Originally Posted by AJPeabody (Post 17453710)

Even if she doesn't really need a cane, carrying one will get her courtesy and assistance and maybe even a seat without having to beg.

Originally Posted by ekscrunchy (Post 17453712)

I think your Mom's status is about the same as many thousands of other travelers that visit Tuscany and your other possible destinations, and who are able to enjoy many, if not all, of these (perhaps modified) with little or no trouble. I would certainly take the steps suggested above, such as asking for wheelchair assistance from the airline both on departure and arrival. Book this when you book your tickets, is possible. Try for disabled rooms at hotels that offer them, or request a room on ground floor, where possible, and with a step-in shower, not a shower in the tub. I'd also do my best to choose a hotel in a very central location so tht she can easily return to the hotel for a rest of if she has an episode of bad pain.

I AGREE WITH THE ABOVE 1,000%

My partner needs a joint replacement and hopefully, will gat that surgery as soon as we return from Sicily next month. He is in considerable pain when walking even short distances. He does promise that he will take the prescribed medication during our trip; at home he is very reluctant, for no actual, rational reason, I might add!

SOUNDS LIKE YOUR PARTNER MAY BE AS STUBBORN AS MY MOM! ;)

We usually rent cars outside of cities in Europe, but this time, we are using private drivers to get from place to place. It requires some back-and-forth to find a driver whose price is within your budget, but it is not difficult. And if he is not feeling very well on a particular morning, he is content to grab a bench to survey the street scene, or relax on a terrace or deck or pool at our hotels that offer these. (We've already canceled this trip 4 times due to COVID and various medical issues and are determined not to cancel again!)

I'M REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU ENGAGED PRIVATE DRIVERS. WAS IT DIFFICULT TO FIND GOOD DRIVERS WHO SPOKE ENGLISH AND HAD COMFORTABLE CARS? IF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING, HOW MUCH DID THAT GENERALLY COST? (I HOPE YOU WON'T HAVE TO CANCEL AGAIN!!!)


Obviously, you might want to offer some idea of your budget so we can better give advice. For example, what is your hotel price range?

FOR HOTELS, I'M THINKING $150-$250 PER NIGHT, BUT I KNOW THAT MIGHT BE UNREALISTIC. WE'RE STILL RESEARCHING AND FIGURING OUT BUDGETS.


Even if you are reluctant to drive overseas, might you change your mind and just plunge in? Outside the big cities, it should not be difficult, especially with all the assistance available today in the form of GPS, etc. (I was very anxious about renting in Spain last month, as I'd never driven in Europe and do not like driving in any place. But I was determined not to let my fear rule me and I was so glad Ii did. It was supremely easy, thanks in large part to my renting a car with built-in GPS...I'lll never fear doing this again!!

I ADMIRE YOUR COURAGE AND DETERMINATION, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'LL WORK FOR US. :)


How far can your Mom walk without pain? A mile? A block? Does she have good walking shoes? Does she have appropriate medication? Has she had, or considered having, steroid injections in her back?

SHE'S HAD SURGERY ON HER BACK BUT IT STILL GIVES HER TROUBLE. I'VE ASKED HER TO TALK TO HER DOCTOR AND A PHYSICAL THERAPIST TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. SHE CAN PROBABLY WALK A HALF HOUR OR SO, IN HER COMFY SHOES (WHICH I WILL INSIST THAT SHE BRING!)


What destinations are you interested in particularly? When will the trip take place and for how long? Have you been to Italy before? Has she? (Maybe you already answered this questions but I cannot see the original post while I am typing this one)

Originally Posted by sassafrass (Post 17453736)

taxis are easy to get in most places (of course not in venice) and you will be fine language wise.

However, i strongly urge you all to learn a few words. At this point, rather than a regular class, see if you can find a private teacher to give you all some lessons together. Expensive, yes, but i once took about ten private classes and quickly learned so much. A major thing is pronunciation. If you get that, then you can read words on menu or at train stations, etc. And use them.
Print out some menus now and learn the words for basic things. Learn to ask where the toilet is, how much something costs, etc. You will forget stuff later, but it will be good for now. While millions of people visit italy without knowing a word of italian, it is a joy to communicate even a bit.

We'll do our best to learn a little bit! I have some books to start.

I may have missed it, where are you coming from?

We are coming from the washington, d.c. Area.


If you can stretch total time to 12 days or more, you won’t feel so rushed. You will feel better about taking it slower.
Do not count arrival day for sightseeing. Do not count travel days. Count nights in each place and days in between will be how many full days you actually have for sightseeing.

Fly into a place you want to go and fly out of a place you will be seeing. That is not two, one-way tickets. It is multi-city. Sometimes people find cheap flights into italy and think it will be easy to go from there to their actual destinations. It wastes a lot of time and money. So does most rt in italy. Don’t buy tickets until you have decided on your itinerary.

