Wheelchair Use in Rome

Virginia,
You are going to have to plan out your routes and possibly contact sites to see if they can make special accommodations, ie, the Vatican might have a special route setup. Give us a list of what you want to see and where you want to go.

We can then give you some idea of what is and isn't doable by wheelchair.

A helpful site.

Rick has started an accessibility book but hasn't gotten to Italy yet.

There is a cultural aspect that will work in your favor, and that is the Italian, "Can Do Spirit." Just ask any one standing by to help lift: Preferable Young Italians. They will do what is needed with out a second thought. And then they will take pride in the effort and the accomplishment.
At the bottom of the Spanish Stairs, on any given evening, you could probably find four guys that would think it fun to chairlift a person up to the top, and just to say that they did so.

A wheelchair would be a nightmare in Rome, very difficult to get around. High curbs, cars double parked blocking curbs, uneven cobblestones, tiny elevators, places that are supposed to be handicapped accessible and then turn out not to be. Is someone else coming with you to help you, or is it just you and your husband on your own? You may need help lifting and moving the wheelchair, and you should plan your itinerary carefully. I find pushing a stroller around the center trying at times, I can't imagine doing it with a wheelchair. Good luck, sorry I can't be more helpful.