Welcome to Travel to Rome, your number one destination for information about traveling to Rome. Below you will find current information as well as answers to those last minute questions.
Traveling with your elderly parents can be a rewarding challenge. First and foremost, you should assess your parent's ability to cope with heat, walking, crowds, waiting, foreign language and so on. Choose a hotel that will give you some easy access to the few streets in Rome that are good for wheelchairs--most are not. But, for example, if you think you will want to see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, then stay somewhere in the Campo Marzio (that is, below the steps and outside the Forum area).
If you can spare the time, scout out any routes you might be taking with your parent. Check sidewalks, roads and access points. Ask yourself:
Are the sidewalks wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair?
Will be using sidewalks?
Are roadways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair?
Are doorways into museums, etc., wide enough? Are there wheelchair accessible points?
Are there any sharp inclines or declines on the route?
Once you have a planned route, stick to it as best as you can. One thing I have noticed is that if you are up front about the use of a wheelchair (that is, politely ask to pass on a sidewalk) Italians are very accommodating and very friendly--one or two might even help you over a curb.
Elsewhere in Rome, a wheelchair can be tricky and it is advisable to use taxis or wheelchair accessbile public transportation.
Most Catholic churches in Rome are wheelchair accessible. In 2000, Pope John Paul II, who had as a special mission to assist the sick and disabled, ensured that all churches were accessible in time for the Jubilee year. You will find the ramps readily and the staff are more than helpful.
