Hello-
I’ve spent three trips roaming around Italy, and noticed that it is a very difficult place for the mobility challenged. A good friend is considering a tour that has agreed that her spouse can bring his mobility scooter along- Rome, Assisi, Florence, Bologna, Venice. I’m very concerned based on my experience in these cities. Can anyone who depends on a scooter or a wheelchair weigh in on this? I don’t want them to go and then be in a really bad situation. Am I overreacting?
No, you are not overreacting. Italy is definitely a challenge for those with a mobility impairment and confined to a wheelchair or scooter. Especially if they go unprepared. I'd recommend they take a look at the Sage Traveling website, an agency that specializes in travel for exactly this type of traveller. Even if they dont buy their services, there is advice and tips that may be instructive.
Thank you for the reference to Sage Travel!
Most of central Florence is pretty flat so the scooter should be OK.
Venice has special routes for accessibility- some bridges have lifts.
For any destination, you will need to check with each musuem etc on accessibility. For example, the Uffizi website states it has ramps and lifts.
I think they will be fine if they do their research in advance.
This all depends on the tour, about which we have no info other than they say it’s ok. Is it really? How will the guide handle this? How will it affect the other travelers? I have been on a tour where my companion very quickly realized she couldn’t handle the physical demands and returned home. And she wasn’t disabled, just at an age where longer walks became difficult. The worst thing is to get into a situation where the guest simply can’t do many of the tour activities, or where the other guests, if able bodied themselves, and as understanding and sympathetic as they are likely to be up to a point, get upset that the disability situation is causing too many delays or other negative effects on the tour they have paid for.
And another question is, when the tour company agreed to this, who exactly did that? Is there anything in writing about this, or was it just an oral statement on the phone by someone trying to sell two places on the tour? Reputable tour companies normally provide information on their website, or elsewhere, about the activity level and physical demands of a tour, with which guests are expected to be able to comply. Rick Steves, for example, is very specific about this for each of their tours. If a company doesn't do this, that is a red flag in itself. Does this tour company provide that info, and is their agreement about the scooter consistent with that? In case of any future dispute, such as (worst case scenario) the person being sent home from the tour -- which can happen, another thing typically in the terms and conditions is the company's right to do this if the guest cannot reasonably participate in the tour activities -- the stated terms are likely to control.
@State,
These are all very good points for sure! I did some quick research yesterday and saw some of the accessible places in Florence- the Uffizzi, the Accademia. So I understand that some very honed research is necc. I spoke to my friend and have convinced her to look into tours specifically offered by companies who specialize in accessibility.
I do want to acknowledge your point about how challenging it can be for both the other abled tourist and other tour participants when the physical demands of a given tour exceed capabilities. My husband and I don’t travel with multi day tours, but we do sign up for experiences and day tours as we go. Last fall in Rome we went on a wonderful walking Food Tour with a small group of six people. Two of the participants were older women who walked with canes. It became apparent pretty quickly that the amount of walking in between stops was difficult for them. I felt terrible. We slowed down, but the empathetic side of me still felt bad for them as they struggled. At the end of the tour my husband and I helped them catch a cab back to centro storico as walking back wasn’t going to work for them. It was crystal clear that hoofing around a city freely simply wasn’t working for them. I hope the rest of their week in Italy was easier.
