Two 90 year olds in wheelchair or on roller walker with one helper for each wanting to go inside the Duomo and the Gallery Academy to see David’s statue and tour the country side, such as Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa & Assisi. Doable or not? Has anyone used the services of Sagetraveling.com? Does their Florence Highlights guided tour let you go inside buildings or just drive by to see the outside of buildings? How about their tours to the nearby towns I mentioned above? For their privately guided tours, does the driver also talk about history, culture, etc? Do you get your “money’s worth” with Sagetraveling’s cruises and disabled accessible shore excursions? Thanks very much for your input.
Posted by
9324 posts
I have visited all the places you mentions and love them all. Also, I have stayed in Florence and Siena.
Assisi is very hilly and would pose the most problems for you. Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa are medieval towns or cities with streets that could pose a problem. All these places will be crowded.
Still, if you find a proper firm, they may be able to navigate all of them.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
My deepest gratitude to geovagriffith for helpful information and advice. Does anyone know of a “right firm” for the necessary private driver/tour guide?
Posted by
502 posts
Hello,
My senior in-laws are disabled and to see the statue of David there is disabled access and Im pretty sure elevators you can use. They are very kind to people with disabilities and many sites in Italy offer free tickets and free or discounted companion tickets as well. (With proof of disability) They did not use a service however. I would email the museum itself on their official website they will answer all your questions and may be able to recommend a service.
https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/
https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/visit/
mailto:[email protected]
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you very much Demi Hale for your suggestions and links to the museum! May you enjoy blessings every day!
Posted by
OP
6 posts
I forgot to ask Demi Hale the following:
If you don’t mind, if I may ask how your disabled senior in-laws were able to get around to the various sightseeing sites? Did y’all rent a car to drive around the country side? Our helpers prefer not to have to drive, so we will have to find a private driver/travel guide in Florence. Do you have any recommendations for such a company? Thank you very much for your advice.
Posted by
Bay Area SF & Uppsala Sweden 🇸🇪
1496 posts
Hi there, wow, I commend all of you for planning such a trip! When is this trip and how many days total in Italy? I would edit the tile of your post to include the word 'disabled', so you get more feedback from people with experience.
I suspect you need to trim back destinations, I agree Assisi is a major uphill trek, but perhaps they have disabled services? Frankly I would skip Pisa, just to lighten the load and give yourselves a day off in the middle of your trip. And I would plan breaks in the afternoons for all of you to recuperate. Pick one hotel in Florence that has quality lifts that can accommodate wheelchairs (I've stayed at a few that wouldn't). I would book my own hotel directly, no need to use Sage Tours for that, you will get all the info you need from the hotel and save $$. Your hotel can book you an accessible pick up from airport, no need to do that through a tour company.
If no one answers about Sage Tours, I would start a new thread using their name, see what pops up. Good luck and I really hope you have a fabulous trip!