Italy — traveling with disabilities

You may want to spend some time searching online – there are websites and companies devoted to traveling with disabilities. I have traveled with disabled family members (but not in Italy), and careful planning was key.

A few random thoughts…

Venice may be the most challenging, since there really is no ground transportation – just water buses (vaparettos) and walking. I have seen the operators lift wheelchairs in and out of the vaparettos – they were really good about that. There are water taxis, but they are speed boats that would be difficult to get into if you have mobility problems. Hotels book early, so I would start searching as soon as possible for a hotel near a vaparetto stop with an elevator. The bridges can be challenging, since they mean walking up and down an incline, sometimes with steps. However, when I was there last year, I noticed that some of the major bridges now have wheelchair ramps that would be well-suited to a walker. You can use Google earth to see if getting to a hotel requires crossing the number of bridges. Staying close to the sites that most interest you would probably be a good idea. I think a walker would be okay in Venice, but hopefully someone with direct experience can comment.

One general comment about elevators in Italy. Ask lots of questions. Sometimes you have to climb stairs to get to the elevator, and sometimes you have to climb stairs at the end of the elevator to get to your room. Obviously, upper end hotels are going to have the most "normal" elevators. One other place I've always seen elevators are convents that take in guests – they have elevators for older members of their communities. But, you're generally not going to find English spoken in convents, and accommodations are very simple.

Rome might be the easiest, since you could use taxis. There's also an extensive bus system, although I must admit I've never explored it.

Orvieto might be a nice hill town to visit. It's an hour outside of Rome by train. And public transportation will take you to the central part of town where it really is quite flat. There may be cobbled streets – sorry I'm not remembering about that.

One last point – there are elevators in most train stations. And a surprising number of museums and other buildings have elevators hidden away in unobtrusive places. If you don't see an elevator someplace, ask. There often is one.

Jody,

I just recently traveled with my elderly mother (87) who walks slow & has some trouble climbing stairs.

She does not use a walker and we only used public transportation to travel from one city to the next.

As Sherry pointed out most train stations have elevators, some of the smaller ones have an elevator but you may need
someone to unlock it.

I learned a few Italian phrases & one of them is: 'Where is the elevator' = 'dove è l'ascensore'

We took taxi's from train stations to/from hotels, unless the bus stop was nearby.

When we traveled by bus, the drivers never rushed us as we boarded or got off the bus-- slowly.

It was a bit of a challenge getting on some trains because they were high off the ground & at times we encountered
very nice gentlemen that lend my mom a hand.

Sherry has given you sound advise & I will echo the one about elevators in hotels.

When I booked the hotels, I always inquired about elevator availability & if there were stairs leading to it or not.
One of the hotels we stayed at, had an elevator, but the staff had failed to tell me that there were a dozen stairs to the hotel entrance. Then another 10-12 stairs to get to our room! Fortunately, there was a room available on the same level as the elevator...

When we visited Venice, we purchased the day pass for the vaporetto & cruised the Grand Canal & didn't walk very much.

You may already know this but you can request for special assistance at all the airports.
There was a wheelchair w/ attendant waiting for my mom at every airport and in Italy (Milan) it was very helpful as the attendant took us all the way to the train ticket counter.

I found these websites with very helpful information about traveling with mobility disabilities in Italy.

1. http://www.initaly.com/travel/handicap.htm
2. http://www.sagetraveling.com/italy-accessible-travel
3. http://www.sagetraveling.com/Rome-Disabled-Access
4. http://www.sagetraveling.com/florence-disabled-access
5. http://www.sagetraveling.com/Venice-Disabled-Access

I hope this helps!

In addition to the great points above, I'll add that in a restaurant, the bathrooms are often up or down a flight of stairs, even when the dining area is on ground level. I'll also add that even if a hotel has an elevator, there can be stairs required to reach it (sometimes just one step, sometimes a whole flight). Triple check any hotel you're considering to make sure that it's suitable for your mother's limitations.

Roma has many nice modern concrete sidewalks, and the quarry stone walks are well maintained. Firenze on the other hand is full of broken quarry stones everywhere, more difficult to walk or drag luggage.

Taxis are cheap in Firenze, so rely on those. Do your internet research on taxi fare in Roma so you know beforehand how much a trip costs. If you want a bus, go to the larger middle doors and help your Mom on and off the step there. Some steps are higher than others. Trains can have one step, three, or several more.

