The smallest state in the world is about forty-four hectares of walled hill on the right bank of the Tiber, and somehow it contains the largest church in Christendom, one of the greatest art collections ever assembled and a population that would barely fill a village. The Vatican exists as an independent country since the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Mussolini's Italy, but the popes have been building here for far longer. St Peter's Basilica stands over the traditional site of the apostle's grave, and its dome, designed by Michelangelo, dominates the skyline of western Rome. Bernini's colonnade, sweeping round the square like two great arms, was meant to embrace every visitor who arrived.
Inside the Vatican Museums you walk past ancient sculpture, Raphael's rooms and at the end the Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling and the Last Judgement. Go early and expect queues anyway. For the basilica, a simple rule: shoulders and knees covered, or you will not get in, which is easy enough in riding kit and less so in shorts.
Riding into Rome is a sport for people with quick reflexes. Scooters swarm around you, lanes are a suggestion and the horn is a form of conversation. The good news is that Rome is very motorcycle-friendly in one important way: two-wheelers can park in many places where cars cannot, and spaces near the Vatican are reasonably easy to find. The bad news is the ZTL, the limited traffic zones of the historic centre, watched by cameras that send fines to foreign owners months later; study the rules before you enter, because they differ for motorcycles and change with time of day. The Lungotevere along the river is a lovely way to cross the city in the evening, when the traffic thins.
To escape, head north-west on the Via Aurelia or the Via Trionfale over Monte Mario, the highest hill in Rome, and then out towards Lake Bracciano and the beech forests of Monte Raschio near Oriolo Romano, part of the ancient beech forest heritage site. In the other direction the old Via Appia leads south past tombs and catacombs to the Alban Hills. Fuel is plentiful throughout Rome. For food, step a few streets away from the Vatican walls to Prati, where the prices drop and the quality rises.