Lucci Hotel Rome Blog

 With temperatures shooting through the roof and no sign of respite yet a great place to go which is near Rome and also easy to get to is [tag]Bracciano Lake[/tag]. It is a lot less crowded than the beach as you can imagine with everyone going of to Ostia for the day.

 From [tag]Rome[/tag] Termini station you take line b in the direction of Laurentina. You get off at Piramide metro stop and then take the regional railway line, linie fm3 for trains to Bracciano or [tag]Viterbo[/tag].

 Braccaino town which can be found near the lake has a castle in the historic centre. It is very important as it is the most well preserved building of its kind and type in [tag]Italy[/tag].

 Tom Cruise and Kate Holmes also got married at this castle earlier this year. There are also plenty of other activities to do like boating and going on tours in the town to keep you busy. A friend of mine told me about a nice quiet spot next to the lake where you can rent deck chairs for 3.50 euro.

 He said it was great. It was nice and quiet the weather was great and the water was terrific.

Although the lake is part of an old volcanic crater you dont get any of the horrible black sand or gravel that you find near other beaches near volcanoes.

This is a perfect place to go to with the family too as there is something for everyone to do here.

So how about renting one and have some fun driving around Rome. If you have never ridden a scooter before then go somewhere quiet first to learn how to. It is really great when you get the hang of it and once you have driven on one of these in traffic you wont want to drive anything else.

 

Its great when you are driving inbetween the cars and racing all the other scooters. Well don’t go too fast until you know what you are doing. I was a passenger on my friends scooter and she has been driving it for years so she has loads of experience.

The most common type of scooter is the 125 cc. Its popular because its small but powerful and fast enough in the traffic and it can take a passenger as long as the person isn’t too big. You also don’t have to have a seperate license for a scooter a normal car license will do as long as you are intending to use a 125cc or smaller.

Another friend of mine also gave me some advice about the size of the tyres on the scooter. The bigger they are the more comfortable the bike will be and it will be higher off the ground which will make the bike easier to manouvre and to turn. The cobblestones can also make for a bumpy ride so make sure your scooter has a good suspension too.

 

Obviously the most well known and loved is the Vespa. However there are now plenty of different makes to choose from. The most popular seem to be Piaggio, Honda and Yamaha. There are even some new off road looking scooters. They have two wheels at the front and one at the back. It looks really weird but I honestly think its a gimmick and that it doesn’t make a difference anyway. You have to stay awake however as Roman traffic is quite fast and usually aggressive. Look out for pedestrians and watch out for cyclists too and the odd little old lady that doesn’t see you when she is crossing the road or taking a sharp turn in her car.

 

So get your helmet put on your shades and start your engine. You definetly won’t forget this experience and if you live off adrenaline then its all the more better just use your noggin and make sure you know what you are doing.

 

Yes I have been here for nine months already and it feels like time has been flying. Let me just tell you a little about the impressions of Rome that I felt and some of the experiences I have had so far.

 

I arrived in September and the weather was pleasent. Not too hot and not too cold but just right. The first thing I did was a bit of sight-seeing and visiting my friends who I had not seen for about six months. The city was still pretty busy even though it was not peak [tag]tourist[/tag] season. To tell you the truth [tag]Rome[/tag] never has a peak or a trough. The flow of tourists seems constant and the city is always busy. Scooters are all over the place and in between all the cars jostling for the best spot until the lights turn green again. Cars are all over the place too. So as you can imagine and I am sure you will agree with me after a few days of being here that it certainly is hectic.

 

Then there is the difficulty of trying to get used to the pace at which everything is done. The only thing that seems fast then is the traffic. Welcome to the home of beurocracy. That is the one thing that the Romans invented all on their own. You are always told to wait, hold on, just a minute, after a while, in a few minutes ,soon and my favourite one, come back tomorrow. Nothing seems to work in this city but somehow it does. I don’t know how but with all the strikes, politics and the care free attitude I have seen, it does.

 

Then there was another strange thing I started to see. Everyone started to wear orange. Orange scarves, hats, gloves, trousers, skirts, shirts, shoes and any other kind of clothing. I think the craze has started to die down a bit because there seems to be less of it around now. It was amazing. For a minute I felt like i was in the Netherlands. I was also surprised by how many foreigners are actually living and working here. Rome is just as cosomopolitan as London and you hear quite a lot of different languages while you walk down the street.

 

In comparison to other cities the centre of Rome is a lot smaller than others. From the hotel it takes between 20 to 40 minutes to walk to most of the sites that you will probably want to go to while you are here. Rome has a truly rich and [tag]colourful history[/tag]. Rome has been the seat of power for one of the largest empires on earth, it has also been a republic, a kingdom, was ruled under Mussolini as a fascist state and is now a democracy. Its great to see all the evidence of the different periods of history all mixed together with the period architecture. I am extremely fortunate because I get to see this everyday.

 

Rome is a colourful mixture of different people and cultures. It is like a pot always boiling with surprises bubbling out. There is so much to see here you will never have enough time and a return visit is always recommended and guarantedd by throwing your coins into Trevi Fountain. Rome is a place for everybody. From artists to party goers. This city will have something to sattisfy your appetite.

The food is also another great attraction. From the famous tiramissu to the best gelato around and the other countless Roman specialties and delicacies. This is also a food lovers paradise. Before you know it you will have started your holiday and then it will be finished. Enjoy your time here and relax a little. Rome looks busy but things always seem to take longer than expected. Come on book the ticket get on the plane and come over the city is waiting.