Finding Accessibility in the Place I Least Expected

I have visited the Italian capital city many times as a wheelchair user, but continue to be surprised at the accessibility features I discover with each return trip.

I took my first trip to Rome, Italy in 2012. I was not yet a wheelchair user and spent more than a week exploring historical sites like the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Roman Forum, and religious sites including Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica and countless other churches.

Following my car accident, I long assumed that Rome wasn’t accessible — that is, until I traveled there for the first time as a wheelchair user in 2022. With that trip, my long-time assumption of inaccessibility was proven incorrect, and Rome has become a city that I return to each year. Last month, following a trip to Liechtenstein, I decided to spend a few days in Rome (it’s now my favorite destination).

Each time I return, I seek out new attractions to include in the Wheelchair Accessible Travel Guide to Rome, Italy. In June, I was surprised to discover that one of the most historic and religious sites in Rome, a chapel used by popes for over a thousand years and that is almost always overlooked by tourists, has in fact been made wheelchair accessible. The access provided to wheelchair users is astounding, and I am excited to share it with you.