There are tons of ways to arrange things.
This is only an example: 10 nights in italy, which is 9 days plus arrival day, but two (2) of those will be half days of travel.
You end up with only 7 full days of sightseeing and two 1/2 days.

Day 1, depart home
day 2, arrive venice, jet lag? Sleep in venice
days 3 & 4, venice
day 5, travel 1/2 day by train to florence, sleep in florence
days 6 & 7, tour in tuscany by hired car and driver or take a train plus taxi to other towns.
Day 8, travel 1/2 day by train to rome, sleep in rome
days 9, 10 & 11, sightsee in rome.
Day 12, depart for home.

12 days should be doable. I think you make some very good points about accounting for travel days.

Is there a back brace or anything your mom can do to help? Exercises? Shots?
She may have already addressed this, but if not. . .
One thing to make absolutely certain: Really good walking shoes. Two pairs. They can make a huge difference. Sometimes what seems to work for a few minutes is killing you later and not necessarily hurting your feet. Some shoes feel fine, but your back hurts after walking in them. I personally like some born walking shoes, teva leather sandals and new balance sneakers. Dh wears only new balance. She should be properly fitted and wear them at home for walks, starting right now! If they don’t work, she would have time to get others.

She's had surgery, but her back has never been great and it's still not. I'm going to insist that she talk to her doctor and a physical therapist before we try this. Comfy shoes are non-negotiable! :)


do you have your passports?

Yes! Thank you for checking.

Rome. Do not skip it. Plan on short walks and short tours and use a taxi to get from place to place. Stay in a central location if possible or at least close to restaurants and make sure lodging fits your needs.

This is all easier than it seems. It is easier to travel in italy than in most of the us.

Originally Posted by wtm003 (Post 17453797)

I'd consider a Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour for your parents while in Rome. Yeah it's touristy, but who cares, especially if it's easier for your mom to get around and see what she wants to see at her own pace.

Originally Posted by bilboburgler (Post 17453861)

I'm afraid I cannot support Venice as a logical choice. Getting in and out of boats seems simple but can be a scrum and the unexpected movement will be a problem. Water taxis are expensive and the alleys (which is what a lot of the "land" is) are narrow and often full. There is no car option. If you decide to go choose the most open spaces. You'll find the larger spaces come with more expensive accom.

If you do decide you want to try why not stay in Chioggia? This is a mini-Venice off to the west, the pavement (built on more solid land) is wider, the place is a bit less visited and there is a water bus that goes into Venice for a day trip.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chioggia

Alternatively you could stay on the Lido but while the beach life is fine, why go half way around the planet to stay on a beach?

Originally Posted by Seamus (Post 17453841)

You're getting some great suggestion from Fodorites as usual. I'll offer a few comments/friendly amendments:
I am not a fan of hop on hop off (HOHO) buses as they spend a lot of time stuck in urban in traffic and you spend time waiting for the next bus to come along, often without a place to sit while you wait.

Understand not wanting to drive in Europe - I've done it in the past but now also avoid it. Private drivers are not the only option, and they are the most costly. Though previously very anti-group tours, with age and mobility issues I have rethought my position on this. Small tour groups are nice, but even larger ones use buses that are really quite comfortable. Check out some of the offerings on sites like Viator or GetYourGuide both of which we used with good result in Italy.

Pain meds - be sure Mom takes them with her. Even if she does not use prescription pain meds, at the minimum take acetaminophen (Tylenol) and an NSAID like ibuprofen (Advil). Though both are non narcotic analgesics, they work in slightly different ways and a great strategy (unless she is unable to take either of these meds) is to take 400 mg of ibuprofen along with 500 mg of acetaminophen when starting out in the morning. This often will hold most of the day before requiring additional dosing. Good idea to take with a bit of food to avoid stomach irritation.

Absolutely stress she will need at least two pairs of good walking shoes, but not more than three to avoid over packing. Best not to wear same pair two days in a row (goes for everyone, not just Mom.) New Balance are usually great. Be sure she has tried them out/broken them in well before the trip.

You can always go to a taxi rank, but you can also hail a taxi via an app. Best taxi hailing app in italy is itTaxi which you can download from both Google Play and the Apple App Store. Italian taxi drivers prefer this to others according to drivers we used in Rome. Uber is not useful in Rome, as the taxi unions have managed to get strict restrictions on uber and quite honestly uber service is both expensive and lousy there.

Not sure which airports you will be using, but some require walking that may exceed Mom's tolerance. LaGuardia, for example, is beautifully redone but everything is a major hike. For sure request wheelchair transport at the airports, and if possible do so in advance on the airline website.

