ITALY - 1st TRIP FOR US - NEED GUIDANCE
 

Greetings:
My husband and I are planning to visit Italy sometime during the September/October, 2009 timeframe.
We have no idea where to go in Italy for our first trip there,or how to go about planning for it. Hopefully some of you good folks can offer us advice.
Notes about ourselves: love to sightsee, we can't speak Italian, I am limited in the walking I can do, would love to visit the Vatican.
Can you recommend a reputable tour company or two that we could investigate or should we try and do this trip on our own (which sounds a bit scary to me, considering we have never been there before and can't speak the language.)
Thanks.

I recommend going independent. Get a guidebook and flip through it to get an overview of places to go. You have time to take an Italian for Travellers course if any are offered in your area or to do independent study.

You need to define "limited in the walking I can do".

The usual essential bits of any Italian sightseeing holiday - Venice, Rome and Florence - routinely demand considerable walking. Some bits - like St Peter's and the Vatican Museums - can work if walking's a real problem, as there are wheelchair routes, and they're set up for pilgrims : but even here, the walking distances can be formidable if you're not prepared to to use a wheelchair. Other bits - anything in Venice, and Classical Rome sights like the Roman Forum - are really, really difficult if walking is out of the question.

Since self-driving is completely out of the question, you might need either a private driver (for Rome and Florence) or a specialist disability tour company.

I'd strongly suggest you get a good Italy guide book - if necessary from a library - prioritise what you want to see, then come back here for help in working out how to do that.

Don't underestimate the sheer volume of what there is to see in Italy. Or the real difficulties of seeing a lot of it if you're not nimble on your pins. No-one had invented disability access laws in Ancient Rome or in Renaissance Florence.

I wouldn't worry about not speaking Italian. I don't either and have been to Italy several times. Most people dealing with tourists speak enough English to communicate with you.

You need to define "limited walking." Can you walk a mile or two, slowly? Can you stand for any length of time? How about stairs?

How long do you plan to be in Italy. If 1-2 weeks then I would limit the trip to Rome and Florence. There's more than enough sightseeing in these cities to keep you busy for a week each.

In Rome it's easy to get taxis. Your hotel can call one for you and you can hail them in the street. That will help limit your walking. The Vatican is huge and it's quite a walk from the entrance to the Sistine Chapel as you go through the Vatican Museums.

Planning starts with reading a couple of guidebooks. No need to spend money on these as libraries usually have a good selection. You can also search on this forum for information from contributors and from the fodors home page there a section called "Destinations" that gives overviews.

Florence is more compact than Rome and if you book a hotel in the center, near the Cathedral there won't be too much walking from place to place.

If you want an overview of Italy some of the more well-known tour companies are below. You won't see much in depth as the tours cover a lot of territory. I personally would rather see one or two places than keep moving around to another town every day or two.

If you decide on a tour you need to very carefully read about what is included and look at the itinerary. Often the prices seem good but there are additional expenses that can add up.

Elderhostel runs educational tours that include lectures and sightseeing. Sometimes they stay in one location for the entire trip.

http://www.elderhostel.org/

http://www.collettetours.com/

http://www.insightvacations.com/us/

http://www.tauck.com/

Although I can't recommend a tour company, I think you should consider going on a tour since you are concerned about language, walking and all of the unknowns. It will give you a sense of security so you can enjoy yourselves more.

Here is a start on some basic itineraires that may help. We too are going back that same time of year--it will be our 15th trip to Italy---you too will go back.
BOB the NAVIGATOR’S FAVORITE ITALY ITINERARIES
UPDATED AUGUST, 2006
After 24 trips to southern Europe, and having developed more than 220 customized TRIP PLANS for others, I am now older and hopefully wiser. Here is an updated version of my favorite itineraries & my “Bella Italia” photo gallery. I hope you enjoy.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3827

1. BELLA ITALIA: Five destinations in 15 days—car & train travel
* Arrive in Milan[MXP] & depart from Venice[VCE]or vice versa.
* Itinerary to include the Italian Lakes, Ligurian coast, rural
Tuscany, Florence, & Venice. Suggested timing is 3-2-4-2-4.
* Option: Drop the coast & rent a villa in Tuscany[ 3-7-2-3].
* Best time to go: May & June or Sept. & Oct.

