We are travelling to Italy with our friend who is in a wheelchair. Can anyone let us know how well the infrastructure is designed for people with limited mobility? Also if there is a resource online to help us in planning our trip such as listing accesible hotels, museums and sights. Thank you in advance for your responses.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5866 posts
One online resource is Sage Travel. They specialize in accessible travel.
https://www.sagetraveling.com/italy-accessible-travel
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
You will probably get some good, specific suggestions if you tell us what cities you plan to visit.
Just in general, the infrastructure in Europe tends to be older, so accessibility is more of a challenge. A lot of three-star hotels do not have elevators; even when there is an elevator, there may be some stairs to negotiate. A chronic issue is the very frequent placement of restaurant toilets either up or down a flight of stairs. And flights of stairs without handrails are a lot more common in Europe than in the US, or so it seems to me.
You can make this work, but as you already know, you'll need to do extra research.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Hello and thank you for your replies. We are going to visit Rome first then Florence followed by Milan. Our friend is a noted artist so we are planning to see many masterpieces on our journey. We have just found out that the Borghese is not accessible beyond the first floor. Can anyone confirm this?
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11948 posts
Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5,
00197 Roma, Italia
Tel. +39 068413979
mail. [email protected]
Contacting the gallery itself may be the best option
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
I don't know about the accessibility of the Borghese, but the upper floor there is currently closed for renovations. Key works have been temporarily transferred to the Palazzo Barberini, where they can be viewed. I think the upper floor of the Borghese will reopen on July 1. From previous experience with art works being out on loan, I'm guessing there will be some days (at least) when the relocated works cannot be seen in either place.
Tickets for the Galleria Borghese usually sell out way in advance.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16621 posts
Should you be visiting the Borghese in rome after they've re-opened the 2nd floor (called the first floor; our first floor is their ground floor) here is the accessibility page for that museum:
https://galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it/en/visita/accessibilita/
It's a wonderful museum; highly recommended!
Accessibility of Vatican Museums:
https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/organizza-visita/servizi-per-i-visitatori/accessibilita.html
For Colosseum/Palatine/Forum:
https://colosseo.it/en/the-park-for-all-services/
Accessibility info for the Uffizi and Accademia in Florence:
https://www.uffizi.it/en/notices/uffizi-galleries-accessibility-information
https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/visit/
This is just a start; post more questions as you have them? All of the attractions above are VERY busy, and tickets sell out quickly in advance when they become available.