Don't totally discard the idea of Venice, just plan your visit to minimize demand on Mom. If she can walk for half an hour she should be fine, though bridges can require stairs so keep that in mind if it is an issue. You can just plan to use vaporetto water taxis, plan your visit accordingly. It really is a place that ought to be seen at least once, though I admit I think two or three days is fully sufficient.

Walk in showers are what we request due to DHs issues, but if mom is able to negotiate a tub she may get some relief from an occasional warm soak.

Originally Posted by bilboburgler (Post 17453861)

i'm afraid i cannot support venice as a logical choice. Getting in and out of boats seems simple but can be a scrum and the unexpected movement will be a problem. Water taxis are expensive and the alleys (which is what a lot of the "land" is) are narrow and often full. There is no car option. If you decide to go choose the most open spaces. You'll find the larger spaces come with more expensive accom.

If you do decide you want to try why not stay in chioggia? This is a mini-venice off to the west, the pavement (built on more solid land) is wider, the place is a bit less visited and there is a water bus that goes into venice for a day trip.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chioggia

alternatively you could stay on the lido but while the beach life is fine, why go half way around the planet to stay on a beach?

Originally Posted by bilboburgler (Post 17454233)

Ann, I fully understand your point of view, it depends on how disabled a person is, I've watched some older people struggling with the bridges, and unless comfortable with the Venice system they will not know to get the local bridge lift solution out to help them, and I've certainly seen poor walkers struggling in the calle. But if the Op's mother is up to it she may do better than I'm envisaging.

Originally Posted by annhig (Post 17454138)

Bilbo - I'm going to disagree with you about Venice which is very easy to get around with vaporettos and taking a water tai from the airport to the hotel. In fact probably the longest walk you'd have to take is from the arrival hall to the water dock, and even then there is a moving walkway to make it easier.

2Aquillas - if you've said what time of year you're intending to travel, sorry I missed it. But assuming it's between May and September, from Venice i would get the train to Peschiera del Garda and spend a few days on the lake, which is very easy to explore using the boats that can take you to many lovely places, with the advantage that the boat docks are usually very convenient for sightseeing, cafes etc.

From there I think that I would pick either Florence or Rome, both of which are easy to get to by direct trains from Peschiera. As your mum is more interested in Tuscany, and Florence is much smaller than Rome, that would get my vote. Also you could easily organise a day or two touring Tuscany - there is a firm that people here have spoken well of that will take you to Chianti, or Val D'orca, or anywhere else you want to go. https://www.hillsandroads.com

Originally Posted by shelemm (Post 17454109)

With less then two weeks, just go to the lakes. You all can take ferries form village to village. Keep it simple. The beauty will floor them. Add in a nearby town with a ton of incredible art. There are many to choose from.

Originally Posted by KTtravel (Post 17454039)

Your mother might prefer a trekking pole rather than a cane. She'll look much more "sporty!" I now bring one when I'm hiking or traveling to places that might have uneven pavement, steps without railings, etc. and find it makes it much easier. I prefer to just use just one to keep one hand free. Something along the lines of this: https://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Mount...84&sr=8-5&th=1

Originally Posted by Seamus (Post 17454559)

I discovered the itTaxi app via a taxi driver in Rome. After learning (the hard way) that in Rime uber is beyond worthless I googled for taxi apps, downloaded one called FreeNow and used it until a cabbie told me they don't like it because the revenue goes outside the country, whereas with itTaxi it stays in Italy. There are other taxi hailing apps for Italy, too, but we were quite pleased with itTaxi in several italian cities.

Originally Posted by Sapphire (Post 17454838)

Looks like you are getting lots of good advice here. Just adding my two cents about a cane for your mom. I like to take a short Leki cane when I travel anywhere that a little more stability might be helpful. I used these after my total knee replacement ten years ago and still use one if hiking in hilly areas, navigating lots of stairs, etc. The beauty of this short cane is that is collapsible and can fit into a lightweight backpack or tote (as well as in a carryon bag). This is an example of one I've bought on Amazon. I've never been to Italy but would love to go someday. Hope you have a great trip!

Originally Posted by Sapphire (Post 17454838)

Looks like you are getting lots of good advice here. Just adding my two cents about a cane for your mom. I like to take a short Leki cane when I travel anywhere that a little more stability might be helpful. I used these after my total knee replacement ten years ago and still use one if hiking in hilly areas, navigating lots of stairs, etc. The beauty of this short cane is that is collapsible and can fit into a lightweight backpack or tote (as well as in a carryon bag). This is an example of one I've bought on Amazon. I've never been to Italy but would love to go someday. Hope you have a great trip!

Originally Posted by AJPeabody (Post 17454933)

Use cobblestones as the hook to get acceptance for a cane or trekking pole. The last time I was In Rome I saw a young woman almost smash into the ground when her heel caught in a space between cobbles.