2. LA DOLCE VITA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome[ FCO] or arrival in Naples
* Itinerary to include Rome, the Amalfi coast, and Tuscany
* Best time to go: Easter to end of October
* Option: Fly into Naples & stay at 2 locations on the coast

3. CLASSIC ITALIA: Three destinations in 12 to 14 days-car & train
* Arrival & departure from Rome—may start trip in Florence
* Destinations to include Florence, Rome & Tuscany/Umbria
* Best time to go: Anytime, but May & Oct. are my favorites
* Option: Consider a weekly rental in Tuscany/Umbria

4. SICILIAN CHARMS: Five destinations in 15 days—car travel
* Connections to Catania & Palermo via Rome or gateway city.
* Itinerary to include Taormina, Siracusa, Palermo & more.
* Best time to go: March to November—May is best for flowers
* See: http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=634

5. THE VILLAGE SAMPLER: My favorite venues for those who enjoy natural beauty and quaint, small villages. Arranged north to south.
* Arrive Milan & depart Rome—car travel-- 3 nites per location
* Itinerary to include Lago Orta, Castelrotto/ Ortisei[Dolomites],
Portovenere[Liguria], Montalcino[Tuscany], & Spello[Umbria].
* Best time to go: May to October for the lakes and Dolomites
* Option: Pick 3 out of 5 and stay longer in Tuscany/Umbria.

90 percent of the above boilerplate recommendations are not suitable for someone who is limited in the amount of walking they can do. It's just cut-and-paste.

If you would love to visit the Vatican, begin by planning your trip around that. It is mainly flat, but it is an extensive site and you might want to make more than one visit, and thus plan several days in Rome. Believe me, if you see only Rome, you will see a LOT of what is great about Italian culture.

Since you have a lot of time to plan, investigate both tours that are geared to people with limited mobility AND going independent, which means continuing the conversation on message boards like this.

But if people are going to help you you need to post more information about yourselves. Can you climb stairs? Do you want to rent a car? Would you prefer visiting the Vatican and then relaxing in the countryside -- or seeing Florence (flat) plus Venice (lots of stairs)?

Hi 472

Italy is very easy to do on your own.

How long do you have?

What's your budget?

((I))

I would definitely plan it yourself. Not speaking Italian is not an issue unless you head for some very obscure small towns. And tour groups often require more walking than independent travel (you can take a cab right up to entrances that tour buses can;t get near).

But - ancient Roman sites require quite a bit of walking on rough ground and Renaissancel areas often have uneven cobblestone streets.

How limited is your walking (a couple blocks at a time - or only a short distance)? That will help people give you advice on a possible itinerary and how to handle mobility.

I find Venice an easy place to walk. It's flat and compact. Yes, there are frequent bridges, but the steps on the bridges are low and easy to climb. And the bridges aren't very high. Plus you can get a good overview of Venice just sitting on the vaporetto going up the Grand Canal. And see more of Venice from gondolas and taxi-boats.

If you can find a tour company that specializes in tours for the mobility-impaired, that might be your answer. A regular tour might require more and faster walking than you'd be comfortable with.

I would definitely recommend a tour for your first trip there. Not only do they do all the planning, obviously, but will take you to the highlights of the country. Look at Globus Gateways or Trafalgar for example. Even if you decide not to go the tour route, you can still use their itineraries as a rough guide.

travel472: I travel very often, mostly on my own, but I have also taken tours. Sometimes, it's just the right thing to do. My favorite tour company is Globus/Cosmos. Read the itineraries very carefully so you'll know exactly what you are getting. They offer many optional in city tours, so you can buy them or just wander on your own. Don't expect much in the way of included meals. It's like this with most companies. I tend to use Cosmos more often, because the price is lower with less items included. This way I use the extra money to do what I want, and eat in those great little places I find during my wanderings. Sometimes it's really nice having transportation and hotels set up and ready for you. I have also met many very nice people, who tend to form a bond on the trip. Lots of laughs too. Also don't expect an in depth academic tour . Group tours are more like a "taste of" the various places. Either way, have a wonderful time !

Hi everyone,

It´s really great and exciting that you want to visit Italy. Before you plunge into this experience, there´s a few things that you should know.

First, you need to make your plan tailor made to your preferences and tastes. This is the secret recipe in making your trip a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Secondly, once you´ve established your interests, you should visit and participate in activities that support your these.

