Should we go to Italy for 3 weeks? If so, Another country to visit after Italy?

It is very easy to spend 3 weeks in Italy. There are many great cities (like Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona) plus the beautiful countryside (like Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche). The train system goes most everywhere. If you want to see mountains, consider the Dolomites in northern Italy. April and May will give you decent weather and not too big of crowds.

...but walks on normal terrain. We know Italy isn't normal.

Hi there -
It might help if you can clarify what "normal" is? While many of the towns/ cities have some cobbled streets and uneven pavements - and steps can be a factor throughout Italy and other European cities as well - not all of them are challenging as far as steep hills. What type of terrain are you concerned about?

It's very, very easy to spend 3 weeks just in Italy; we've done it, and without a single moment of boredom. In fact, we're planning our next venture to be longer than that!

But what sorts of things are you interested in doing and seeing? That's also a factor in choosing a location.

Not sure about degree of difficulty for your husband, so this may or may not be helpful: Have you considered collapsible trekking poles that will fit in a checked bag?

How far can your husband walk? Europeans just walk more, and with the museums or sites you may want to visit, it isn't uncommon to put in 5 or more miles a day. If this is too much, then reduce the number of moves in your trip. Consider an apartment. There may be days you just need to rest. If an apartment, 3 thinks to consider.....an elevator or ground floor apartment, a bathtub, heating. Elevators are not a given. Ground floors may come with street noise. You know whether a tub is a yes or no fit, but they are great for soaking weary bodies. Heat....some places charge for heat.
There are hill towns and non hill towns. Options for day bus tours, or consider two cruises. Lots of options, but difficult to recommend without knowing hubby's abilities and your span of attentipn. Some like slow travel (a week or more per town), others get bored after 3 days in the same place. If the latter, then add the cruise to Barcelona.

3 weeks makes for a nice trip to Italy. You can see the three major cities -- Venice, Florence, and Rome -- at a reasonably relaxed pace as well as have time for some smaller or even rural locations. What time of year are you planning to travel? DO you like art and museums, history, wine, religious sites?

I am with the others: three weeks is nothing for Italy, even if you limit yourself to the northern part of the country. And with your husband's limited mobility you need more time to see (and enjoy) everything on your list.
Most cities in northern Italy - Verona, Padova, Bologna, Florence - are totally flat. Rome has a few more hilly parts, but is also mostly flat. In Venice the numerous bridges might be an issue.
But if you want a change of scenery, neighbouring Austria is an easy option. There is a direct train from Verona to Innsbruck and Salzburg, cutting straight through the Dolomites mountain range. Salzburg to Villach is also a direct train, going through another stretch of impressive mountains. And from Villach it's easy to go back to Italy: it has a direct service to Venice.

He has a very bad leg

pmurray1969, I think you need, as others have suggested, to seriously consider your husband's limitations. Italy can be grueling. Lots of hills, cobblestone streets, not many elevators... The fact that you're planning three weeks suggests that you're going to take it easy, not rushing from place to place. That could very well work for you, but I'd suggest some "trial runs" at home. For example, how far can your husband walk without having to stop and rest? How long does it take him to walk a mile (or any other given distance.) How much of a hill is an impediment? Can he climb several flights of stairs?

If you plan to settle in one place for an extended period of time, I'd suggest Florence. Very few hills! Rome is doable, as well, because the public transportation is so good. (But can your guy climb into and out of buses? Handle the stairs at the metro stations?)

Venice is also possible, but be aware there are a lot of bridges, and they are not level. They're all of the "up and over" variety. And a place that's not mentioned often is Padua. We spent a lovely week there this past summer, and could happily have stayed longer. Milan, as well, has few hills. We found Milan a very walkable city, although the distances between points of interest tended to be longer.

As for Barcelona, we spent not nearly enough time there a few years ago. There are some hilly areas, and definitely cobblestones, but it's a great place to visit. It also has good bus and metro service.

So, think about what he can do comfortably, and check back in with us here. We love to help!

Since you asked about other countries, France comes to mind. If you’re coming from Barcelona, you could see the Avignon area, Paris, and take a Normandy WWII tour. There’s so much to see in Paris, and a night cruise is very nice. Just avoid the Metro with all of the stairs and use buses or try a Hop on/Off type bus.

In addition to Padua, the nearby Vicenza has a flat historic district, and someone also has mentioned the flat and lovely Ravenna.

For someone who is mobile but probably slow (I'm guessing about that), I'd think a Mediterranean cruise not a great idea, because you have so little time at each stop. However, I've never taken a cruise and may be mistaken about this.

My husband and I are older than you; our first trip to Europe together was 35 years ago and we spent 3 weeks in Italy. We spent 6 nights in Venice, a weekend in Florence (terrible idea -- we later spent 2 mos there -- it needs at least 5 nights on a first trip), a week in an apartment in a hamlet near Siena touring Tuscany, and then 3 nights in the Cinque Terre (before Rick Steves wrote about it when it was utterly unspoiled -- we were the only AMerican tourists we saw). We flew home from Milan and visited the Cathedral and Last Super.

After that we did other 3 week trips to Italy including the lakes, Rome, Tuscany again, Florence, Siena and the Amalfi coast, Naples, Pompei.

I would suggest basing for several days in a couple of anchors and limiting short stops. If you are not driving then stick to major cities and do some day tripping. The hill towns of Tuscany can be very difficult for the mobility challenged. But Siena is fairly flat as is Lucca and San Gimignano once inside the walls. Siena is a terrific bus trip from Florence -- about an hour.

You might consider using taxis to help with the mobility problem. Taxi to a spot then walk back, taking in the sights or visiting churches, etc. Some towns in Italy have bus service which could help your husband do less walking.

What? Siena is relatively flat? I found it had very steep side lanes as one gets away from the main square.

"If we go to Italy, it will be our only trip there, so would like to cruise to Barcelona or should we just spend time in Switzerland or another country?"

Excellent idea.