Going to Italy has been on my mom's bucket list since she was a small child. She is 72 and we have booked the 'Best of Italy in 17 Days' tour for the end of September. She was very excited....until we got our first tour packet in the mail and it said to be prepared for 'hundreds of stairs.' This was slightly different from what the tour itinerary stated. In looking at the itinerary it does state that there are days of strenuous activity, but it does not state hundreds of stairs. The reason I ask is that she can do about 40-45 steps up stairs and then needs a 15-30 second breather and then she can repeat the same, and I don't want her to be so exhausted on the trip that she does not enjoy it. Can anyone offer insight and a more accurate assessment of how many stairs you actually do on this trip ? Walking on uneven surfaces, i.e. cobblestone, brick, uneven pavement, etc. is not an issue.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13968 posts
I have not done Best of Italy but I have done 21 day Best of Europe which included Venice/Florence/Rome/CT (and Orvieto), Village Italy and Heart of Italy. To me and most of the people on the BOE the hardest tour days were in Rome. There are lots of stairs there, not just within sites like the Colosseum or Vatican but elsewhere, sometimes seemingly randomly going from street to street. The guide also pointed out that in the older buildings in Rome such as our hotel, the ceilings are very high so you get about 2 flights for every floor instead of 1. Your Mom will always have time for a break. No one is going to go up hundreds of stairs without a stop. There were a couple of people on my tour that had dodgy knees so a time or 2 the guide would get them off to the side and give them the option of starting up the stairs before we were finished with the current stop. That seemed to work fine for them.
I hope you have a wonderful time!
Posted by
OP
23 posts
Thank you Pam. Very insightful!
Posted by
Placentia, CA
1059 posts
I did the Best of Italy this September. There were some places where there were a lot of stairs, but I would be more concerned if she had problems walking up hills. If you want to send me a private message with your email, I can go into more detail and perhaps give you some suggestions on what days of the tour will be the most difficult and perhaps some things that she may want to opt out of. The tour is definitely doable so don't worry about having made a bad decision, just be flexible and realize that she may have to pass on a couple of sites. We had a lady that had hip surgery before the tour and she participated in just about everything. I will say that this was the best vacation that I have ever taken and I would highly recommend it.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2356 posts
Aside from what has been said, I'd suggest two things. First, she has some time between now and September to work on her activity level at home - getting used to more walking generally is going to make the trip more comfortable. Make sure she checks with her doctor to ensure what is safe for her. Second, when you get to the tour, early on have a private conversation with the guide to alert them to the situation. In my experience on this specific tour and others is they'll do what they can to accommodate you, so that you can enjoy the trip but not hold up the group. It may be that in Rome for example, the guide will let you know when a particularly strenuous day will happen and help you make arrangements that work better (e.g., take a taxi to the museum that the group is walking to). I've had plenty of people on my four tours make these kinds of arrangements, just be proactive about it and be flexible with the choices provided. Also, it is perfectly acceptable to bow out of activities if you need a rest, just make sure the guide knows your plan.
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1234 posts
On another note, make sure she has comfortable shoes! Cobblestone streets CAN be miserable after awhile. My last trip I had to buy a pair in Italy because my feet hurt so much. Poor me, lol :)
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
The Colosseum stairs are steep, but there is an elevator that you can use. Same at
The Galleria Borghese and most other museums, although sometimes an attendant with a key must be found (your guide can arrange this, or you can just ask at the desk when you enter.
The archeological sites are probably the most challenging.
The Sistine Chapel does require climbing one or two flights of stairs, I don't recall seeing an elevator in that section of the museums.