It's up to family or friends to help the person on and off the bus and trains. Be sure you have only one carry-on luggage each for easy on and off trains. Weight should be No more than 15 pounds.

Trouble is buses in Roma and Firenze are terribly crowded and rarely do other passengers give up their seat even if the seat is marked for the elderly or disabled. Chances are that your Mom will have to stand.

Furthermore, buses in Italy often have No air conditioning and are terribly hot. I got terribly sick on a hot bus in Rome in September. In Firenze I was on a little electric bus with No air, so I opened the window, but the lady next to me asked me close it. You can't win for losing!

The American First Floor is actually the Second floor in Italy. In Italy, the ground or main floor is Zero or Piano Terra. Piano Primo means the Second floor. So be sure your hotels have an elevator. Many hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, and Apartment buildings have No elevator.

Also, sometimes toilets in restaurants and bars are up or down a long flight of narrow stairs, and there's No elevator. Some toilets have No seat. Why skirts are so prevalent over there.

Trouble is buses in Roma and Firenze are terribly crowded and rarely
do other passengers give up their seat even if the seat is marked for
the elderly or disabled. Chances are that your Mom will have to stand.

This was not our experience, even in crowded buses, the passengers seating on the designated seats usually gave up their seat for my mom. Once I had to ask a young man if my mom could sit down (on one of the designated seats) & he promptly gave his seat to her & apologized.

You can get help from rail station staff if you can arrive a little early. Large stations have customer care desks and any staffed station will probably have a uniformed worker who can help. But if your mom can handle a few steps, she will be fine on most trains.

Buses usually have entry access that can be lowered to ground level. There is a designated space in the middle of the bus for wheelchais but it is usually stuffed with baby carriages. The designated seats for people with disabilities, pregnant women and the elderly are normally near the driver's seat. These seats sometimes are on a raised platform, as are some other seats on the bus.

I recently traveled with a friend who used a cane, she had no problem with cobblestones. Taxis will be willing to take you short distances if one of you has a disability, otherwise they may recommend walking (if taxis can't get onto a particular street, for example, and you would have to walk some distance anyway, but this is rare).

Same for trains, they are extremely crowded with Locals and Young tourists who can fly up the stairs and take up all the seats, leaving the old and disabled standing in the vestibules of a very rocky train for a very long ride. And nobody gives up their seats to you.

Best to train First Class or Reserved Second Class. At the ticket machine, always check if your train has First Class, even Regionale trains. If you buy at the counter, always ask for First Class, even for Regionale trains. Make sure you buy seats next to or across the other or sequential singles, or you may end up at opposite ends of the car. Don't assume the clerk at the counter will put you together. You have to make sure that happens.

Don't assume train staff will help. Recently I was at Napoli Centrale where all elevators were broken, so a Supervisor asked some staffers to take my luggage to the lower level where the bathrooms are located, and those men yelled so loud in protest, it didn't happen. I had to wait for the train.

As long as you stay on the beaten path, there should be working elevators at train stations. I tend to go off the beaten path where there are only very, very long flights of stairs to and from platforms. And where platforms don't exist. You stand and wait outside in the gravel and weeds. And don't expect seats at Roma Termini or Firenze SMN train stations. Napoli Centrale does have many seats in their beautiful lobby.

Be sure to have only one carry-on bag each, weighing not more than 15 pounds. You have to haul these up and down train steps. Even if you take long-distance buses, it's up to you to make sure that the bags go in the bottom bin of the bus at departure, and on you to get them out on arrival.

Don't wear purses. Wear only a money belt and neck wallet. RS store has nice items. Hide the neck ribbons with scarves. It just takes once. I traveled hither and thither in Italy with No problem. Then once, actually in November, a few months ago, I got stalked on a Regionale train by a Gypsy man. He had spotted me on the platform in Ancona on the Adriatic. That was a four hour ride to Roma Termini. In that case my First Class ticket saved me.

At the end of the day, It's on you to take care of yourselves, and Italy has many options to make that happen. Take taxis instead of buses, go First or Second Class Reserved trains or take a long-distance bus, which are very nice. Remember to get a taxi only at a taxi stand, or ask your hotel to call a cab. You don't flag them down on the street like you do here in the US.

