Question about Best of South Italy Tour

Have not taken tour but have been to most of the stops. The two most difficult will be Matera and Pompeii. Hopefully someone can chime in with how flexible one can be with doing less walking--I am assuming you have read the detailed description. Matera has slick streets that could be difficult for me at times as a 40 something (esp when it rained). Pompeii has very uneven hard terrain, and it is massive. I think most other places would be okay. Good luck!

PS I glanced at the Spain tour description and I do think it would be easier. Granada will probably be the toughest, though they do mention a 15 minute uphill walk in Arcos de Frontera. But overall the Spain tour will be about overall endurance for flat walking, not the terrain itself, as I think the Italy one would be at times.

Thank you valadelphia. We went to Pompeii on our way to Sicily and it was not a problem for him. But I do remember that he was not a happy camper in Ragusa, or when we went to Cinque Terre. I have seeing Matera in movies and Italian TV shows and I can see that is very hilly.

Blanca

I don’t know where the RS tours hotel is for Matera. We were there is past fall with another tour company and our hotel was at the top of the town - near the main square. We did wander down into the lower areas and it is quite steep and uneven. I walk with a walking stick and I did okay. I would not have liked it in the rain. However, it’s beautiful there and you can enjoy most everything from the top if you find that getting down there is too difficult.

Valerie makes a good point about being to enjoy the views from above in Matera. It is fairly spread out, so there may be alternate routes in some areas. And if he was okay with Pompeii the first go-around, then he may very well be fine! Since you have seen some of it before, you can concentrate on seeing just thing that may be newly opened or uncovered.

Blanca, My husband and I were on this tour this past September. We had been forewarned by someone on this Forum that it is a strenuous tour. The tour is really wonderful because some of the places are difficult to reach independently, such as wonderful Vieste.
There are many stairs and uneven surfaces, due to cobblestones in practically every location. For ex., to reach our hotel in Vieste was up a wide "staired" path. And in Matera, the tour stays in the lower area. We are in our 70s and wore very sensible shoes, with good tread and cushion, so we did fine.
Someone on our tour developed knee issues and started to wear a knee brace. I don't know if a brace would help your husband, but that's something he could bring from home. Also, when we hike we use trekking poles; makes going downhill easier. I think trekking pole(s) could help take pressure off knees.

Blanca, I loved this tour. Sister-in-law and I went in 2019. These are my memories to help you manage your concerns: There are stairs everywhere, some easy, some challenging. I have an old knee injury and was thankful I threw in my knee brace. We had a couple of people with bad or injured knees. But no one opted out of any activity.

Can your husband walk for several hours? I don’t remember how many miles we walked each day, but on this year’s South of France tour I averaged six miles a day. I also made sure I was in better shape before I went, walking three miles and 150+ stairs every other day and exercising the rest of the week. I just turned 72.

In Rome, there are easy stairs up to Capitoline Museum.

In Vieste, the hotel was on a stepped cobblestone alley. The boat ride is optional if your husband has problems climbing in and out of a smaller boat,; the the caves and scenery are worth the effort.

Matera is very interesting, not to be missed. Assuming the tour still stays at Locando San Martino, the cave hotel is in the lower old town; stairs from upper town to get to it, stairs to reach to your room. The cobblestones are slick.

If the tour uses the same hotel in Sorrento, it’s a walk up. On the train to and from Pompeii, it may be standing room only. The cobblestones in Pompeii are huge and rutted but manageable.

I hope you can go. It’s a great tour.

Blanca,

I've taken that tour and some days are more strenuous than others. I imagine you've looked at the Itinerary on the Rick Steves website, as that shows the activity level on each day of the tour. In addition to walking and stairs, there's often long periods of time standing and listening to local guides. Perhaps a product like this would help your husband - https://www.magellans.com/itemdy00.aspx?ID=119,3694&T1=MA9109 .

A few additional thoughts.....

• I don't recall Vieste being overly difficult in terms of walking and stairs. There were slight inclines but not too steep.
• In Matera our tour stayed in Hotel Sassi, which may or may not still be used by the tour. There were a few stairs to get down to hotel and a long stairway to get down to the main part of the old city for a walking tour. There was also a long stairway in the hotel from the lobby down to the breakfast area.
• If you stay in Positano, it has a lot of hills, some of them quite steep.
• If you decide to use your free day for a trip to Capri, some walking will be required. As I recall, it wasn't difficult to get on or off the boats.

One other thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to take part in all of the walking tours. If you'd rather just relax at the hotel one day, just tell the guide.

Fellow travelers,
Thank you so much for your replies and input. They were very useful!!! my husband believes he will be able to handle the trip, and he will of course bring his knee brace.
Now we have to book the tour and start the search for our flights to Italy.
Wish me luck.
Grazie mille a tutti :)
Blanca

Oh good! I read your post last night and did considerable thinking about it. I was on the same tour as horsewoofie and I trashed my knee a month before the tour. It was bad enough that normally we would have cancelled, but we had another person with us. I took a brace and did fine. Not to say I wasn’t still aware of my knee, but it never kept me from an activity. There are railing on the steps to the Capitoline and on the steps leading down to old Matera. The luggage was moved from the bus to the hotel in Matera and I think Vieste as well. I did have to go slow in the Alberobello village but did fine. Ravello was a must for our travel partner, so we got a car service one way for that. I think the tour has moved away from Positano for the Amalfi coast portion which eliminates those hills and steps. Oddly, the only place I really had an issue was coming down the Spanish Steps and that wasn’t part of the tour. No railings and people were being allowed to sit all over. I think that’s changed. It was a fabulous trip and we survived on the memories during the pandemic.

My husband used to travel with a cane that folded into a seat before he got his knee replaced.

For Matera, you may want to look at using an Ape tour.

https://apevito.com/?lang=en

The Capitoline Museum, there are lifts to several levels. You must make reservations.

https://www.museicapitolini.org/en/node/1003096

For the Colosseum there are elevators and wheelchairs and a walking route with access by elevator.

https://disabledaccessibletravel.com/accessible-colosseum/

The Vatican Museum has an “accessible without barriers walk” and wheelchairs
for free.

https://m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en/organizza-visita/servizi-per-i-visitatori/accessibilita.html

Definitely bring the knee brace.

Positano has a small Mobility Bus. It can save steps. 5 stops.

https://forum.amalfi.com/t/mobility-amalfi-coast-bus-positano-nocelle-praiano/26