Esmeralda's Road

The first time I rode a bike as a commuter was November of 2015 in Florence on a chilly Monday morning. I was heading to my first day of Italian lessons. I live in a residential neighborhood 2km away from the duomo. The school was right in the center on Via de’ Pescioni, “behind Hard Rock Cafe” is how I remembered it. My husband had explained and shown me how to get there and looking back now I laugh at myself for having gotten lost, but I did! I ended up going against traffic on Via Gino Capponi – a very narrow, one-way, cobblestone street because I had missed a turn. A very easy one. 

That rookie biker feels like someone from a different lifetime! Now, I have memorized key routes to get from one side of town to the other with the least “rottura di scattole*” as some Italians might say. I fly down Via Cavour (when there isn’t construction, ha ha ha) directly into Piazza del Duomo dodging tourists, cars, and horse-drawn carriages as I zigzag through the piazza on the way to my destination.

Once you get used to bicycling as a means of transportation in Florence, you cannot fathom walking from Borgo Ognissanti to Santa Croce, for example. Thirty minutes?! Ha! I can bike there in half that! Of course, I am respectful to pedestrians and street signs. While I love going fast, I value my life and that of others. 

Biking here is not easy. In fact, I know lots of people who have lived here for years and are still too afraid to commute by bike. Is it the cobblestone? Is it the wild drivers? The incessant stream of tourists? Perhaps the weather? Or maybe it’s the sometimes confusing bike paths? While the city has made great strides in implementing new and improved bike paths, we are still quite a ways away from cities like Valencia and Munich with their highly connected routes. 

Perhaps that was not the best segue to say that I am here to inspire you to hop on a bike and start pedaling! 

Give yourself time and patience. If you are too scared to start in the center (understandably!), pick a safe location and practice until you feel comfortable commanding the bike. Once you build up that confidence, map your routes, take note of one way streets, and take advantage of the relatively new bike route feature on Google Maps. 

Then venture onto the key bike paths, take the long way, whatever it takes to get you going! Developing any skill takes time, effort and practice. No way around it. 

So, if your curiosity has been piqued, I would say look for a used, aluminum bike with a few gears, if possible. If it’s a good one, it’ll probably run you anywhere between €80 and €150. I would start by asking the nearest bike repair shop, since you will definitely need to become a regular at one of those. 

Yup, bicycles take maintenance. Breaks, tuning, seats, baskets, etc. But they are SO worth it once you start getting the hang of them. Use a helmet, get you some really bright lights and start practicing before the weather gets too cold. You’ll be sorry if you start in the colder months.