A PP checking back in with another idea: a friend's 80+yo father who is a sophisticated traveler but now has real limitations on energy and how far he can walk has had good experiences with National Geographic tours. He's gone with them to exotic parts of the world, but I see they do some tours within Italy, e.g.:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/europe/journeys/italy-venice-florence-tour/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/europe/land/italy-vatican-city-and-sistine-chapel-tours/

Anonymous wrote:Kensington Tours will provide private guides and drivers!

Anyone have experience with Kensington Tours? How are they?

Florence would be great as a home base if you can find a good hotel option. Tons to see, compact enough to walk around easily, and central for visiting other smaller cities of interest.

OP. Wow! Lots of wonderful suggestions and advice. Thank you. What about Florence as a home base? Rome is not a huge priority. Still would be nice if they could also go to Venice and somewhere down south like Capri or Sorrento. A cruise is appealing but limited time on land.

Of those, I would remove the Amalfi Coast from the list. It is SO STEEP and getting from place to place within the area can be a major hassle.

If Rome is a priority for the Jubilee, I'd spit the two-week period between Rome and a smaller city home base in another part of the country. Being able to settle into one hotel long enough to become familiar with the neighborhood and parts of the city is much less exhausting than being constantly on the move.

I've traveled with parents and older friends in Tuscany. A comfortable hotel in a smaller city that provides a base of operations where those who want to can easily retreat to rest works really well. Observe the local rhythms of life with the their built-in downtimes. If someone in the party is comfortable driving, you can do excursions from your home-base town.

My elderly parents have had luck with big brand travel operators that operate buses and schlep luggage from hotel lobby to hotel lobby.

Search dcurbanmom Venice hotel ground level on regular Google to find a recent thread about hotels of interest.

In Florence, we liked Rick Steves' indie quirk reco - Hotel Torre Guelfa. It has an elevator to most room levels. If they are able to do some narrow steep stairs, there is a rooftop view level.

I have not used this company but it literally has been around for decades so I assume they have a good product. Their site says to expect 10-12,000 steps per day. I looked into their tours for a trip I ended up delaying and by then I was confident enough to fully plan on my own.

https://www.perillotours.com/italy/escorted-tours

I usually don't use a TA, but ... if you are wanting private drivers and guides, this is going to get complicated and you should probably use a TA. Also, the cost for that, compared to group tours, is going to be astronomical in Italy. When I do decide to use a TA, I look at the "best" TA lists. Travel & Leisure has one, as does Conde Nast. Find one specializing in Italy.

But although I generally hate cruises, I agree with PPs that that is probably the way to go for folks like this in their 70s. Just pick an upscale Meditterannean cruise. And you can book individual excursions for them.

Road Scholar. My parents (70s, never met an esoteric lecturer they didn’t love) are obsessed with their tours.

Kensington Tours will provide private guides and drivers!

If they have any kind of mobility problems I would reach out to someone experienced in senior travel. Especially on the Amalfi coast you have a lot of steeper sloping sidewalks and cobbles. The Vatican is going to be an absolute zoo next year according to my cousin who is a tour guide in Rome, so be prepared.

Nope nope nope. This sounds like a disaster. Cruise for the seniors or don’t go. Sorry but it’s the truth

Rather than all big cities, what about a couple of days touting Tuscany or Umbria. Wine tasting, enjoying the scenary, with maybe an overnight in a smaller city like Siena or even a more rural hotel.

I am in my 60s and can tell you that your plans are ambitious. A lot has to do with your budget and tours with seniors can be slower than herding cattle. I don’t have any suggestions other than to find a travel agent who does a lot of these things. We like to plan our own agenda and set up private tours. We would never cover this amount of ground in one trip. They typically suggest cruises because schlepping luggage is a problem in your 70s is never a good idea. My very favorite trip was to Amsterdam.

Looking to plan a trip to Italy in 2025 (during the jubilee year) for seniors (70+) who are healthy but would not want to walk a ton and might appreciate a personalized tour guide/driver rather than a group tour. This will be their first trip to Italy. Thinking maybe 10-14 days with visits to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Amalfi Coast (Capri/Sorrento). Suggestions on itinerary, nice comfortable places to stay, tour guide, etc? Or someone who could help plan? Thanks!