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Report 881: A Slow Trip to Italy for a Mother and Daughter

By stella from Brooklyn, New York, Fall 2005

Trip Description: November, 2005 A daughter takes her beloved Mom to Florence and Rome

Destinations: Countries - Italy; Regions/Cities - Florence, Rome

Categories: Vacation Rentals; Art Trip; Day Tours; Foodie Trip; Sightseeing; Independent Travel; 2 People; Adult Children w/ Parents

Page 1 of 16: Introduction

This trip report is not likely to be voted the most exciting; it is an example of slow travel at its slooooowest. My travel partner was my beloved mother, aged 78 and spunky, but a bit challenged in terms of mobility. As she kept telling me, "I'm no spring chicken, dear, but its not the end of the world!"

I have been to Italy three times prior, each time traveling alone. On my last trip, I remember calling my mother to check in, and the sound of her voice as she told me how much she wished she could be there with me convinced me; my next trip would be with and for her.

As soon as I could scrape together the money, I booked two flights and started searching locations for vacation rentals. My original idea was to spend time in Tuscany, traveling to several towns, and perhaps a visit to Assisi. But the more I researched, the more I realized that the steep streets of a hill town would be a disaster for my mother, who broke her hip over a decade ago and has two steel rods embedded in her bones.

Florence and Rome were perfect choices; my mother, who spent a portion of her childhood in Calabria, had never been to Florence and had only breezed through Rome on a seniors bus tour in 1999. The cities would be full of things to do and see, and moving about would be easier with taxis and buses.

So, tickets purchased, rentals secured, and bags packed, we embarked on our very special trip together. I learned a bit about traveling with a senior, a lot about my mother that I never knew, and discovered some parts of myself along the way.

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