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Rome Itinerary Advice

Posted by (Selden) on

Hello,

My elderly parents and I will be in Rome in the middle of Oct for a week. My mother uses a cane and cannot walk too much without resting. That's why I have put together an itinerary that takes this into consideration and would appreciate all advice since this is our first trip to Italy. For Days 3 thru 5, we plan to use the Roma Pass.

Day 1 (Mon) - Open for possible day trip. Any suggestions? We're probably not interested in visiting ruins since there are plenty of those in Rome.

Day 2 (Tues) - Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, & St Peter's Basilica

Day 3 (Wed) - Santa Maria della Vittoria, Baths of Diocletian, National Museum of Rome, Victor Emmanuel Monument, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain

Day 4 (Thurs) - Caesar Shuffle (Colosseum, Forum, Pallatine), Bocca della Verita, Pantheon, and Church of San Luigi dei Francesci

Day 5 (Fri)- Churches of San Giovanni/ San Clemente/ Santa Maria Maggiore, and Borghese Gallery

Thank you very much!
Gar Luen

Posted by
606 posts

I'm not addressing the itinerary question, but thought I'd mention the value of a wheelchair, if your mother will agree to using one. My own mother (87 y.o.) walks, but slowly, and she tires quickly, so we bought a collapsible travel wheelchair similar to this one. The back folds down, making it easy to put in a car trunk or carry on an airplane. It has been great in our travels because not only can we move her along more quickly, but also, because she's riding most of the time, she doesn't tire so quickly (so we can go see more) and we don't have the worry of mom falling on the cobblestones!

Posted by
41 posts

I second the suggestion of a collapsible wheelchair, not just for going from place to place but also for waiting in line. I was just there & was surprised to see how accessible it is, for such an old city!

Consider going to the place your mom is most interested in first each day, then if she gets too tired she could always go back to the hotel to rest while you go on to other, more walk-intensive sites. Or you could build in time to sit at outdoor restaurant tables to eat, drink, people-watch, & rest!

Vatican Museum (which includes Sistine Chapel) is HUGE, so choose what you most want to see. We went directly from the entrance to Sistine Chapel & it was at least a 45-minute walk through many rooms & up/down many stairs.

IMHO, skip the Victor Emmanual Monument. But DEFINITELY go to Borghese Gallery, it's wonderful! Be sure to call ahead for a reservation time.

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