Rome with a 75 year old

[Becles]

Hoping for ideas for a trip to Rome with a 75 year old.

Mum's working through her bucket list but as I've never been before and not sure where to even begin with the basics. I'm hoping for inspiration with some of our limitations in mind:

*To reduce stress and arguments, I'm thinking we go for 5 or so days, could spend longer if needed or shorter. This way we could do a thing a day and have time for her to rest
*She's Catholic by background, so all the religious stuff is v much up her street. However, she's not very into museums etc but will look at churches or attend services
*If we get a glimpse of il papa himself, I'm officially the golden child for life
*She's extremely frugal, so no pressure there as she's more likely to worry that I can afford the cost trip

Questions
*Would an air b n b, and the ability to cook and crash in a flat be more sensible than a hotel?
*We could probably do a city tour, but she's fairly deaf and in denial about it so she switches off these sometimes. I've assumed Rome is visually stimulating enough that she would still enjoy
*She's got some mobility issues,walks with a stick and tires easily - is scooter rental possible (or practical? Was a nightmare on the cobbled streets of Tallin)

Must dos
The Appian way - apparently mentioned in a book she did at school (any help to get there welcome)

I'm usually quite organised and laid back, but she's so excited that I'm now too worried about getting the trip wrong.

Please share recommendations, ideas and and tips.

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Bump

I would avoid going when it is too hot. 🥵 That is likely to slow you down a lot.

Lots of Rome involves walking around, so definitely be selective. However Coliseum is good (you can just look from outside as there are lots of steps), and the Vatican worth going to and going into St Peter's. You can look up Papal appearances 😊.

Hi, personally I think your mum will struggle with the terrain, all the streets are cobbled and most of it is uphill/steep incline.

However if I were you I’d book a hotel right in the centre of Rome /as close as you get to centre.

As for visiting I’d recommend booking everything before hand and try and see if you can get passes so she won’t have to stand too long in queues.

Get a tour guide book and mark all the places you really want to see then use google maps to mark the distance. Planing ahead is crucial for Rome.

You can get golf cart tours or a hop-on hop-off bus around the main sites. Appian Way is a fair way out of the city and not really a lot to see (As I was going along the Appian Way as is my custom.... ?) There are tombs and catacombs but probably not accessible enough.

I really loved the city bus tour of Rome - you don't have to listen to the commentary, you can hop on and off, and it's nice to just sit when you are tired!

I've done it with mid seventies parents - we booked a very central hotel, returned regularly for rest and made good use of taxis!

Self catering wouldn't have worked for us as it would've fallen on me but I booked close by restaurants during the day for the evening so we didn't have to walk too far.

I think a nice hotel is fine. There's so many restaurants around, you wouldn't need to travel far to find something to eat. I didn't do it, but the hop on hop off bus would be good if she has mobility issues. If she wants to see the Sistine Chapel, make sure you book skip the line tickets to the Vatican museum (you can skip a lot of the museum if that doesn't interest you and go to the chapel). There can be a long queue to get into St Peter's Basilica, so go really early in the morning, or much later in the afternoon.

Hotel definitely
Not August
Hop on hop off bus or a private tour
It's very hilly and uneven
The Sistine Chapel / Vatican is quite a walk if I remember rightly

I don't know if this would be possible for you but maybe go in winter, I went in January and queues were minimal and there were hardly any crowds.

Also, the heat wasn't an issue. It was still beautiful and I'd never consider any other time of year now. Enjoy!

@Becles Avoid Easter. If you wantvto see the pope, go at Easter!

Definitely late autumn or very early spring is best. Stay near an underground station! Make a list of what you want to see. The Appian Way is an ancient road but hardly no 1 attraction!

Lonely Planet always have great itinerary suggestions. I would say St Peters and the Sistine Chapel are no 1. Then the Colosseum. After that, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and Trajans Column and The forum . The Capitoline Museum has Roman collections. Also the Vatican museums are full of treasures. The Pantheon is interesting. Not all streets are cobbles! Get a taxi if you need to. Eat near the hotel or bnb.

My DH is 70 and we plan our days! We stop for coffee. We sit down for lunch. We do highlights tours of museums. We don’t do everything: we are discerning . We stay somewhere convenient for most of what we want. Then use the underground. We are realistic about what we intend to see and the time it will take. So planning is key and 4/5 days is ideal.

We booked skip the line tickets for St Peters and the Coliseum and it made a big difference.

We also walked miles in Rome - so I would research in advance and plan your days - take a taxi each day to where you want to be

There is a metro system. You don’t need to walk miles. Buses work too.

All of the above is good advice.
For Colosseum and Vatican Museums, you need to book at least 4 weeks in advance.
In spring/summer, the Pope will appear in St Peter's Square - I think on Wednesdays?
Christmas is a good time to go, and obviously be in the Square on Xmas Day. Or maybe try to get tickets for Midnight Mass (which is about 8pm these days!).
Lots of other fab churches you can just pop into.
Schedule in lots of coffee stops, and just watch the world go by.

Am I the only one slightly disappointed @Becles didn’t come back?

Come on let us know that you’ve booked the most amazing trip for your mum.

We went in November the rain was torrential much of the time. We did manage to see most sites though by going into churches every time it rained, so many it's easy to do and you can take a rest. We had an Airbnb (with heating so we were able to dry our clothes) close to the centre with supermarket just across the main road.