It's not just the Italian capital that's currently experiencing a two-wheeler boom. With the end of the pandemic lockdown, it looks like something is changing in the land of Ferrari, Fiat and Vespa.
"I have never experienced such a change," says Alessandro Tursi, president of Italy's FIAB bicycle association.
The architect and urban planner is surprised. He's been campaigning for a green transport policy in Rome and elsewhere for years with only moderate success.
His efforts were always stymied by laws, bureaucracy, and the drivers' lobby. When the coronavirus arrived in Italy, all that changed.
"In April and May, in the intense Covid-19 crisis, it was suddenly different and easy," he says.
The Italian government has issued special decrees to get the economy going after the emergency stop imposed during the lockdown, including bike-friendly changes to traffic rules.
In addition, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has promised urban dwellers a subsidy of up to 60 per cent of the price of a bike or electric scooter, up to a maximum of €500 (RM2,417).
One reason that people have taken to bicycles is that social isolation rules meant that buses and trains can take fewer passengers. People are also uncomfortable queuing at train stations and bus stops.
Before the Covid-19 crisis, many Italian cities experienced constant traffic jams. More cyclists can ease that problem and the bike subsidy should also boost the economy. After all, Italy is at the forefront of bike production in Europe.
Cycling on Italy's usually traffic-snarled streets also became a more pleasant experience during lockdown as there were fewer cars. Then when bicycle stores re-opened in May they were swamped by eager buyers.
The bicycle industry association Ancma expects a sales increase of 60 per cent after the lockdown and are predicting that the annual increase could be up to 25 per cent.
Bicycle sellers in Milan told the Repubblica newspaper that people there are buying bicycle who in the past would never have considered using one.
The city, often smog-shrouded in winter, has announced that it will have created around 25km of additional cycle paths by September. Further routes are to follow by the end of the year.
In Rome, mayor Virginia Raggi has sent out construction teams to create cycle lanes and establish road markings. The capital wants to quickly create 150km of cycle lanes.
Previously, a bicycle in Italy was considered more of a sports equipment than a means of transport and when it comes to road safety the Mediterranean country is below average for the European Union.
Bike friendliness and the quality of the bike trail network decreases from north to south and the depth of potholes increases, cycling lobbyist Tursi says.
In the centre of the capital, the ancient cobblestone streets are a challenge for cyclists even without the cars, motorcycles, and buses that brazenly compete with them for road space.
Alessandro Malagesi, an organiser of cyclist protests, was sceptical about whether his driving compatriots would ever voluntarily share the streets with more bicycle. But that looks to be changing.
"If you don't start with the changes, nothing will ever happen. The sales boom is a good sign," he says.
Nada Franco, who serves one customer after another at a bicycle shop on the Via del Cardello near the Colosseum, says: "Let's hope this development really lasts."
