, etc.

Best of luck to you.

I was one of three couples who rented scooters in three Italian cities, Bologna, Verona and Conegliano, two months ago.

Four scooters each time.

They were all Vespa 125 scooters except one Piaggio.

The scooters in the first two cities were worn out, but Conegliano had new ones that were perfect.

Carl is correct about the International Drivers License showing motorcycle endorsement. Most shops will turn you away without one.

I go to AAA every year for a new one, and it only takes me thirty minutes.

There are online options for these that can be good for several years, but I haven't tried that yet.

Sicily should be fun on a scooter.

Bill

One thing I was instructed to do by the locals (Spain), in addition to having the international drivers license, follow the speed limit to the kilometer.

If the sign says 40 KM per hour, do not go one KM above that. And to be careful as the limit can drop dramatically around traffic circles, and there are a lot of traffic circles.

Thanks for all the good advice! Luckily, we have a AAA office in town. I've had a great deal of experience driving cars and other countries but never a cycle. What seems to work is forgetting how people drive in my town and just noticing what everybody else does in the new place everyone's aggressive you gotta be aggressive or you'll get hit because people aren't expecting you to yield and so forth. Anyway, hopefully should be able to get out of town And onto the back roads pretty quick. It looks like everything is very small scale.

Not aggressive! But assertive! Big difference. Motos and cars will share a lane quite happily, so don't be surprised if a car comes up behind you and wants to overtake even though there's shedloads of oncoming traffic. Just pull over enough to let them past. By the same token, overtake whenever you want. A solid centre line means don't cross it, not don't overtake.

You can filter to the front at traffic lights - if you're not happy squeezing between the cars yourself, make sure you're out of the way of all the locals who WILL zoom between them.

I think in terms of wild traffic my favorite was in Santo Domingo . People coming at you from all directions -five streets coming together with no signals signs or roundabouts and a lot of vehicles that looked like a wheel or the load would come off at any minute. We did see an truck full of pipe overturn on the highway and was grateful to not get speared by one. Yep assertive and defensive go great together!

I've ridden the whole length of Italy, and I cosign this.

I impulse rented a Vespa when I was in Puglia for a cheeky trip down the coast a couple summers ago. I had spent the whole winter riding in Asia, and forgot that drivers in the south of Italy can be absolutely insane. Ended up in the ER the first weekend I was there, and had to abort my trip to spend the summer recovering from a broken ankle. I was only going 30kph (20mph) at the time.

I have ridden in Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France and Croatia in the past nine years.

So far, only one camera speeding ticket in France, 40 Euro.

We passed what seemed like hundreds of speed cameras in Croatia and Italy in the last two trips with no citations.

When I asked the woman in the scooter shop when we turned in scooters in Split, Croatia, I asked about the speed needed to get ticketed by the speed cameras. She said 15 km over the limit.

Regardless, we tried to obey speed limits at the cameras, and were often passed my locals at them.

I enjoy riding in Europe, but am always glad to return to our camera free roads.

Bill

BINGO

I have a lot of driving experience in all regions of Italy, and extensive driving (10000s of kms) in Puglia and Sicilia. Palermo is the most extreme driving in all of Italy - the signs and 'laws' are nothing more than suggestions. Extremely aggressive drivers. Nearly all the speed camera boxes have been destroyed by vandals. While I have driven motorcycles/scooters in many parts of Italy, Palermo is one place that I would hesitate to do so. Napoli is also very challenging.

While i don't disagree with the speed camera vandals, we rented in Rome and Florence and that was more than enough for me

You'll need 10x the fortitude in Sicily that you would have in the worst areas of the US.

I'm vacationing in Italy right now. Staying with family near Isernia and rented a car for 23 days. I don't find driving stressful but would probably not ride a Vespa in the big cities. I'll be in the Heel/Pulia for a few days and will provide my thoughts about riding a Vespas there.

Riding through Firenze on an MP3 (two-up) was definitely the most stressful segment I've done. But the general countryside through Tuscany was magnificent and relatively low-stress.

I love Italy and Italians, but when you put them in a car, they turn into furious killing machines. Kind of like my own people, the Dutch, but on a different scale.

That said, if you treat them like that (like: assume everyone wants to kill you, so keep scanning the environment in 360 degrees for assassins in a car, non stop), you will survive.

And you may even have a terrific time!

When renting a Vespa, make sure you check for any damage before leaving the rental company. Walk around the bike and take a movie of it. And report any damages before leaving the office.

More importantly: check for the technical state of the bike. The Vespa I rented last year, e.g., didn't have the locking cap & pin installed on the rear wheel axle. And guess what, the rear wheel started getting loose on the end of the day. Not a very pleasant experience, when riding two up with my daughter.

Would I rent again in Italy? I guess so. But not without a thorough safety check.

Never drove a 2-wheeler but rented a car from Frorence. And that is art-form itself as all rentals are inside the no drive area. So 2 tickes are a automatic, one when you leave, and one you return the car. And have to add, actually 4 as the police wants the rental to check who is the driver, and rental bills for that service: you.

You're in for some great experiences, challenges and memories. In late Aug 2019 we took a 7 day guided scooter trip in Sicily, part of a group of about 15 younger Europeans from Sweden, France, and the UK.

You'll encounter paved and unpaved roadways, olive orchards, beautiful mountainous panoramas, curvy roads, wonderful seafood and pasta, and heat! Be sure to select hotels with swimming pools.

Here are a few pictures ..I have more if you like

Enjoy!

I can look at people's travel pics all day! I'm really looking forward to getting over there and zipping around some two lane roads in scenic spots. I live in Kansas where the roads are not twisty and sad but true there's not much to look at unless you get off on crops and cattle.Nor are there many vespas! Yes, please post up some more photos!

You'll appreciate this thread:

Doing a lap around Italy

I never did tell the rest of that story. One day, I should.

More pictures...as requested

My trip to several cities costal cities of Pulia was fantastic and I believe an experienced Vespa rider will have no problem getting around on a rental. As a matter of fact a Vespa would be one of the best ways to zip thru tight streets and find parking.
I've been spending time in the beach towns of Vasto, SAN Salvo and Termoli and the same thoughts apply.