10 day trip with 84 yr old mother to Coast and ??

Go to Venice and rent a hotel with a view of the Grand Canal, or the Bacino. YOu can day trip to Padua, Trieste, even the Dolomites. Venice is flat and interesting and walkable. A few bridges that seem like they would be negotiable by your mother. I wouln't do the Amalfi Coast nor Cinque Terre with an 84 year old. Especially Cinque Terre. Maybe Monterosso would be ok, but the other towns seem like they would be a problem for you mother.

You could do Portovenere and take the boat to the 5 Terre towns for day trips. Or, you could stay in Portofino too. But I like the Venice idea the best.

How about Venice but stay in Lido by the beach. There are some great looking hotels there with sea views plus a great public beach. From there, it is a short vap ride into Venice proper. Go to Ravenna, Verona, Padova from there. Alternate would be to go to Livanto or Sestri Livanto. For you, short hop to the CT and hiking.

Thanks for your replies. We have both been to Venice so I had not thought of that as an option. I started looking into before or after the coast staying at winery/farmhouse with pool, cooking classes, views and close to other towns for day trips. Thus starting to seem I will need to rent a car. Any suggestions?

What about Salerno? I was there for a few days in February. It's mostly level, easy walking, right on the water with buses and ferries to the Amalfi Coast towns. Worst case, you leave Mom at Minori or Amalfi to sit and enjoy the view while you hike around for a few hours. Or she could just ride the ferries back and forth and enjoy the views. Salerno has some great food, historic sights, you could even day trip by bus or train to Paestum to see ancient Greek temples. It's easy to get to Salerno by train.

I like Chani's suggestion. Note that it's a longish walk from the train station to the ruins at Paestum, you may want a taxi to take you there. The Museum is very good and has an elevator.

Thanks so much I will research that today.

I think I would take her to the Cinque Terre, Stay in Monterosso at one of the hotels with a lift and a sea view. Great food in Liguria and I think more laid back than the Amalfi Coast. You can ride the train to the other villages for at least short walks and to take in the views, use taxis and the little mini-buses for driving tours to the high areas (Ask us for info if interested), and even take a cruise out of the flat Monterosso waterfront to see the villages from the sea.

For a second city, how about Florence?

EDIT: Second thoughts on a second city: Torino is underrated and lovely, Milano has its charms and great transportation.

Thanks nice to get an opinion on CT vs. AC. I will research the optional cities you suggested. Sounds like what we are looking for, seeing cities not as popular but just as lovely.

I took my 80yo+ mother to Italy two years ago. We visited Venice, Florence and Rome. We didn't visit any of the coastal areas mainly because I thought it would be too physically stressful mother (up & down and lots of stairs).

My mother has no problem walking on level ground but stairs take their toll. Venice was actually pretty difficult because of all the bridges. If you do decide on Venice, plan to stay somewhere close to a route #1 or #2 waterbus stop but NOT at either Ferrovia (the train station) or San Marco as these stops are extremely busy and you may experience difficulties getting on a boat at these locations. Also, if staying in San Palo or San Croce (just across from the train station), it might mean crossing the Ponte dell'Accademia multiple times a day.

We found Florence very walkable and a good jumping off point for trips into the Tuscan countryside. We took a nice (self-guided) day trip to Pisa (so-so) and Lucca (wonderful) via train. We also took a very wonderful wine tasting day trip into Chianti. I'm sure you could find some wonderful walking trails around Florence as well.

One last recommendation. You might want to look into holiday apartments. I had no difficulty finding suitable 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartments with elevators in each city. And, they really weren't any more than 2 moderately priced hotel rooms and much more comfortable. We also had a clothes washer in each apartment (but only one had a drier).

Excellent, sounds like the Florence part is what I have been thinking. I am considering staying in one of the smaller towns, perhaps at an agritourismo. Somewhere that is easy distance for short day trips like wine tasting. So many to choose from and all the towns sound lovely. We have to fly into Milan because of miles. Train from there to Monterosso, stay a few nights then train or rental car to one of the cities outside of Florence.

If you decide to stay in an agriturismo instead of Florence proper, you probably will need a car.