Written by Cory Lee for Curb Free with Cory Lee
Since the day that I ate my first slice of pizza as a young lad, I have dreamed of visiting Italy. Well, not really, but I have wanted to visit for a very long time… mostly just to eat all of the pizza and pasta that I could handle, but also to see the iconic sights and immerse myself in the same locations that Lizzie did in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, a timeless classic for us 90s kids.
Some friends and I (Bill of Mr. Milwaukee, his wife Melanie, my mom, and myself) decided to visit Italy in September 2021. We started our trip in the Eternal City of Rome and then went to Venice for a few days (I’ll write about Venice in a future blog post, don’t worry!). Both Bill and I use powered wheelchairs, so before visiting Italy, we were a bit nervous about how accessible it would be. However, we quickly realized that it is completely possible to enjoy Italy as a wheelchair user.
Over the course of five days in Rome, we toured historical sights, saw more beauty than we could handle, and ate a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of great Italian food! Despite Rome being an older city, we found it surprisingly accessible as well. To discover all of the wheelchair accessible Rome Italy attractions that we enjoyed and view our day-by-day itinerary, keep reading and get ready for an accessible adventure through Rome!
Wheelchair Accessible Rome Italy Attractions & Itinerary
DAY 1
We arrived in Rome early in the morning and were met at the airport by representatives from Rome and Italy Travel, a tour company that offers wheelchair accessible tours throughout Italy. They arranged most of our itinerary and provided accessible transportation, tour guides, and attraction tickets in the cost of our trip. It was tremendously helpful to have their support during our time in Rome and I would 100% recommend using their services if you’re planning to visit. They really could not have done a better job and I’ll definitely be reaching out to Rome and Italy Travel for all of my future trips to Italy.
After arriving in Rome and loading up in the wheelchair accessible van, they drove us to our hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Rome Monti. I did a lot of research before the trip trying to find the best accessible hotel in Rome and this DoubleTree looked like the greatest option. It’s in a fantastic location, within walking/rolling distance of the Colosseum and many restaurants, and the price wasn’t too outlandish considering the location (about $300-400 per night).
I stayed in a wheelchair accessible room and it was a bit on the smaller side, but that’s pretty typical for Europe. My room had one king sized bed and there was enough clearance underneath the bed for a Hoyer lift/hoist. If you need to self-transfer into bed though, it was a little tall. The mattress was about two inches above my knees while sitting in my wheelchair, so you might could make it work, but it certainly wasn’t as low as most beds that I’ve encountered in Europe.
In the bathroom, there was a roll-in shower, a pull-under sink, and there was a fold-down grab bar by the toilet. The roll-in shower had smooth entry, a fold-down seat, and a handheld shower wand, so it was perfect for my accessibility needs.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Rome Monti was an excellent place to stay in Rome, especially as a wheelchair user. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Check out the hotel and book your own stay by clicking here.
On this first day, we were all tired from the long flight from the U.S., so we relaxed at the hotel for most of the day, but we did go out for our first dinner in Rome. After scouring Tripadvisor for a while, we decided on Amedeo.
Amedeo Restaurant was only a short walk/roll from our hotel and the menu sounded great with lots of pasta options. It ended up being the perfect choice for our first meal in Italy, as everything was delicious. We had lasagna, ravioli, and more, and were able to sit outside at an accessible table. After this meal, we were all really excited to see (and taste) what the rest of our time in Rome had in store.