My first experience with a moped was when I was 13 years old. It was a little baby-blue Honda, which was shared between my older brother and sister. I was strictly forbidden from touching their prized possession, let alone drive it.

I couldn’t understand why, I already knew how to drive a car. Did they think I couldn’t handle a little motor scooter?

My brother still laughs at his decision to give into my pleas to drive the scooter. I only took it for a spin around the yard of our house. I ran into a little trouble taking a left turn. Actually I ran directly into our metal swing set when I took a left turn.

I was never much for scooters after the incident. You could say I learned my lesson…until Rome.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Romans have motor scooters. They are everywhere and the people who drive them are crazy. You think you have seen bad traffic and crazy drivers — not until you visit Rome.

Two days in Rome, two people and a rental scooter fondly named “Silvia the Scooter.” Jake and I couldn’t go wrong.

Cruising through the winding alleyways, weaving through cars in a roundabout — all on a little scooter. Most Americans would probably find the site hilarious. I know I did.

Scooters were cool in middle school, but after that most people wouldn’t be caught dead on one.

I couldn’t complain about “Silvia,” though. She allowed us to see more of Rome in two days than I could have if I had been walking or taking the unreliable metro or bus systems.

We whisked from the Coliseum to Vatican City in no time at all. In every plaza there is a monument, a statue or a fountain. We would not have seen half of them if we didn’t have the scooter.

If we ever were lost or unsure of where to go, we would drive until we were in a plaza. Then we could look at our map and find where we were.

I really didn’t drive the scooter. I took “Silvia” for a spin around a parking lot, but Jake drove the rest of the time.

I had to be realistic. I ran into a swing set on an fairly open yard, so there was no way I could handle rush hour traffic in one of the most populated cities in the world.

Nonetheless, I learned the lessons of driving in Rome.

Rule 1: There are no traffic laws, just suggestions.

We could figure out what the signs meant. Traffic signs are fairly universal.

We knew the “one way” signs, the “do not enter” signs, and the traffic lights. We just didn’t feel the need to follow them.

The police were everywhere, but had no way of enforcing laws. The most punishment we received was when a policeman blew his whistle at us for driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

Rule 2: Forget about pedestrians, scooters have the right of way.

Cars and even buses will slow down to let scooters pass.

Scooters have much more mobility than cars and no one seems to get to upset when they drive into the opposite lane to get around bulky vehicles.

Scooters weave through traffic to get to the front of the pack to the lights (which only seem to be there for show).

As long as there is no one in the cross traffic, it is accepted and quite often expected for scooters and cars to drive through red lights.

The gang of scooters at the front of the pack of cars is a strange site. Everyone is checking out each other’s scooters. They rev their engines a bit and then try to race each other off the line.

Rule 3: Parking is wherever you can find space.

Rome is a congested city. You can pay for parking and your vehicle will probably be safe from vandals and other cars. The easiest way of parking, however, is to drive your scooter onto the sidewalk.

Why not, there is a lot of space and like I said before, the police don’t care. They have more pressing things to worry about.

The hard part about it is remembering where you parked.

It was hard to let “Silvia” go. If I ever get back to Rome (which I should since I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain), I will find Silvia and take her for a spin.

I recommend scooters to anyone travelling cities in Europe. They are a fast and economically efficient way to travel around big cities. I am considering trading in my Explorer for one when I get back to the States.