Hi: My wife and I wish to plan a trip to Florence and Rome. We've never been before and she is semi-handicapped - can't walk long distances, can't climb lots of steps and must stop to rest every now and then. We think we want to do a week in Florence and a week in Rome. Would like advice on best time of year, organized vs self guided tours, best airline to Italy (we live on Canada's west coast), where to stay in each city etc etc etc. We are not inexperienced travelers but have concerns such as: renting a scooter or electric chair may not fit an old world city.
Thanks to all
F.J.K.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12034 posts
Here is something to check out for equipment. I have no personal experience, so this is not a recommendation, just a start for your research.
May or Sept are probably good times. We had to go in June/July ( school schedules) at it was really hot.
We used BA from YVR ( FF miles for biz class) for our 1st trip to Italy and truly enjoyed the journey.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16696 posts
You might want to spend some time with the Sage Traveling website: it has some good tips for traveling Florence and Rome with disabilities.
https://www.sagetraveling.com/italy-accessible-travel
https://www.sagetraveling.com/florence-accessible-travel
https://www.sagetraveling.com/rome-accessible-travel
Golf cart tours in Rome have come up multiple times in the forum as a good way to do some sightseeing without having to do a lot of walking. Here's a thread with a couple of recommendations for companies which which worked well for the posters.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/golf-cart-tours-in-rome-for-the-elderly
And here's one in Florence:
https://www.ecogreentours.eu
Posted by
6 posts
First of all... listen to Kathy's advice! ^^^^^^^
She seems to have great insight on almost every post I've read on these forums. And I don't know if this is an option for you but the last couple trips I took with my wife, she got cortisone shots before we left and felt no pain for most of the trip. She had surgery on her knees a while back and normally cannot walk long distances without rest either. With proper meds she was climbing hills and touring castles for 3 days in Germany & then walked all over Venice for 4 days! Best of luck on your trip!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16696 posts
Goodness! Appreciate the kind words but we have some great folks on these forums who've actually lived in Florence and Rome or traveled them many more times than I. I learn something from them almost every day, and make notes of especially useful insights to apply to the next go-around. :O)
The recommendations above are simply from posters/threads which have discussed mobility challenges in the past and recommended some resources. They were only encouraging places for the OP to start, and I'm hoping travelers who've dealt with challenges firsthand will contribute valuable "tried and true" insights.
More of those useful threads may be found using the search box at the top of the page, although it may take some inputting of a variety of different wording.