Sicily trip strenuous pace?

There is never a day that you walk 6-8 miles in a long trek, like a hike. It's the accumulated amount you might walk counting all the small movements between sights and hotel, etc. And yes, there are stairs and uneven ground, but not extreme. Of course you can always sit things out. Trekking poles seems a bit much and an encumbrance as you walk around cities. I used one walking stick, when we walked up long stairs at some sights. For my back and knee, it's the standing around as you are in a museum listening to a guide, or just being on your feet for long times, that is an issue. But no, it was not strenuous.

My husband is mid-70s with the incumbent aches and pains. He usually travels with a cane that folds into a seat as the standing around can aggravate his issues. He never used it last year on the RS Sicily tour. I think the guides do a great job of factoring in their group and planning accordingly. For instance in the Valley of the Temples we started at the top and walked downhill. At Segesta, there was a bus that could take people back to the entrance if people didn’t want to walk down. We had a wonderful time on this tour.

Stan & Patty- I hope the OP finds your comments helpful, I certainly do! My husband & I are going on this tour in March and have been wondering about the “strenuous “ description as well. We were planning on taking one trekking pole each as a walking stick to assist with hills & stairs, so glad to know you found these helpful.
We have been including stairs and hills in our daily (well almost daily) walks as well , so hopefully this will up our fitness level by March. Happy to hear you enjoyed this tour. Thanks again.
Lynne

We did not do a Rick Steve's tour, but in 2017 with folks in their 70's and me before both hip replacements, we did fine. A pole might be useful. I would use one now as I has stability issues.

We are in our 60's and my husband has had 3 major back surgeries, and I have had 1. We did not find the tour to be strenuous. There were never too many stairs. The group tours are at a leisurely pace, usually with frequent stops for the guide to narrate. You can be on your feet for several hours at a time, but no walks of more than maybe 2 miles without a good long break or a meal. There was some walking on a dirt road in Segesta. It is all downhill at your own pace and was not difficult. The sights at Agrigento are also arranged so that you walk downhill at a very leisurely pace as the guide stops frequently and speaks, and gives everyone time to explore on their own. Any more extensive walking we did by choice on our free time. The hardest part on our backs to be honest were a couple of the longer bus rides. Neither of our backs do well with sitting for long, but the bus seats are very comfortable and on the longer drives there were always mid-way breaks to get off the bus, use the restroom, get coffee, and move around a little if you wanted to. Very well thought out with your comfort in mind. Was an absolutely wonderful trip - have a great time!