I'll be in Rome next week for four days, then joining a 17 day coach tour of southern Italy starting and finishing in Rome.

My problem is that I have emphysema, I'm not a youngster (female - 69), and am somewhat concerned about coping with steep hills, etc.

I will be with three friends and don't want to hold them up with my problems . The tour I'm going on will be a leisurly one and I've done quite a lot of research on it and know what I'm getting into - but am somewhat concerned about Rome.

I don't want to miss anything - just am interested in comments from people.

ht, repost this. The wording of your title is very important for what you are concerned about,emphysema and climbing.
People here will give you good advice.

Hello HT
I can understand your concern as there are a lot of steps to negotiate in some tourist stops and attractions. Having said that if you advise your tour guide at the start of the tourI am sure they can make provision for you to have access to entrances that have elevators etc to make life easier and so that you do not miss out on anything.
Are you going to Capri, if so they will probably offer a guided tour which is good as you won't have to use too many steps, without a guide there is a lot of walking? Remember that the tour guides cope with many situations and people with all sorts of requirements so don't be afraid to ask for help and enjoy yourself, it's wonderful area.

I read that your concerns are about your four days in Rome prior to your tour.

You are worried about holding up your friends. Can you seperate from them?

You could shop and cafe while they climb the seven hills.

You could sit in the coluseum at ground level with a bag of humbugs while they run around.

Travelling together does not require being joined at the hip.

Thanks - you just confirmed my son's words to me about not being joined at the hip! I'll be O.K. Just being paranoid but this too shall pass. I'll forego the humbugs though - !

How can you forego the humbugs.

My mother always travelled with a pocketful.

I think they were her primary food group.

Pardon my ignorance, but what the heck is a humbug?

Hi ht,

If you're planning on the Borghese Museum I did notice that there is a small elevator next to the staircase. I only noticed it at the top of the stairs; it wasn't readily visible from the bottom. This is just one place where there are tons of stairs. I'm sure you would be allowed to use the elevator if you asked as soon as you arrived there.

I would suggest carrying a paper, written in Italian, explaining that you require an elevator because of a medical condition. That would be helpful in situations where you encounter folks not fluent in English.

Another place where there were lots of stairs was St. Peters in Chains church (not to be confused with St. Peters at the Vatican). When we got to the top of the stairs I noticed that there was a street right in front of the church which would have avoided the stairs.

You can always use taxis in Rome. They're plentiful and very inexpensive. That will save you some walking up and down the hilly parts.

adrienne

my mother and I used the metro alot in rome. We also saw alot in rome without taking a bunch of stairs and skipped stuff with stairs. As for the colliseum there were stairs and they were steep but there was only one flight so you could take your time getting up them and your friends could explore the giftshop on the 2nd floor if they were that much ahead of you. I think the idea about carrying a request to use an elevator due to a medical condition is a good idea. It might also be helpful to carry a brief medical condition paragraph with you. My pet peeve...carry your meds in bottles and bring a prescription with you with the chemical name written on it.