Accessible Italy: Tips for Mobility-Challenged Travelers

Italy is my favorite country to visit and has been for over a decade. For years, my husband and I loved walking down its cobbled streets. We enjoyed that every city seemed so “walkable”—a trait not possible in our US city where a car was needed to get most everywhere.

Then, a back injury rendered my husband mobility-challenged. Travel to Italy was a lot more difficult. But I knew it wasn’t impossible…and I was determined to create rich experiences for us like we had enjoyed pre-disability. I dove into websites and emailed tourism offices to inquire about how best to get around Italian cities. I kept hearing though, “it’s okay, [fill-in-the-blank city] is easily walkable.”

That’s great…if you can walk!

In order to continue traveling and enjoying the country we loved so dear, I navigated the bureaucracies and cultural differences to create accessible experiences for my husband, so he could fully enjoy Italy. And, because I want you to travel to amazing historical sites, I’m sharing them with you.

Here are some of my travel tips for accessible Italy:

Get help at the airport

Contact your air carrier and reserve mobility assistance. Most carriers will transport you from check-in to the gate and from the gate to transportation. This service includes getting you through security and customs/passport control. Note that, in Italy, they take getting you from and to your plane, seriously. The system is very efficient but big airports might have a wait time since it is generally a first-come system with those with connections to another flight prioritized. I recommend having your travel companions stay with you, since the line for security/customs is expedited for those with mobility issues. Staying together prevents one traveler for having to wait potentially a long time for the other.

Get help at the train station

Train stations have an incredibly efficient transfer system to get you to and from your train. The office is called Sala Blu. As soon as you have booked your ticket, email their office and let them know what assistance you will need, whether you will be bringing your own mobility device, whether you can walk up a couple steps into the train car (or whether you will need them to use the wheelchair lift), and your trip details. The Sala Blue agents will pick you up at an agreed upon place at the train station and take you to train or vice-versa. This is a free service and has been a great assistance to us in the past. https://www.rfi.it/en/for-persons-with-disability/sala-blu.html

Transportation

Taxis are often your best Italian transportation option (many offer a disability discount), so locate the taxi information for each city. Each city might have a couple of taxi companies who have their own phone numbers and, perhaps, their own apps. Some taxis will have a WhatsApp option, too, but I still suggest making sure your phone plan allow for low-cost calling in Italy because not all taxis have WhatsApp, we’ve had to hold for an operator for a long time, and more apps have failed for us than worked.

You generally cannot hail a taxi. You have to either arrange for one to pick you up or go to a taxi stand and wait for one to arrive. If you don’t feel comfortable calling one, you can have places call taxis for you. I’ve found that Italians are very helpful in this regard and will talk to the operator for me when my Italian fails and the operator has difficulty understanding Jon’s mobility needs. If you need a taxi large enough for a wheelchair, let them know when booking.

Buses have space and access for wheelchairs, so this might be a viable option for you…as well as a less costly one. Tickets can often be found at tabachi shops or newspaper stands. Don’t expect to be able to buy tickets on board. You can reach out to the bus station in each city to find out routes and frequency, as well as get a map. For any city where we are spending a few days or more, I generally write down the bus routes that I think we are most likely to use based on their proximity to our lodging and the attractions on that line.

Another transportation option for a special day or occasion is to hire a driver for a day (I look for a NCC car). For around 30€ an hour, you can get a private driver. We like to do this is big cities, like Rome, where we want to do a bunch of touristy things, like throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, but don’t want to try to fight through the crowds. Hiring a car allows us to zip all over the city, even to outskirt areas like the Appian Way, without worrying about calling a taxi or waiting for a bus. A private driver can get you close to the attraction and then on to the next one. By hiring a driver you can engineer your own tour of the city. Do not count on them being fluent in English though, so have a list of what you want to see ahead of time.

Rent or buy mobility aids

Renting mobility aids in Italy is possible but might take a little more research before the trip. Some tourism offices can help you…or have wheelchair rental themselves. More frequently though, you will need to rent through a pharmacy (farmacia) or medical device store. I crowd source recommendations for affordable and reliable mobility aid rentals in each city we visit. I like renting from smaller Italian companies because they will often deliver and pick up from your lodging and have more familiarity with your specific city than national companies do. They also know the limitations of centuries-old buildings, tiny elevators, and narrow doorways and will rent equipment that works for you. This year we rented a folding mobility scooter that was perfect. When unfolded it didn’t fit through the door or in the elevator, but when folded up it was like a rolling piece of luggage that easily rolled through tiny restaurants, into small elevators, and through narrow Renaissance-era doors. Italian mobility aids are meant to roll over their cobbled stones and rough terrain, but I highly recommend you bring a good gel seat with you to absorb the bumps.

If you’re thinking about bringing your own mobility aid, I suggest finding a lightweight one that you can carry (roll) up a flight of stairs to an elevator, if necessary. Our wheelchair folds to 28” long, 29” high, and 13” wide…and it only weighs 24 pounds, which means I can easily carry it for Jon. Our mobility scooter also folds up and can be pulled like carry-on luggage. It folds to 34” long, 20” wide, and 18” deep…and only weighs 46 pounds, which is pretty lightweight for an electric mobility aid.