You won´t get anywhere if you rush through all the most famous attractions of Italy. In fact, you run the risk of making your experience a miserable one if you just rush through your trip.

Take the above mentioned tips as a way to organize and making an experience that is specifically tailor made for you.

Carlos (Oh-holidays)

You might consider the route we took for our first trip to Italy. There are several companies (we used American Express) that offers an "independent" tour, in which the company provides the basics (i.e., airfare, hotels, trains between cities and a few other minor services).
We chose that route because we were a little nervous about doing it on our own the first time, but at the same time, didn't want to be tied down with someone else totally planning our itinerary.
With the "independent" route, we were able to pretty much see and do most of which was on our A list, while at the same time have the security of knowing that the basics were taken care of.

Hello all:
I read each and every response with keen interest. So many of you recommended that we get a guidebook first and read it carefully before making any concrete plans. This makes a lot of sense and what we will do.
As for my comment on "limited walking" . . . I can walk an hour or so with no problems, and can do a mile or so at a slow to medium pace.
We are going to do our homework first (reading a guidebook or two) and then get back to you for more advice once we can further define what we would like to see and do on our first trip to Italy.
I'm getting excited already! Okay, now I'm off to Borders to pick up some guidebook reading material.
Thanks so much!

Also, spend time at slowtrav.com for good basic info and tons of trip reports--hard to beat.

I think a tour is a good idea. I would recommend Tauck Tours (www.tauck.com). I have taken 2 tours to Italy with them (Classic Italy which is 14 days & Venice, Rome, Florence and the Lakes which is 10 days). Both were wonderful. They stay at 5-star hotels, most food is included and is usually a la carte (except for the large breakfast buffets), you don't have to handle your luggage, and the tour director will address any issues you have.

I just returned from a Tauck tour to Budapest, Vienna & Prague. While I like to explore, do my own thing and walk like crazy, there were people on the tour who had mobility limitations. The tour director always arranged for a taxi (at no extra cost) for those who needed assistance.

Again, you haven't said how long you plan to spend -- or really what all you want to do or see.
But if you are talking about two weeks or a little less, I think you can be very happy doing it on your own and hitting the "big three" -- Rome, Florence, and Venice. Train travel between the three is a piece of cake. If you can fly into Rome and fly home from Venice -- that's ideal as well. You can hire a guide if you want in the individual cities.

If you'd be happy visiting those three cities then I don't really see the point of a tour. If on the other hand you want to hit a new town every day and if you do want the "luxury" of someone taking care of things for you -- then the tour could be fine. Be aware though that the thing some don't like about most tours is that you must be up at the crack of dawn every day and go at their pace -- not for everyone, but necessary when you're checking off half a dozen destinations in a short time.

What a wealth of information you good folks are providing - and a bit overwhelming, to be sure, but I am reading everything slowly so as to absorb it all. I'm really glad we aren't going until next September/October because I realize that I need all of that time to decide and plan on just what we want to do! Since this is our first trip to Italy, I figured a tour would be the way to go. However, now I'm not so sure. My husband and I love to go off and explore on our own, and I'm now thinking maybe we should try and put together a trip ourselves rather than a tour. However, that requires a lot of research, work, time, etc. and I don't know if I can - or want - to do that. We shall see.
NEOPATRICK: After reading the feedback everyone has given us, thus far, I think the three places we would like to visit for the first time is Rome, Florence and Venice. I'm hoping to go for between 10-14 days but it will depend on the cost. I love the idea of train travel between each place. What do you think about renting a car?
BOBTHENAVIGATOR . . . you are a wealth of information and the "slowtrav" link you mentioned is so informative. Thanks for recommending it.
I'll keep everyone posted as I slooooowly go about searching the internet and reading the guidebooks I bought yesterday (on your recommendation!)

If you're going to do Venice, Florence & Rome (which I think is a very good itinerary for a first trip), you definitely don't want a car. You obviously can't use one in Venice and don't want one in either Florence or Rome. Take the train between cities.

DH and I took a Globus tour last summer to Italy that was very nice. It is called Leisurely Italy and includes 3 days in Rome, 3 days in Tuscany(Florence 1 day) and 3 days in Venice.We did go to Rome 2 days early on our own and that than gave us 5 days in Rome. We loved this tour as there was as there was a lot of free time if you wanted to do some things on your own.I do enjoy having the hotels and transportation taken care of when visiting a country where I don't speak the language. When we go back though I imagine we will go on our own.

