My mother has always dreamed of visiting Italy. We are finally going to take the trip. There are some great articles related to this topic but I am looking for specific suggestions regarding what cities/towns we MUST visit that we will also be able to navigate (given that mom is slow---2 knee replacements, uses a cane, and I'll need to bring along a wheelchair for when she is tired). I have visited Italy once before and always dreamed of bringing my mom to Capri/Anacapri or to Cinque Terre but given her limited mobility, I'm not sure that these would be possible. Other than Rome, what would you suggest? THANKS SO MUCH!!
Anna, welcome to ST. I'd lean toward Venice for: - No car traffic, - relatively compact size of city, reassuringly so, - Excellent and frequent public transport, in addition to the enchantment of the place and chalk-a-block concentration of fabulous art and beauty.
Agreed on Venice, although I wonder if the few steps over the many small bridges would be a problem for her? I'd take a look at some photos (there are many in the SlowTraps pages, linked to on the right of the page) to give you a good feel for the city.
Another thought is Ravenna for 2-3 days. A small scale town with flat, easy walking (or rolling), glorious mosaics, interesting small museums, near other cities and towns of interest in the North.
The old city of Lucca (within the walls) is also flat with plenty to see and do and lots of choices for restaurants, culture, duomos, etc.. Guess you won't be climbing any of the towers, but you could enjoy 2-3 days in that area, I believe.
Posts: 498 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: 12 September 2006
The many bridges in Venice would cause walking around the city a definite hardship for a person who has had two knee operations and walks with a cane. Not to mention that a wheel chair would be needed from time to time. There are obvious issues that would also preclude Capri and Cinque Terre.
Three cities that come to mind that are flat and could more easily accommodate an elderly person who has knee issues, walks with a cane and from time to time will need a wheel chair are Verona, Vicenza and Padova. Basing in Vicenza would make good sense, especially if you are flying into Venice as Vicenza is an easy car ride from Marco Polo airport (50 miles). Also, Vicenza is almost midway between Padova (30 miles) and Verona (40 miles). Those three cities are very close to each other, and day trips to and from those by train is quite easy. Even Venice is close by train, but the ambulatory issues should preclude Venice. There is no shortage of places to visit, including famous sites, hotels, restaurants etc. in all of these three cities. The information in a good guide book will fill in the blanks about each of those.
Train travel could present problems for your mother. Consequently, I would recommend including a decent amount in your budget for limo services. Think about 50 Euro per hour. Or, you could rent a car and stay in one of the many delightful places just outside of all of these cities. As you realize, parking in cities always presents challenges.
Rome is a wonderful place to visit, but walking presents real issues beginning with the many cobble stone streets.
In order to develop a travel plan that will suit you, you should respond to some of the responses to your inquiry.
Peter
Posts: 1366 | Location: Essex Fells, NJ and Longboat Key, Florida | Registered: 21 July 2002
I think anywhere like Venice, where one must constantly step up and down, would be very, very hard for a person with limited mobility.
Like Peter, (glad you are again Pecepe, mio amico ) I would recommend one of the flatter towns in the Emilia-Romagna region. Ferrara is a favorite of mine: Nicely paved streets, not too much traffic, a wide variety of architecture and outdoor seating nearly everywhere. Remember that cobblestones are very stressful for walkers with bad knees.
So, it's not so much your mother's age that's a problem as the limited mobility because of her knees. I would think that public transportation (buses as well as trains) would be exhausting. Think getting on and off (and fighting off crowds to do it).
Ferrara does have easy autostrada access, and so many beautiful towns are within easy driving distance.
I like the idea of Venice because crossing the street would be easier. So I did my internet thing and this article maybe helpful to you. Accessible Venice
When you book hotels be sure to stay on the ground floor or the hotel has a lift big enough for a wheelchair. This is a link to a review I did of our Venice hotel. This hotel doesn't have a lift/elevator but my mom and dad had the ground floor room #52 it had enough room for a wheelchair and easy access for people with knee problems. Here is a link to the La Locanda di Orsariareview.
I also found this website [URL=Accessible italy]http://www.accessibleitaly.com/home_standard.htm[/URL] I hope this helps your planning for Italy.
Anna if your"mother has always dreamed of visiting Italy", then she has done one of two things if not both. She has imagined going to specific places in Italy or she has imagined having specific experiences while she is in Italy. Such as "wanting to see the Vatican or the gardens in Tivoli" or she could be imagining sitting at a cafe in a piazza watching the world go by. Ask her and don't settle for where ever you want to go will be fine. If you can get her to share her dreams, then perhaps someone on the board can advise on how to best make it happen. If she always wanted to go Venice then saying that Venice has too many steps should translated to how can we enjoy Venice and minimize the steps. If she dreams of seeing Botticelli's Birth of Venus then you'll have to go to the Uffizi. If this is going to be the trip of a lifetime then it should the trip of Her dreams and not try here it's flat and there's stuff to see.
You might be able to visit the Cinque Terre if you only did the boat trip along the coast and never got off until the boat had made the circuit. I think that walking those towns would be very difficult, but the views from the boat if you have a nice day are fabulous.
Perhaps Megan in Liguria can speak to how difficult it would be for someone with limited mobility to get on and off the boat. We have made that trip (with Megan, in fact) but I wasn't thinking about how hard it would be for someone with accessibility problems.
