My final day in Rome started with a bit of a headache left over from our Aussie-motivated wine extravaganza the night before. But, I had been looking forward to this bike tour for quite some time and I wasn’t about to miss out on it.

Thankfully the shop, Top Bike Rentals and Tours, was only about 5 minutes away from my hotel and I had time for an extra cappuccino on the way there – I don’t think the morning would have been very pretty otherwise. The tour was composed of one family from Singapore, myself, and our guide Bruno. The bicycles themselves were pretty great. They had these nifty double shifters on the handles which I found far more convenient than the twisty shifter I have on my own bicycle at home.

One thing I did discover about riding a bicycle in Rome is that I really, really hate cobblestones. There is simply no way to get comfortable whilst jostling along an uneven stone path. Once we made it to the Appian Way (arguably one of the oldest roads in the world) it was so rough that one of the women actually fell off her bike when the tire caught a large stone. Thankfully she was unharmed, but it sparked some caution in the rest of us.

I didn’t take too many photos on the tour, partly because it was inconvenient to stop, grab my camera out of the saddlebags, and then put it away again, but mostly because I was just enjoying the ride. It was a perfect day for cycling and we all had a great time.

Our first stop after traveling down the Appian Way was at some Christian catacombs. I have no idea why I decided that I, the most claustrophobic person in the world, should go on this tour through underground caves and tombs and vaults. Suffice it to say that I had a horrible time and I was the first one to ascend the staircase back to the great big, sun-filled world we all know and love.

We continued biking until we came to the aqueducts. I was totally fascinated by the structures and in awe of the amount of time, effort, and skill it must have taken to construct them. The Romans really knew what they were doing when it came to certain things.

After the aqueduct park we biked to an operational farm where they raise sheep for milk. They turn the milk into cheese on site as well, and it is divine. We had a quick break for cheese, bread, fruit, and wine and we all chatted for around 30 minutes. After working up an appetite all morning on the bike it was like manna from the gods.

Our ride back into the city was punctuated by one gentleman getting a flat tire, which Bruno fixed in a matter of minutes, a bit of a rain shower, and a rather comical chase near the Coliseum of a police officer chasing an illegal vendor through the ruins. It was hilarious. I almost had to stop my bike I was laughing to hard – I felt like we needed Yakkety Sax playing or something. Bruno turned to me and said, “I think sometimes my life in Italy is like a movie.” After spending nearly two months here, I can definitely see the truth in that statement.

All in all 30km (18 miles) on a bike wasn’t so bad, but I was very happy to reach our finish back at the shop in Rome. I had to scurry back to the hotel to meet Zafiro, grab our bags, and navigate 2 km through heavy rainfall in shoes that apparently have holes in them to catch our bus back to Civitanova. It was a long day, and a long trip in just a few days, but it was an amazing experience.

I think, just maybe, I might have broken my curse with Rome. Of course, now that I’ve said that I’ve probably jinxed myself again….