Not active seniors that love Italy

Much of Emilia-Romagna and the Veneto is flat. Take a look at Padua, Treviso, and Ferrara --- all places we have stayed in for about a week and would happily stay for two weeks or more. The market in Padua is especially good. Lecce in Puglia is another good idea. I wouldn't go to any of these places in summer, but I hate being hot more than most people. October/November or March/April seems ideal to me and there would be interesting seasonal ingredients in the markets.

Venice is pretty flat. And with a stay of two weeks, you will feel that you belong.

I can't vouch this yet but I thought I read that Lucca was flat. I may very well be wrong but that is my memory.

Venice is very flat. Except for all the hump-backed bridges.

Ravenna is flat. I might choose it over Padua for a shortish trip, but for two weeks I'd vote for Padua, because it has more to keep you occupied for a period like that. And Padua is well-positioned for a lot of different day trips; you could take day trips to Venice if you wanted to, hop on a vaporetto, and ride around without having to deal with the bridges. You'd need to be careful where you hopped off, though, because those little bridges are everywhere. (Zoom in on Google Maps; every where there's water, there's a bridge to be crossed.)

Hello ennej, and welcome to the forum!

As others have noted much of northern Italy through the Po Valley especially is mostly flat and if you are just looking for a smaller town to "live life" in you are spoiled for choice. The real issue I think would be finding someplace small enough that you might be remembered and welcomed after a week or so but big enough that there are rentals to choose from. Essentially big enough with enough visitor traffic that there are some accommodations but also not so much visitor traffic that the locals are immune to visitors. Choosing your time of year could help with this going to a moderately touristy place during a shoulder month might help you walk that line.

I love Venice but I would not recommend Venice since the number of real locals keeps shrinking and you would probably struggle to find a quiet neighborhood untouched by tourism.

Lucca is completely flat and filled with ancient architecture. About 9,000 people live in the old city center with another 90K or so outside the city walls. The only downside to Lucca is the old architecture has really tall ground floors so "first floor" accommodations can come with a long flight of stairs. Ground floor "Terra" rentals are around but are rarer and some buildings do have elevators but that will limit your choice of accommodations. Lucca has good train service and there are several good day trips - including Florence and Pisa - if that interests you at all.

There are many towns on Ligurian coast - Sestri Levante, Chiavari or others along that route - if being in a seaside location intrigues you.

There are smaller cities that offer easy living and some smaller town feel - Pistoia (close to Florence), and larger but food centric places Modena and Reggio Emilia in the Po valley.

If there are more elements to what you think makes a good candidate town - size, proximity to museums or water - that would help narrow it down. But there are many small towns and cities where Italians just live their lives and you could too.

Full disclosure - I'm planning to do a month in Lucca in September to try out just this kind of thing so my opinion will lean that way.

Hope that helps,
=Tod

Take a look at Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna. It is a smallish provincial town that has a lot of historical significance and a big castle right in the center of town.It is located just south of the Po river and should you feel the need to travel around a bit, it is on the train line from Bologna to Venice, so easy for day trips.

I tend to stay in Italy for months at a time (in my 70's, retired and also love Italy). I continue to recommend Pistoia to posters here as a good non touristy town. I stayed there 3 months in 2022 and will return for 3 months this fall. It's flat with a nice selection of shops fresh markets, and supermarkets with decent access to other towns if the mood strikes. About 30 minute train into Florence or about 40 minute train to Lucca (flat and small...LOTS of expats here) in the other direction...or the beach at Viareggio (also flat) should you desire. My first stay I was not prepared for the 3 hour shut down in the mid day....I previously had stayed in Florence. I was initially a tad annoyed but I learned to relax into it and enjoy the break. Another town where I have lived and may meet your requirements could be Chiavari (on the sea...North of the Cinque Terre). Good luck in your search!

We would love to be at a home place and be able to walk to a small bakery, coffee shop, market, etc. within a short distance. Love to be in a single place, not apt and spend our days eating and sitting outside. I know, that's the Italy dream for many. . . .

I am focusing on this section and thinking it sounds like you are describing an apartment with a terrace or other outdoor space with a table for dining—-but I can’t make sense of the “not apt” part. Can you please clarify? Would you be looking for an apartment on a nice little village square, where you can sit and watch the world go by?

Have a look at Trani in Puglia, not in July or August. It's just beautiful and there's the sea, which for sitting and staring is always more relaxing than being inland, in my opinion.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2023/04/why-i-love-trani.html

I too am confused about "not apt" and spending days "eating and sitting outside." Does that mean not an apartment but rather a house? Do you plan to hire a car? Many, many places in Italy are flat, but some would be much easier with a car.

Off the top of my head, Lecce, Ferrara, Monopoli, Lucca, Viareggio, Orbetello, Senigallia, Ravenna, Modena, Ascoli Piceno...

Edited to add that I agree with the previous poster, Trani is another wonderful choice.

Thank you all for such wonderful suggestions, advice and warm welcome. We'll be checking on each town and area to see if something sounds like it would suit our needs.

Sorry about the confusion on "apt". Yes, that means an apartment, but now thinking about what I said I guess that's where we would need to stay to be close to town center. The issue again is whether the apt has stairs or not. My husband can't do stairs. An elevator would be fine.

If there are options for small houses to rent that would be a plus also, but can't really seeing that being an option.

We really would enjoy taking short, level walks to a market, coffee shop, bakery, etc. We enjoy cooking, so buying our food daily would be ok, but we'd like to visit a restaurant on occasion.

We both love the sea and fresh seafood, so that's not a issue. Love all the foods and drink of Italy.

Not sure about a car. I assume if we're far out we would need one. Trudging luggage is not fun and would again be hard on my husband for a lengthy time. He's ok for short distances.

We're so blessed that we got to see area's of Italy that are main wants for everyone. We did not spend a lot of time in each place, but we saw what was on the tourist agenda.

One last thing, we know that August is pretty shut down in Italy, but it's too hot there anyway. The times we've been to Italy it was in May, which was beautiful, which is also high season, I know. Haven't been in April or September, but would love to be there for fresh vegetable season.

Again, thank you all for your ideas, details and suggestions. What a wonderful site to have access to.