We took the "independent" tour I mentioned earlier just for the very reason that it allowed us a lot of free time to explore on our own. And, at the same time, it freed us of the worry, etc., about booking hotels, trains, etc.
Our first time also included Rome, Florence and Venice, and like letsgo39, we booked two extra days in Rome at the start of our trip.
And, as previous recommended, you definitely do NOT want to rent a car if you plan on making the big three Italian cities your itinerary.

Italy is very easy to do on your own for your overall trip. If you feel the need for a pro tour, you can find a day or half day tour in those cities. the nice thing about going on your own is that you can control the pace.

You DO NOt want a car for a trip to Rome, Florence and Venice. the train works much better and is much less hassle.

If you have at least nine nights I would divide them evenly between the three. If 10 or 11, I'd add time to Rome. 12 and I'd split evenly again.

Most places that you will stay have some form of online booking. there is a great deal of info and help on the internet in forums like these. So very easy to do on your own.

Based on so many of your recommendations, we have already made a couple of decisions regarding our trip to Italy. We definitely would like to do Rome, Florence and Venice for our first trip. If we decide to try and put this trip together on our own, we will not be renting a car but will, instead, use rail service, as well as cab service if and when necessary.
LETSGO39: Did you arrange your own flights to Rome and then join the Globus tour when you got there?
HOWARDR: Great suggestion!
My husband feels as though he is a "computer widower" because I've been spending hours on it researching the trip. My mind is actually getting boggled with all the information that is out there and I think I will take a break from it until after the Christmas holiday! However, as I make progress, I will keep you posted.

travel472, as I previously wrote, the "independent" tour type really gave us a lot of free time. Though our package included a half-day tour in each of the three cities, we opted not to take the one in Florence, and instead, went off on our own. And, our extra two days in Rome at the start of the experience afforded the opportunity to go to Pompeii, which was one of the highlights of that trip.
I cannot emphasize enough how much signing up for this basic package eased--and just about eliminated--our nervousness due this being our first trip to Italy.
Did we see everything during the 13 days of the trip? No. Did we have a great time? Yes. Did we return to Italy? Yes, two more times.....and we still haven't seen everything....not even close. And, by the way, on our two followup trips to Italy and one to Paris, we did all the planning and made all the arrangements ourselves.

Now that some of you have piqued my interest in, perhaps, arranging most of our Italy trip ourselves, did you find that booking your own hotels, flights, tours, etc. ahead of time was less expensive than going through a tour operator and having everything done for us?
Also, would it be in our best interest to use our Visa card or would it be better to pay for everything in cash?
Thank you!

"would it be in our best interest to use our Visa card or would it be better to pay for everything in cash?"

Depends on the cards - there are several threads here about that. I now travel with a Capital One Visa card - it's the only one I know about that doesn't charge a foreign conversion fee - in fact I get cash back. My Citibank cards charge a 3% conversion fee. Check with your bank to see what fees it will charge for using your ATM card to get cash (forget travelers' checks). Mine charges a 1% conversion fee, so I'm better off using the Visa card, but a lot smaller places don't take cards.

I get more satisfaction out of a trip I've booked myself. (Well, actually we only went on a tour once, the first time we went to Europe. After that, we figured we could do it ourselves. And have.) But you need to like doing research. For me, researching and anticipating is one of the best parts of the trip.

You can get lots of help online, here at Fodors and at www.tripadvisor.com and www.venere.com (for hotels). You've already found Slow Travel.

We look for small hotels with lots of local flavor, very centrally located. If you go on a tour, they book you in some big streamlined modern hotel not so conveniently located.

On our own, we walk a lot and enjoy the sights as we walk along. We pick the sights we want to see and get to stay there as long a time as we wish. And we don't spend any time sitting on a bus waiting for some tardy tour member.

We often go on local walking tours to get more expertise on what we're seeing.

With your mobility problems, you might have to look for local small bus tours to get around. Or even hire a taxi to give you a mini-tour. There's a website with help for mobility-impaired travelers. I couldn't find it with a quick google, but maybe somebody else has the URL.