Roma is a big city. I state the somewhat obvious so you will know we really don't think we can take it all in, in the traditional way, in just three days. Think about it, there are more people on one subway train in the morning than in all of Barrow at any given time. It takes us longer to get from the Basilica di St. Pietro to the Trevi Fountain on foot than it takes us to walk across the whole of Barrow. With this in mind, we found a great solution to seeing much in little time...we took a Segway tour. Have you ever seen one? 
They are cool, but when you look at someone riding one, it's hard to see how it's being steered. It's all in the balance. You lean forward to move forward and lean back to stop, but don't lean back too far or you'll go in reverse!
We liked that tour so much we decided to also do the night tour. The difference is that the night tour takes in things like Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Pantheon (outside views, of course). That night, the weather was a little dicey, so I had my rain pants in my backpack, but when we arrived at the shop, it wasn't raining, so we figured we'd be good to go for the evening. Our guide, Marco, was fabulous, very personable and raring to show us ev
erything. His tour was a little "zippier" in terms of how quick
ly we moved on the Segways, but just as detailed in the information he gave us. About 30 minutes into our two hour tour it began to rain a little, so I put on my rain jacket. About an hour into the tour it started to pour. Did I put on my rain pants? Didn't even think about it. It wasn't cold, but once the rain started dripping down my arms, it was quite uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Marco stayed upbeat and intent on giving us the best possible tour he could. Thank goodness he also gave us a tip at the end on the quickest way to get back to the metro, our abode, and subsequently dry clothes!
They are cool, but when you look at someone riding one, it's hard to see how it's being steered. It's all in the balance. You lean forward to move forward and lean back to stop, but don't lean back too far or you'll go in reverse!We got lots of time 
to practice. Those guys want to make sure you know what you're doing on a Segway before you get out on the streets of Roma. Just walking here can be fatal, imagine the potential danger once you are powered up! As one of our guides put in, "when you want to cross the street, you need to let the drivers know you are serious about crossing, otherwise they won't stop for you!" I wound up using blockers to cross a little ahead of me; like football, someone has to pave the way in order to make yardage!
to practice. Those guys want to make sure you know what you're doing on a Segway before you get out on the streets of Roma. Just walking here can be fatal, imagine the potential danger once you are powered up! As one of our guides put in, "when you want to cross the street, you need to let the drivers know you are serious about crossing, otherwise they won't stop for you!" I wound up using blockers to cross a little ahead of me; like football, someone has to pave the way in order to make yardage!So off we went on our three hour tour. Our guide has a masters degree in archeology. Out of a full time job because of the economy, we get to benefit from his expertise. Wow, did we get a ton of info on all of the historic sites, from the Coliseo to Circo Massimo...all while zipping along on our Segways.
The machine puts you above the crowd as well, a great feature for those of us who are vertically challenged.
The machine puts you above the crowd as well, a great feature for those of us who are vertically challenged.We liked that tour so much we decided to also do the night tour. The difference is that the night tour takes in things like Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Pantheon (outside views, of course). That night, the weather was a little dicey, so I had my rain pants in my backpack, but when we arrived at the shop, it wasn't raining, so we figured we'd be good to go for the evening. Our guide, Marco, was fabulous, very personable and raring to show us everything. His tour was a little "zippier" in terms of how quickly we moved on the Segways, but just as detailed in the information he gave us. About 30 minutes into our two hour tour it began to rain a little, so I put on my rain jacket. About an hour into the tour it started to pour. Did I put on my rain pants? Didn't even think about it. It wasn't cold, but once the rain started dripping down my arms, it was quite uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Marco stayed upbeat and intent on giving us the best possible tour he could. Thank goodness he also gave us a tip at the end on the quickest way to get back to the metro, our abode, and subsequently dry clothes!
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