Italy wheelchair access on cobblestones

My brother used a travel wheelchair on a multi-stop trip to enable his wife to fully participate. She could walk (only) a short distance and could handle a few steps. They felt it was a successful purchase, and quite manageable. Amazon ASIN (product number) B002VWK3IY Description: Drive Medical Lightweight Folding Transport Wheelchair With Carry Bag & Flip-Backs Arms.

Hello Angie, my mother was in a wheelchair for many years so I took note of accessibility or not of Italy as it is a place I love and felt she should see. I thought it would be almost impossible to take her there. I felt I would need 3 men to help me, one in back and one on each side of the chair to lift her over the curbs and all the other cobbles and corners as ramps are non-existent and nothing is flat or smooth. Rome would be very difficult and Venice would be impossible. When you go I would get a place to stay near a taxi stand, you could walk up and get in line and have the driver go around to the door to pick up your spouse. Bathrooms are usually up or down stairs and very small, if there is an elevator it will be very tiny, some trains do have lifts and the staff will help you board. Years ago RS had a book regarding accessible Europe, maybe someone has an old copy they could send you? I wish you the best on your trip, spring is a wonderful time to see Italy. Artichokes and asparagus are in season, the hills are green. J

I wasn’t using a wheelchair, or with anyone using one, but I noticed in Florence last year that some corners had curb cuts and others didn’t. And in both Florence and Rome, many sidewalks weren’t wide enough, or likely smooth enough, to be navigable with a wheelchair.

Getting on and off some trains involved doing some acrobatic moves, too, high above the platform level. I wonder, would any type of walker frame, maybe one that folds up, enable him to walk and/or stand long enough to get where you and he will want to go?

Throughout cities and villages in Italy over the past two years, places were swarming with parents pushing baby strollers, often double-wides. These were pushed along (and sometimes lifted over) cobbles, curbsides, etc. They often took up the width of a sidewalk, and pedestrians had to maneuver around and through seeming packs of strollers. I don’t recall noticing wheelchairs much, but others would need to find ways to share the space with a wheelchair user - especially with someone who hadn’t regularly used one until very recently.

Are you speaking about the foldable lightweight travel wheelchair called a transport chair? I have years of experience with those for two family members. While wonderfully lightweight, most transport chairs have small wheels and transmit a rough and uncomfortable ride when traversing uneven surfaces such as broken sidewalks here at home or, I imagine, European cobblestones. If it has to be a transport chair, get one with the largest wheels you can find (varies by make and model). Good luck!

If a "light weight wheelchair" is something like this --

https://www.vitalitymedical.com/aluminum-transport-chair-with-12-inch-wheels.html

it is ill suited for the cobblestone surfaces you will encounter. You will not find ramps at intersections like is common in the US. The small wheels on these type of chairs is suited best for malls and other indoor surfaces.

A 'rollator' -- https://www.amazon.com/Medline-Rollator-Rolling-Supports-Burgundy/dp/B079PG3BR3/ref=asc_df_B079PG3BR3?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80676783691774&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584276309253783&psc=1
...may be a better solution than a small wheeled 'light weight wheelchair'.

Renting a wheelchair should be explored.

There may be some helpful info in these posts
https://search.ricksteves.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=wheelchair+rental%2C+italy&button=

Good luck and safe travels

We just came back from two weeks in Italy. I think you’d need some kind of off-road chair with big knobby tires to handle the cobblestones, something intended for para Olympic cross country competitors rather than us old people! Many sites do offer elevators (my wife’s knees require us to minimize climbing) but there are definitely places where you have to walk up and down a little. Good luck with the trip!

Europe is increasingly aware about access but ancient roads and streets and stairs make complete accommodation difficult.
Venice being a series of islands makes it particularly difficult despite being completely flat.

Here are some resources about access Venice:
https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/accessible-venice
https://blog.wheeltheworld.com/wheelchair-accessible-venice-italy/
https://www.introducingvenice.com/traveling-with-a-disability
https://www.sagetraveling.com/Venice-Disabled-Access
And other locations you mentioned:
https://www.sagetraveling.com/florence-accessible-travel

My dad was in a wheelchair for years so I have some frame of reference but we never braved Europe so I am extrapolating some here. Early on he used the wheelchair to avoid easy fatigue so he was able to stand and walk up short stairs or through an inaccessible doorway which opens up a lot of places that might otherwise have been off limits. If she can stand and walk to cross any bridges you might run into Venice should be pretty accessible but as you can see from the maps much of the city is accessible anyway.

It sounds like you considered instead getting wheelchairs locally and saving yourself the transportation issues of trying to take one. Check the forum since this has been discussed and I believe there was a reference to Florence providing free wheelchairs for all visitors to check out and return.

Regionale trains are often older and have stairs up into the trains but I would be surprised if Tenitalia didn't offer a list of stations and trains to help sort out the possibilities. The newer and more modernized fast trains are more accessible. On my last trip I did see several people making use of the Sala Blu service offered by the train system for assistance to the platform and onto the trains.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase/info_contacts/disabled_passengers.html
https://www.fsitaliane.it/content/fsitaliane/en/sustainability/people/social-commitment/accessibility.html
https://www.italiarail.com/station-services/are-there-services-travelers-disabilities

I will also say that everywhere I have been in Italy there is great respect for people with limited disability. Even just having a cane people will voluntarily vacate the "accessible" seats on buses and line dividers that make your walk longer are often removed and lines are avoided without asking. Even on the tourist packed vaporetto to Murano and Burano an instagram couple made a beeline for the last two open seats together - because they were reserved for elderly and mobility impaired - and they were quickly shamed out of those seats and had to stand for the rest of the trip.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod