amc236

My mom and I will be in Italy for 10 days (June 10-21). I'll be meeting her in Venice (coming from Croatia) and then we'll eventually fly out of Rome (on 6/21).

While I've been to Italy before (mostly Florence and Venice), my mom has never been. I'm excited to see Venice and Florence again, and through her eyes, but I'm also excited to explore Rome and hopefully do a couple other day trips (Cinque Terre, Naples).

One thing that I need to keep in mind is age difference. While I live in a city and am used to walking all day/everyday, my mom's not. Moreover, she broke her leg a couple of summers ago and while she's healed, she has a fear of falling/hurting it again.

Any tips for traveling with a parent? Would she have enough to do in Cinque Terre (even if I went off and explored/hiked on my own)?

Right now we're thinking 2 nights in Venice, 5 nights in Florence (with day trips here and there), and 3 nights in Rome.

Would love/appreciate any tips/suggestions for day trips and places to stay! Many thanks in advance!

LuvToRoam

What are your ages? Right off the bat I would only do a day trip to Florence and stay in Rome the remainder of the time, regardless of your ages.

jnjfraz

What a wonderful trip for you and your Mom. Where you go will be dependent on what you like.

The age issue depends a lot on how your mother travels and her personality. To address your questions. If your Mom is fine sitting in a small village in Italy then she will be fine in Vernazza.

Keep in mind that if she is unsteady then it is very important to have really good shoes that will work on cobblestones. You might also have to walk arm in arm as most older women do with their daughters..... I always miss my Mom when I see this. I think that a slower pace would be good. And if she is an independent women then plop her down and go explore for a bit.

I think it is just pacing her physical abilities and let her do this a little slower than you might.

charnees

Every place in le Cinque Terre is very steep, except Monterosso. If you stayed there and she was OK with spending a day alone, fine. But you should have a hotel room so she has a place to land if she wants. Don't make it a day trip.

Obiously Venice and Florence and Rome are the highlights for a first-timer. But unless she is also up to standing for hours to look at art in Florence, I would not spend more than a day or two there. mainly do Rome. There is so much there, and the bus/tram/metro system makes getting around pretty easy.

I say this as a 76 year old with two artificial knees. She shouod have a cane, for those cobblestone streets, if she is not steady on her feet. You can buy folding ones that fit in your luggage.

nytraveler

It would help if you told us how old your mother is. (I recall a recent post in which a young woman was talking about her mother being in not bad shape to do things - and she was bout 45.)

Is your mom 50 or 60 or 70 or 80. How much walking dos she do on a regular basis (really more important than age). Agree that a can might be a great idea if she is not 100% steady on uneven pavements.

sarge56

I think you are putting too much on your plate (as well as your Mom's.)

With only 10 days, I would stick to Venice 3 nights, Florence 2 nights and the remainder in Rome. There is way too much to see in all of these cities and you will be on overload right quick if you try to put too much into this.

Please consider the Cinque Terre for some solo or future trip. Three cities is more than plenty for 10 days. You will barely have time to get to know each one.

(And despite what charnees states, there is plenty to do in Florence. Certainly, two or three days just for the basics!)

Good luck!

mamcalice

I would do no more than 3 destinations in 10 days. Choose either Venice, Florence and Rome or, if you must go to Cinque Terre, Venice, Florence and CT. I would not do CT as a day trip.

It would help to know your Mom's age but regardless, she has 3 months to prepare for the trip and should "train" by walking as much as she can between now and June. Walking a mile a couple of times a day to start and working up to longer walks will make the visit so much more comfortable and enjoyable for her. And be sure she has comfortable shoes and wears them enough in advance to be sure they are good for the amount of walking she will be doing.

CarolA

I did Italy last year with my mom. She's in her mid 70's but broke both wrists the year prior and now lives if "fear" of falling again. And of course she managed to injure her ankle about half way through our trip!

Italy is "tough" We had a great time, but Venice is tough on someone who is "mobility challenged" LOTS of stairs.

Depending on her age you may need to realize what I did. It's time to SLOW down. Yes, YOU can do everything, but is that the purpose of this trip? In my case it wasn't. I wanted to be sure she had a good time so we didn't hike, we took the bus

I would drop the day trips and slow down. You are speeding through places becuase "I have been there before" but you say she hasn't. Give her time to enjoy it. And honestly, Naples is not a "day trip" IMHO. I know it's doable, but we did go to Naples and it was not a day trip destination IMHO unless you really have a lot of stamina! Right now it sounds like "I want to do what I want and just Stash mom" If she's like most mom's she will pick up on that and feel bad that she's "spoiling" your trip. (The only fight my mother and I had was the one where she told me that since she was slowing me down she wanted me to change her flight so she could go home early. And I honestly didn't mind slowing down for her. I knew what I was up against from Day 1. (I have been to this rodeo before)

suze

With 10 days I would do:

Venice Florence Rome
OR
Rome Cinque Terre Naples

(definitely not all 5 places)

YvonneT

Another thing to remember. As I understand it, it your mom is flying into Venice from (?) the USA, you'll already be in Croatia. If that is so, it may take her a day or two to get up to speed. So, your first stop, for example Venice, should perhaps be a day longer to give her some time to regroup.

TravelinFeet

I am finally well enough to "really" travel, but for quite a while I wasn't. What I really loved was to drive through and around new places. If a car and driver is out of the question, then perhaps there is a bus or two that drive across the city? Or a hop on and off tour bus?

Definitely act as if you are pooped before your mom says anything, so she doesn't feel bad -- and hey, when one is tired the answer is always food right? (I know the hardest part for me was disappointing others..)

Also, if you decide ahead of time that you are going to take a taxi back to the hotel at the end of the day, she may be less anxious about heading back.

And yes, shoes make all the difference in the world.

I go with the three city part but Venice is really confusing so you might want to go in the other direction if she is likelyl to feel less confused the longer she stays? (Like I'm working my way up to Marrakech, and not starting there lol)

HTH

TF

zeppole

amc?

I adore Naples but it is really not a place for someone insecure about walking. I'm not sure le Cinque Terre is either.

Your mom's age matters less than how she feels about walking. Some easy italian cities and towns for walking are: Verona, Florence, Lucca and Ravenna. Lucca in particular is nice because it has almost no cars.

amc236

Wow, thank you so much for the replies!

Here are a few more details...

My mom is 62 and she walks with the dog twice a day, most days of the week (around 1/2 mile each time). I think the fear of falling isn't so much the fall, but the recuperation that would be necessary. She lives by herself and I think that was the worst part of the healing process a few summers ago.

And in no way would I want to "stash" my mom. I'm actually really excited about seeing these places through her eyes. I fell in love with Venice five years ago--I hope she loves it too.

I think my mom's up for anything, but we both know each other well enough and are independent enough that, if need be, she can wander around a market and sit in a cafe while I go off and do something as well.

Also, it's looking like my aunt (her sister) might very likely join us. So perhaps they could do the museum thing in Florence and I could go to Cinque Terre by myself for a day or 2?

On another note, any recommendations of mid-range places to stay? I was lucky enough to stay with a friend who was living in Florence five years ago.

Mimar

What is your definition of mid-range? Rather, how much do you want to spend per night? Would you be looking for a triple room or 3 singles? Or a single and a double? European hotels have true singles and very few triple rooms.

While the bridges over the canals in Venice have steps, they're very low steps. I, in my late 60s, would think them negligible.

tuscanlifeedit

Yikes; I'm nearly 62 and would have no problem sitting out a hike while my daughter or another companion went off.

However I don't think I'd agree to a day trip to either CT or Naples, but mostly because they are too far for a day.

If your aunt is there, I see no reason why you can't take an over night expedition on your own.

62? My mother went on a tour of Italy with her friends when she was 80. Although she did do a header in Ravello, and came home with a black eye.

zeppole

It is increasingly common for people to head off to le Cinque Terre for the day, especially in summer when the days are so long, and Naples is only an hour from Rome.

sarge56

Hotel Casci in Florence is my favorite, and they do have triple rooms (I've stayed in one).

http://www.hotelcasci.com/

Great breakfast, too. Family-owned. Part of an old Medici palace, two minutes from Duomo, ten from the train station.

nytraveler

It would help if you could provide a budget - and what sort of room and bed configuration you would want. A room with 3 single beds is VERY rare - much more likely to get a double and a single. And be sure they know it is for 3 adults - not kids.

(As we were checking into a hotel in Rome some years ago there was a brouhaha in the lobby when 4 americans arrived to check into a double room. To them, a double meant TWO double beds - but naturally the room only had one bed - and no room to put in a couple of roll-aways. Luckily the hotel had another room available - but the group wanted it for free. They asked us - as other americans - if a double room didn't mean 2 duoble beds - and were astonished when we said no. They were really upset when I suggested they contact their hotels in other cities to fix the problem in advance. They just weren't prepared to pay any more.)