CHAPTER 10: Rome Colosseum + Roman Forum (special wheelchair “wheely trekky”)

Our last day in Rome and unfortunately our last day in Italy! This Italian holiday was simply amazing, and perfectly planned (thanks to romeanditaly group) in every details that time flow so fast! I’ve really enjoyed every day, and all the activities included in the program, the same for kids that never got bored, and for Gina who loved every corner of Milan, Como, Venice, Florence and Rome!

But our accessible Italian tour closed with a bang!

We met with Marco, our private English speaking guide in Rome, directly in the Hotel to reach the amazing Colosseum of Rome, the roman amphitheater. The Colosseum is the greatest symbol of Ancient Rome, and it’s located in the heart of the city. The iconic structure was built almost 2,000 years ago and has witnessed the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It was here that the gladiators and exotic animals engaged in mortal combat for the entertainment of the Roman Emperor. We visited the first and second floor of the building during our accessible walking tour of the Colosseum, and Marco gave us all details and important facts about this building and its history.  It was incredibly amazing to be there! A real jump into history and art… and when you are into the Colosseum you can really feel the iconic importance of this amazing building!

After the Colosseum we visited also the Roman Forum. This area, also referred to as the “Ancient City“, is a Roman archaeological site that was once the location of downtown Ancient Rome. As the area is partially inaccessible to wheelchairs, due to its unstable surfaces, I booked a special equipment only romeanditaly group is able to offer in Italy. This wheelchair is called Wheely Trekky (funny name!) but was really helpful for me during the visit of this site. The mono-wheeled chair is carried and pushed by two guys from romeanditaly staff, and is able to roll over every kind of surfaces, steps included. I could visit the site with no limits and barriers, and I could enjoy this amazing monument together with my family.

I have to say that was very helpful knowing about this special equipment wheely trekky and I really advise all wheelchair users to book it in order to visit Roman Forum, but also other archeological sites such as Ancient Ostia or Pompeii, with no problems.

Inside the Roman Forum we visited some of the most famous Roman Forum buildings, including the Temple of Julius Caesar, Arch of Titus and the Roman Senate House.

After the tour we stopped for lunch at Gusto ( https://www.gusto.it/) where we had carciofi alla romana (roman typical artichoke… delicious but too much garlic to me!) and then an amazing cacio & pepe pasta – the dish that made me fell in love with Italy, reserved for my last day here to say goodbye to Italy in the best way ever!

We also had some last minute shopping in the afternoon in the beautiful Via del Corso,  our last ice cream of the holiday and our last spritz cocktail as well! We came back to Hotel late afternoon to pack our always bigger luggage, and we had just some snacks in the Hotel terrace before going to sleep. The atmosphere was amazing… the sky full of stars and live music playing, a moment I will never forget!

Here is the link to Colosseum & Roman Forum accessible tour: https://www.romeanditaly.com/accessible/accessible-rome-colosseum-and-imperial-rome-tour/

Stay tuned with us, next Monday the next chapter of “The accessible trip to Italy of our Friend Bill” will be released

written by #Bill