Any easy coastal places to visit in Italy?

[Guest]

My mom turns 60 next year and wants to go to Italy to celebrate. I worry because she is pretty overweight, generally unhealthy, and has limited mobility (it can't do loads of stairs or uphills, gets winded walking 6 blocks but can do a little longer of walks if it's not super strenuous).

I've never been to Italy so I am wondering if anyone has guidance on areas that may work OK for her? Like is walking around Rome center relatively easy? For things that take more walking or whatnot will plan around public transport or private if need be, but I don't want to kill her trying to walk to dinner.

I'm assuming Cinque Terre is going to be off the table, but any easy coastal places to visit?

Trying to sort out if there is a feasibly Italy trip that can be had, or if I should redirect her to somewhere like Amsterdam or the Caribbean.

[Erica]

See if there are any Italian River cruises. Europe, especially busy cities can be hard on people with mobility issues. I had a family friend use her cane and wheelchair in cities while on her Viking River cruise. She said the wheelchair wasn’t a great help as the cobblestones and large crowds made it difficult to get around. She used her cane and took lots of breaks

[Sye]

Since she want to go to Italy, tell her she needs to start preparing now for the trip. That would give her a great reason to start doing some walking throughout the day.

It can be a realistic goal, get her in some better shape, take a lot of burden off you as well.

I'd hate to not be able to enjoy a trip because of mobility logistics. And trust I'm not being negative. I want her to enjoy all that it has to offer

[Melody]

An Italian cruise and see if you can find excursions that cater to people with mobility issues. They exist. She may need a motorized wheelchair and they may be able to provide one.

But I agree it could be a great way to motivate her by prepping together.

I wouldn’t phrase it as “you need to prep” but more like “let’s both start walking a lot more so we can enjoy this trip.” If you don’t live in the same town you can talk on the phone and walk, or compete using fitbits or Apple Watch step counters.

Even for in shape people yours can be a lot of walking so it doesn’t hurt to prep yourself too

[Debra]

Can she start doing some walking now to prepare herself?

She’s got plenty of time to start slowly, and that way she will get the best out of her trip.

Even public transport involves going up and down steps if using the metro, and she will get far more out of it if she is able to walk comfortably without worrying about it!

Enjoy it!!

[Kie]

I think a lot of the big cities in Italy (Florence, Rome, even Venice other than bridges) aren’t extremely hilly with a lot of stairs but there is a lot of walking. You could probably do it with lots of cafe breaks. Most of the smaller cities and towns that I can think of are usually extremely hilly (e.g literally set on hilltops), so not sure how feasible that would be I’m sure others will have suggestions, though, on ways to get around Italy. However, I wanted to throw another suggestion out. Any interest in Ireland? I took my elderly uncle who had recently recovered from an illness and was not in great shape. It was much more of scenic drives and short strolls. It was absolutely perfect for him!

[Debbie]

We took a tour bus that drove us to all the main sites in Rome and let us get off. It took away a lot of walking. Loved Cinque Terra! The train can get you between the towns. Monterosso was probably the less hilly.

[Heidi]

If Italy is her dream, she should go to Italy. Any European travel and / or visits to historic sites is going to be strenuous, but there are often accessible ways to have a great experience. It won’t be the same experience as it might for someone in their 30s or 40s without mobility issues, but it will be HER experience and enjoyable for her. Look into disability touring groups and accept the fact that this will be a slower paced trip but will make memories you will all cherish.

[Rachel]

My MIL was the same way. We took her to Prague in 2020. While it wasn’t the fast paced, see every site we could vacation I would have, she loved it! She would sit for hours in the main square and talk to folks, watch people, enjoy the food. It did take us longer to get through the airport and get through places but it was still amazing.

[Emily]

We always try to do extra walking before we travel... even in our early 30s, sightseeing all day can be strenuous . I'd take her to Italy, and try to start preparing now if you can...maybe you can walk together and gradually increase, start small, to both feel more ready. I hope it goes well for you!

[Martina]

Theres a lot of walking in Amsterdam too. Venice is beautiful. It's fairly flat and the steps on the bridges are wide so easy to use. It's not big. You can also use the boats to go up and down the canal. Theres a couple of islands to visit as well I loved it and I'm fairly slow to get around too

[Diana]

Go! Rome is a lot of walking, but there is a hop on and off bus that drops you close to the sites. Florence and Venice are pretty flat unless you decide to climb to the top of buildings. Enjoy the adventure. The hardest part will be for you to slow yourself down to her level.

Remember that you are creating memories for both of you.

[Liza]

Italy is a big country so there are probably small towns. I don't have any suggestions other than NOT Rome, Capri, Florence, Sorrento or Amalfi Coast. Maybe a cruise. You stop at a port then get picked up private to take you to a tour. You can then pick a tour that are less active.

[Skeet]

It may limit what you can do, but manageable. We went to Croatia 10 weeks after my wife broke both ankles and had metal installed. Left the day she got off the kneeboard. We planned around it. Changed to hotel with elevator, took a riding tour in an electric model a instead of walking tour, stayed at more central locations, sat and had drinks at more cafe's.

Limit what you can and tell her to start walking!

[Karen]

If stairs are an issue than CT and the Amalfi areas aren’t a good idea. I’m not familiar with other coastal areas but look at Puglia area. That might be ok. Rome, Florence have a lot of cobblestones and a lot of walking. You could easily walk 8+miles a day. Now you could do tours; golf cart, private car, etc that would help. I suggest staying in the city center close to what she wants to see the most. My first time in Rome I stayed 2 min walk from Trevi fountain and it was great. I got gelato and went to Trevi every day. If that is where she wants to go then I would try to make it work.

[Rene]

Have you thought of doing a bus tour of Italy? They usually drive you as close as possible to the major tourist sights, and have special arrangements to get into the Vatican, etc. They handle the luggage and have the hotels already planned out. If you want a little extra time at the start or end of the tour, you can always arrive a couple of days early or stay a couple of days later than the tour.

[Roslyn]

Do you live near your mom? Maybe you could take walks with her to prepare for having to walk more than usual. If you don’t live near her, you could suggest she go for walks with a friend. Another exercise suggestion is swimming and/or water aerobics.

Re Italy: if your mom can get on and off buses without too much trouble, see if there is a Hop On Hop Off bus tour option. That can be a great way to sightsee and get around town. Also, someone suggested taking breaks by going to cafes. That would also provide an opportunity to do some people watching!

[Marie]

When we stayed in Positano, we were up top, and enjoyed walking the stairs and streets down to the beach. We walked back up, too, but if I recall correctly, there are buses you can take. Postiano is on the scenic Amalfi coast, and the bus ride to get there is really scenic and fun. I think you could enjoy a coastal experience there. There are some beaches on the other coast, but it seems like a lot of them are private. The real scenic coast is the one that is almost all cliffs - the west coast. Rome invites a LOT of walking and there are some hills, but it should be doable with a little advance conditioning and REALLY GOOD SHOES!