Rome by golf cart with Gioia

My husband has some mobility issues, tiring easily, which means he cannot do a full day of walking and touring, so our visit to Rome on Oct. 25, 2015, was a challenge to plan, that is, until I discovered the possibility of touring Rome by golf cart.

We used Gioia Tours (Via F. Netti 4, 00125 Rome, Italy; phone +39 335 525 2852, www.tours-europe.com), and communication with Roberto Contursi via email was excellent. I had been to Rome before; my husband had not. I gave Roberto my sightseeing requirements, but the list was small, so I left the bulk of the one-day tour in his hands.

His personalized tour was excellent. The golf cart was easy to get into and out of, and my husband was able to rest while we rode in it from destination to destination. While stairs were involved, the amount of walking we had to do overall was minimal. 

Roberto picked us up at our hotel at 9:30 a.m. and returned us around 4 p.m. We went to well-known places like St. Peter’s Square and to some less-well-known spots, such as the church of St. Peter in Chains and the Basilica of San Clemente. We had great weather during our visit. 

 The cost was €450 (near $510), and we also paid for lunch, another €40 or so. Admission fees to sites were extra, but the expense was minimal. 

While this wasn’t a cheap tour, we would have had to spend additional nights in Rome to be able to cover the same ground. When we figured in how much money we saved by reducing our number of hotel nights, we felt this tour was a bargain.

We highly recommend this for anyone with any kind of disability issue. Just let Roberto know what you can and can’t do.

DIANE ROBBINS

Penfield, NY