Take advantage of the services available at many museums, archaeological sites, and attractions

Italy, with its rich historical heritage and cultural significance, has been increasingly working towards enhancing accessibility for travelers with disabilities. Despite the architectural challenges presented by its ancient cities, the country has made strides in improving access to its renowned landmarks and attractions. Italy boasts some of the most well-preserved ancient history in Europe, including iconic attractions such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, and Pompeii. In cities like Lucca, disabled travelers can access the medieval city walls using ramps, offering a unique and inclusive experience. Efforts have been made to ensure accessibility to many historic sites, allowing travelers with mobility issues to immerse themselves fully in Italy’s history.

Many Italian museums and churches offer discounts for visitors with disabilities. We’ve found that a lot of state or city-run places are free to the mobility-challenged person and their companion. This information can often be found with ticket information for reduced/free tickets.

Besides the fact that many museums offer free admission, many have wheelchairs for your use. Even if a place doesn’t look accessible, ask. Because of the historic nature of many of the buildings in Italy, they have had to retrofit them to make them accessible. They might have a different entrance for mobility-challenged visitors. Sometimes, they will put down a removable ramp to make stairs accessible. We’ve even had places where Jon was brought up via a staff elevator. I’m often impressed with the extent to which Italians try to make their cultural treasures, even those thousands of years old, accessible.

Choose Accommodation Wisely: Many city centers have cobblestones, so it’s important to choose a neighborhood that suits your mobility requirements. One area of a city might be nothing but cobblestones, whereas the area a few blocks over has smooth sidewalks and streets. Jon really disliked navigating Rome until we found sections of the city that were much smoother.

Also, consider the elevation of the towns you’re visiting and the location of your accommodations within them. Some Italian cities are very hilly and not the greatest for those who are mobility challenged. For instance, Rome is built on seven hills but has some areas where the terrain is flat. Knowing the topography of a place can make for an infinitely better stay. I use Google Maps and street view to make sure the surrounding area won’t cause access issues.

If a hotel or short-term rental says it has an elevator, ask how many steps there are before the lift. Elevators in historic buildings might not start until their first floor—which is floor #2 in the U.S. If you need the elevator to have no steps beforehand, make it clear when you reach out to the property. One of our favorite apartments has a flight of stairs before the elevator, so I carry the wheelchair up and down them for my husband (who can handle a few stairs). This works for us but might not work for your circumstances. I’ve found every hotelier/landlord helpful in describing the number of stairs, width of the stairs, and other important factors.

As I mentioned earlier, sometimes it is difficult to get public transportation. I use Google maps to choose places to stay that are near bus stops and/or taxi stands.

Take Tours

Taking guided tours at tourist attractions can enhance your experience. Although wheelchair-accessible guided tours with step-free routes are available, many tour companies have at least a few tours that are accessible but aren’t advertised that way. I find those that are billed as “accessible” tend to be more expensive, so I look for ones that can be good for our specific mobility challenges but aren’t identified as “accessible.” For us, this means golf cart tours, driving tours, big bus tours, and those rated “easy” for mobility. I’ve also found that wine tours and culinary experiences are often accessible.

One tip is to contact the tour company themselves and ask what they recommend for the city you’re visiting. For Viator, you can use our link below and then search tours for the city you’re visiting and the dates of your trip. Once Viator generates a list, type “accessible tours in Florence (or Rome, Venice, Milan, etc).” This will produce a list of tours with accessible in the description, which you can then individually assess. Ask the tour guide where tour starts and ends (and determine accessibility to each location) and distance/amount of stairs you will be expected to navigate.

General Viator Link: https://www.viator.com/?pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link

Link searching for “accessible tours in Italy”: https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=accessible+tours+in+Italy&pid=P00161535&mcid=42383&medium=link

We also have had great success with LivTours, check their offerings here: https://livtours.com?af_code=E1DDN61  

Take Language into Consideration

Learning some Italian phrases can be beneficial, as it can help in communicating and seeking assistance more effectively. A lot of times the people who might help transport you or who work with mobility aid rental might not speak English. Use Google Translate, if necessary. Knowing a few key words, like sedia a rotelle (wheelchair) and stampelle (crutches) can help you let a cab company know that they will need to send a car big enough for a wheelchair or that you use crutches. I find that even saying stampelle (when he’s not taking the wheelchair) helps the taxi cab company to prioritize us, as taxis are in high demand in many Italian cities.

Find accessible apps and city accessible reviews

An app in Italy, especially Florence, that we enjoy is Kimap. Kimap provides accessible itineraries and information via crowd-sourcing. You can find a wealth of information there. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tech.kinoa.kimap&hl=en_US and https://kimap.city/firenze/

There are also many detailed accessibility reviews of cities like Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice available, providing valuable insights for mobility-challenged travelers planning their trips.

Reach out to tourism offices

Tourism offices might be able to offer maps and other resources to help make your stay more accessible. In Florence, the tourist office has a map showing streets that are smoother for scooters/wheelchairs. They have pamphlets telling which attractions are wheelchair accessible. They even have wheelchairs available to use for free for short term. Reach out to the tourism office of each Italian city you’re visiting or check their websites for accessible areas like this: https://www.feelflorence.it/en/node/11322

I hope these travel tips ensure a more accessible and enjoyable trip for travelers with mobility challenges in Italy. Happy travels!

Related blog: https://roaminghistorian.com/2023/04/16/airport-wheelchair-assistance-accessible-travel/

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