Italy in June for my 65+ parents

I would suggest that if your parents need breaks after walking a mile (average every 15-20 minutes) I would thoroughly vet any tours, because tours of Rome and Venice would be lots of walking. I'm thinking of the Rick Steves tours we've taken and not only would you need much more stamina, but also you need to keep up with an entire group and not hold it up. Hopefully you will find something that would suit their style of travel requirements. Tours definitely handle lots of specifics so you don't have to, but then you have to weigh their need for lots of breaks throughout the day, which may mean independent travel. Maybe days tours is more what you are considering, which is definitely a nice way to leave the planning to others. But again vet to make sure they suit your parents' needs.

If their only issue is stamina and they are ok with hills, steps, cobblestones, and possibly heat, then traveling independently at their own speed in cities such as Rome and Venice could be fine. Sightseeing in Italy tends to include many churches which always have places to sit and rest. Museums tend to have benches for sitting. Cafes are places to rest, refresh, and people watch. And many cities have outdoor benches. I do not care for hop on hop off busses for myself, but that could be an option to consider. For beautiful scenery and beaches, organized day excursion tours that don't require too much walking might work, or maybe finding a scenic place they would enjoy staying for several days.

Road Scholar offers some tours of Italy at a "slower pace" BUT their tours fill fast and you'd likely need to plan ahead more than just 6 months. Also it looks like a lot of their tours don't run in June, probably because it's starting to get too hot.

Here is their program for Rome and Florence for you to look at even though it does not fit your June parameter and does not visit a beach. It will at least let you know one of the tour companies that caters to Seniors and what is available. I do see availability for March if they can move their vacation forward.

https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/24818/Italy-at-a-Slower-Pace-The-Best-of-Rome-Florence

Without sounding nosy, here's a rhetorical question ...are your parents not able to increase their activity due to health issues or are they just deconditioned? IF it is due to just being deconditioned, there are trainers they could work with who will help them improve their overall fitness level. I am saying this from the POV of a 76-year old solo traveler with no health issues. I am in good walking shape and do try to be able to walk 4-5 miles before I go to Europe.

Have done three trips to France and Italy within the last three years (the last September 2025). We are in our late 60s and travel independently, preferring to base ourselves in one to three cities, picking up day tours from there. Many people are not fans of Hop on Hop Off buses, but we have found them very useful in orientating oneself to a city and getting an idea of where sights etc are. We prefer travelling at our own pace and do try and make the trip easier by always pre booking transport from the airport to the hotel, Selecting a hotel with lifts (elevators) and situated where taxis etc can park in front of the building. We use the Uber app if needed or get a taxi, particularly in Rome if the weather too hot I have both back packed and travelled extensively in Europe when younger, but I now want a holiday which is not a slog. We have seen many guided tours and they seem to go at a pretty cracking pace and might prove too stressful for your parents, but it depends on their overall fitness and tolerance for discomfort. If they want to see the Amalfi coast, perhaps they could join a tour for a few days.

Venice: 3 nights minimum
Florence alone: 3 nights minimum. However if they want to take day trips to some Tuscan towns by train or bus, add one night for an any day trip.
Rome: 4 nights minimum
Gulf of Naples area (Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Pompeii, islands like Capri): 4 nights minimum.

Don’t do organized walk tours, because they often require a lot of walking. They can visit independently at their own pace and take breaks at sit down cafes or churches. If they want to hire a guide for some specific museum they can do so on location.

I wouldn’t waste my money on hop on and off tour buses like Grayline in Italy. All Italian cities have their historical centers closed to traffic and pedestrianized, therefore buses are not allowed practically anywhere. Venice obviously has no buses. Rome does, but I wouldn’t waste my money on those buses and use taxicabs instead when needed. Taxicabs can go everywhere, even where the buses can’t go.

Without sounding nosy, here's a rhetorical question ...are your
parents not able to increase their activity due to health issues or
are they just deconditioned? IF it is due to just being deconditioned,
there are trainers they could work with who will help them improve
their overall fitness level.

I'm wondering the same, Heather. It's not just the walking but the standing that factors into many tours: Rick's own combo tour of Venice/Florence/Rome requires that you can "Be on your feet, walking and standing, for up to three hours, indoors and outdoors, in all weather conditions." Even 1/2 day tours of some attractions, like the Vatican Museums or Colosseum/Forum/Palatine can involve 3+ hours of walking and standing with no place or time to sit. As mentioned, many city walking tours move at a pretty good clip, too. So, tours are not necessarily going to be a solution for their challenges. Neither, IMHO, are hoho buses in this particular country for all the reasons Roberto highlighted.

Traveling independently may be the best choice as it would allow them to move at their own pace. Many guide books, like Rick's, provide self-guided walking tours that would enable them to sit for awhile when the opportunities present themselves. Many audioguide tours are available too. My husband and I (70+) are indy travelers so far, can do hours/miles on our feet without much of a break, and very much enjoy spending as long, or as little, in one spot or another versus married to someone else's schedule. It takes doing quite a bit of pre-research to pick and choose our want-to-sees but we enjoy that.

I'll vote for Robert's plan: Venice for at least 3 nights; Florence for at least 3 nights; Rome for at least 4 nights; Amalfi Coast for at least 4 nights. I'll also caution them not to choose Positano as their base on the AC due to the amount of steps and inclines involved in getting around. As already mentioned, they need to choose hotels carefully in all locations to avoid having to lug bags up flights of stairs. Traveling with few bags (and those packed lightly) is strongly advised to make getting on/off trains and moving around with them as nimbly as possible: they need to be able to manage them themselves in many situations.

I would recommend Venice 2 nights, Florence 3 nights and Rome 4 nights.

We are in our late 70s and did a tour of Italy last year. We walked up to 2.5 miles a day, no problem. That distance was spread over the entire day.

In defence of the maligned Hop on Hop Off Buses (they are run by the Big Bus or Hop on Hop Off group) we took the one in Rome and in Florence as one of tour party was a bit poorly. The Hop on Hop Off in Florence was rather fun as the bus stopped at the top of a hill which overlooked Florence and was a magnificent sight. We got off and had a glass of bubbly and took great photos. The one in Rome, we did as went it past most of the major sites, giving a commentary as we went and was a good orientation to the city. I am only thinking of suggestions for an older couple who might like a couple of hours break from walking, but still want to see part of the cities, particularly if the weather is too hot. This is just my opinion though

There have been a few posts here, mentioning golf-cart tours of Rome. One of those might be an opportunity to roll through some picturesque, historic streets.

I'll join the crowd gently recommending your parents try to improve their conditioning if they don't have physical limitations preventing it. I buy good shoes with well-cushioned soles and average about 6 miles per day over my multi-month trips. There's an occasional 9- or 10-mile day mixed in, plus a lot of standing in museums. I'm 74 (but healthy).

There will probably be less walking if they focus on smaller cities, but terrain must be considered. Hill towns can be tiring, and Venice--though flat--has hump-backed bridges across its many canals. Those bridges usually require going up 8 steps and down 8 steps.

The summer heat in Italy can wipe you out. June will probably not be ideal unless they head up into the mountains (and that means challenging terrain). Definitely try for early in the month.

Piazzale Michelangelo (the place on top of the hill where you can see Florence) is just about the only place where a hop on and off bus cat take you in Florence. Of all important sights in Florence a bus can take you to zero of them, absolutely zero. Not much better for Rome. All important sights are often inside a ZTL where buses cannot go.