I too feel that Lucca would be a fine choice! Bevagna is a much smaller town that is very senior friendly, my mother(84) loves it we have been there 4 times. It is a fine base for exploring Umbria. It is basically flat, with little traffic to deal with. If you have a car you should consider it. When in Rome take taxis. We did this for the first time last year and was money well spent. Brad
Posts: 89 | Location: Lake Tahoe | Registered: 13 June 2005
Venice is more accessible than many people think. The City of Venice's official website has a lot of information on accessibility, including hotels and suggestions for getting around.
Anna, you received a lot of sensible advise. I would like to add a reference to an excellent article written by our member Stella about travelling with seniors. And Mary has written about accessible Rome.
And something from me:
- Try to book into central hotels. In Italy this is also almost always synonimous with the historical center (centro storico). This way you will most often be where most areas of interest are, and close to the hotel if rest is needed. - For breaks, Italy is most blessed with coffee shops at each and every corner. It may cost a bit more in some places to sit at a table, but a coffee or a bottle of water, or both, are the best pretext for a needed rest. - Take taxies. Yes, it is costlier than public transportation, but getting on and off a bus (as Marian pointed out above) and, even worse, the stop and go of the frequent bus stations, particularly if standing, are just no good and in fact downright dangerous for people with questionable knees, or (like me) hips.
One of the many wonderful things about Italy it that you don't always have to go some place to see and feel something special; often you can just sit in a piazza and let Italy come to you.
hello anna2009, you do not say how long your visit to italy will be... which could make a difference as to what locations are suggested.
i agree with a poster who suggested that you ask your mother what she would like to see and then determine what is physically possible.
offhand, i would suggest florence because it is relatively flat and there is so much to see. most destinations are within 20 minutes (walking) from the historical center. the bus system is great within the city and the train can provide several options for day trips.
no matter where you and your mama end up in italy, i just know the both of you will be so happy! i only wish i could travel there with my own mother.
Posts: 958 | Location: smack dab midwest | Registered: 06 September 2004
I do agree with chiaro di luna and elizabetta...Florence would be my choice. It's a smaller city, there are glories galore in the Uffizi, Accademia and other lovely places, and the feeling of the city is very definitely 'Italy!'
quote:
If this is going to be the trip of a lifetime then it should the trip of Her dreams
Ron's absolutely right...find out what she longs to see and do, then do those things! If it means that you see a few things that she dreams of seeing, and do nothing else but eat delectable food, rest every afternoon and take short walks to here and there, it will be a successful trip and one that both of you will cherish and treasure forever. Lucky you! Lucky Mother!
"What are Raphael's Madonnas but the shadow of a mother's love, fixed in permanent outline forever?" ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson Brenda
Have you considered an escorted bus tour with either Trafalgar or Insight? I've used them for Spain and Southern Italy years ago. The guided walks were pretty easy.
Just to add two cents more..... I agree that the CT is too rugged for someone with limited mobility. I would also avoid most of the smaller hilltowns unless you hire a driver who can take your mom right to a desirable spot. I agree with those who suggested northwest Tuscany as a base. Your mom will love it. I would suggest Lucca (preferred) or Montecatini Terme for a base. They are both flat and offer a certain elegance that I think your mom would find appealing. Arrange a morning at one of the spas in Montecatini - very sedate, beautiful gardens, music and a somewhat older crowd and you can take the funicolare up to M. Alto. There is only a very short uphill walk to get to the main Piazza Giusti from the funicolare stop and she can get a bit of a feel for a Tuscan hilltown without much trouble. It is one of my favorite piazzas with a great restaurant too - La Torre. From a base in Lucca you can day trip easily to Florence, Pisa or even hire a car to take you to Portovenere - just as beautiful as the CT towns IMO and you could take the boat from there (or La Spezia) along the coast.
We spent 5 weeks in northern Italy and had a fantastic time. Having said that we saw at least 5 older people fall over and I remember my wife(who worked as an Aged Care manager for 20 years) saying "Italy is a terrible country for frail people - streets are steep, dangerous with cobble stones, narrow pavements make wheel chair access difficult, steps or stairs everywhere" and so on. Of course there are flat areas but not where tourists like to go.
Having said that there are parts of Venice where you don't have to cross small bridges - around San Marco for example. I don't know whether there are water taxis that specialise in people with disabilities.
Most of Florence is wheel chair accessible. However I can't remember whether there is a lift from the ticket office in the Uffizi to the next floor because there is a long flight of steps up.
Milan was easy to walk around. There is definitely a lift in the Colosseum, (the early Italian Engineers were pretty clever!)
How do the Italians get about? Check all the web sites for accessibility. And definitely let her navigate around the Italy websites and see where she would like to go.
Posts: 354 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 16 January 2007
Thank you soooo much, to everyone, for all of this incredible feedback. I am new to the site and overwhelmed by everyone's genuine interest, well-wishes, and knowledge base. Wow!! You have all sparked my curiousity, excitement, and hope. Once I sift through all of these great places, I will likely have lots more questions for all of you. Thanks again!
) I would recommend one of the flatter towns in the Emilia-Romagna region. Ferrara is a favorite of mine: Nicely paved streets, not too much traffic, a wide variety of architecture and outdoor seating nearly everywhere. Remember that cobblestones are very stressful for walkers with bad knees. 
Let me try that again. 