The amount of walking in Italy is horrendous. Just to get to a city bus at Roma Termini, you have to cross the vast Piazza del Cinquecento. They don't call it 500 for nothing. Take a cab.

Sandra, it seems you have had more than your share of problems in Italy, but in my experience it is just not true that no one gives up their seat to you. It is extremely rare that someone must ask for a seat, although I think this is becoming somewhat less rare (mostly due to people being absorbed in electronics and not paying attention to those around them). There are several options for getting help for travelers with disabilities, as previously posted. Again, in my experience, Italy is a very hospitable country overflowing with kindness toward strangers in need of assistance.

As for the clerk deciding where you sit, most tickets are computerized and automatically allocate seats next to/across from/near each other when tickets are purchased in one transaction.

And "Piazza del Cinquecento" refers to the 16th century (1500s), not the number 500.

On the contrary. As I said, I have had No problems traveling helter-skelter in Italy, except for that very recent Gypsy stalker on a Regionale train. It can come out of nowhere. You don't see it coming.

A year ago I was on a bus in Roma when Locals began screaming Pickpocket in Italian. The bus stopped hard in the middle of the street and everybody ran off. The bus actually emptied right there. They tried pulling me off, but I stayed put. I didn't know where I was. It was just me and the Pickpocket on the bus, which continued its route. I had my RS neck wallet on and felt secure. I was OK.

On that same trip I met a friend at SMN who accepted help with her second bag from a young handsome well-dressed man. At the hotel she found he had robbed her. All her money, credit and debit cards, all ID cards were gone. None of us saw anything. She now travels light with only one carry-on bag.

While you can speculate all you want about people giving up their seats, I only speak from my own personal experience and I have witnessed old and disabled riding trains in vestibules, and that same population riding First Class for that reason. A lot of families also ride First Class for the same reason. There won't be enough seats for all of them.

I won't sugar coat travel in Italy. I call it like I see it. As for Cinquecento, I was referring to its literal translation.

Sandra, I am not speculating, but speaking from my experience, as I said in my post. The literal translation for "Piazza del Cinquecento", to which you referred, is the usage for 1500s. You are correct that cinquecento means five-hundred when not referring specifically to the time period, but to a quantity.

Jody, enjoy Italy and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

I think it's critical not to let worry dominate a travel experience. Use the same kind of caution you use in a major US city, be alert to what's going on around you, and trust your instincts. It's wonderful that you're taking your mother on this trip, and it'll be a memory you both treasure.

As an FYI, I have been treated with more kindness and consideration on public transport in Italy than anywhere else I've ever traveled. I'm really dumb about things like buses, and I've had people go so far out of their way to help me, even when we didn't share a language. And I've met some lovely people in the process. Certainly caution and attentiveness are always warranted in any country, but I think you'll also find kindness.

The fast trains that serve the main cities are a little easier to board than the older, slower train stock. Disabled and elderly passengers can request free boarding assistance in advance; see Trenitalia's info.

When I traveled in Torino, Venice, Bologna, and Milan with my father who had trouble with walking and especially stairs, people were always quick to offer him a seat on the bus or vaporetto. However, the standing and waiting for public transport were a strain on him, as were steps up to board and descend the bus, and we would have been better off taking taxis in most cities.

When we asked for elevators in museums, staff were very helpful to escort us to them, but in historic buildings, they often required walking quite a way to access. In some Rome hotels that Rick recommends, the elevators are old, small, require every user to close the door properly in order for them to work, and occasionally go out of service for other reasons.

See more links at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travelers-with-disabilities.

It was a good while ago when I took my then 80 year old mother to FLorence and Rome -- all the advice here is helpful. I found on buses that I had to request the seat for my obviously mobility impaired mother. I was able to obtain the seat for the elderly/disabled from the usually young man or woman sitting in it by gesturing and saying 'per favore' while then gesturing to my mother. In each case, they did give up the seat.

Every restroom in Europe is either up narrow stairs or down narrow stairs, so do plan around rest stops a bit and be aware that that will be a challenge. And as others have said, be careful about planning hotels and don't assume elevator means no steps.

I found in Italy that people were very solicitous of my mother and of the two of us as daughter caring for older mother. This is an approved activity in Italy. The hotel in Florence was particularly charming to her, saving her a nice table for breakfast and being generally very charming to her.