Back in June, a friend and I traveled to Rome, Italy to check out some of the main attractions in Rome, visit MagicLand and go on a MSC cruise.  I have always wanted to visit Rome since I have seen it in movies and wanted to have some pizza, pasta and gelato from this country.

We arrived in Rome early Tuesday afternoon, and after settling into Hotel Charter for the next 5 nights, we visited some of Rome’s best attractions that were wheelchair accessible and are even free!  They are also within a few minutes to within 30 minutes of walk/stroll from our hotel too.  Here they are listed in the order we visited them:

Column of Peace/ Church of Santa Maria Maggiore

The Column of Peace is located in front of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.  The column is 46 feet high and was relocated from the Basilica of Maxentius, where it was the only surviving column of the eight original  marble columns of the basilica.  There is a statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of the column with eagles and dragons at the bottom.

The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore was built in 432 AD by order of Pope Sixtus III on Esquiline Hill and is one of the seven Pilgrim churches and one of the four papal basilicas in Rome.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.  We didn’t get to go inside the church since it was in the evening.  Admission is free regardless, but it was great checking the exterior and actually visiting the church.

Colosseum

Next day, after having breakfast at a cafe near our hotel, we headed towards the Colosseum.  This was the main attraction that I wanted to see in Rome.  It started construction in 72 AD finishing in 80 AD and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built.  Gladiator events have been held initially along with other special events, while it is used as a museum and is a major tourist attraction today.

Once we made it to the Colosseum and after taking a few pictures, we were immediately directed to skip the super long line.  We had to go through security and went to one of the special ticket booths.  Wheelchair guests and their companions get free admission and don’t need advance online tickets.

The accessible bathroom was a bit tight to get into, but after using it, there was an elevator to get to the upper floor of the Colosseum.  We then enter the museum part of this attraction.  There are a bunch of artifacts, sculptures, paintings and information about the Colosseum.  It was surprisingly easy to wheel around this almost 2000 year old structure.

It was about 33 C (90F) that day but we still managed to see all that we can at the Colosseum including the inner portion that is in direct sunlight.  It really was amazing to see pretty much everything that any other able bodied person can see.  The architecture was unbelievable as we stayed about 2 hours at the Colosseum.

Roman Forum

We had to find the ramped way to get to the Roman Forum from the Colosseum.  We had to show them our free tickets from the Colosseum to get inside the Roman Forum.  Built at the end of the 7th century BC, it was the center of public life in Rome for more than a millennium.  Throughout the next few centuries, added were buildings built for political, religious, economic and judicial activities.

There was an elevator to take us from the entrance to the main forum or plaza which was easy to roll on in some areas and some that are really rocky with steps or a steep hill where I couldn’t get to.  With it being so hot, I drank so much water at the fountain and stayed in shaded areas where I couldn’t get to.

I got my friend to take pictures for me and to describe the experience of the areas that were too hard for my wheelchair to get to.  We spent about 2 hours here and couldn’t believe how everything looked and to just be somewhere that has so much history attached to it.

Trevi Fountain

Our next stop was to visit Trevi Fountain.  Built in the 1700’s, it is located in the Trevi district of Rome.  It is one of the most famous fountains in the world and I can understand why.  It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be and it was so crowded with people everywhere trying to take pictures of this beautiful fountain.

There were ramps to get closer to the water of the fountain but there were too many people blocking the ramps.  We still got to take great pictures from where we were and I also got my friend to go closer for some of the shots.

Spanish Steps

Just a quick 10 minute walk/stroll from Trevi Fountain were the Spanish Steps.  Opened in 1725, these 135 steps links the French church at the top of the stairs to Palazzo Manaldeschi below in Piazza di Spagna.  I have seen these steps featured in many movies and couldn’t believe I was actually there in person.

Again, the plaza and the steps were so crowded and full of people everywhere socializing and taking pictures.  My friend actually went to the very top to take pictures of everything and to walk the famous steps up and down.

Pantheon

The Pantheon was originally built as a temple in ancient Rome.  It is now used as a Catholic Church and is one of the most preserved and most copied ancient Roman monument.  We didn’t get a chance to see inside since we went early evening but at that time it was free admission for everybody.

Starting July 1, 2023 it does cost 5 euros for adults to enter the church but disabled persons and their carers still get in for free.  This was another really popular attraction even during after it is closed with everyone taking pictures in front of it.  There is a really cool elephant and Obelisk right by it that shouldn’t be missed.

Final Thoughts

It truly was great visiting the 6 iconic tourist destinations and it was even better that they were all free.  A few required you to be a disabled person or their carer and all very easy to get to from our hotel downtown.  They were all also very accessible and I didn’t really miss out on any these places.  I definitely recommend them all and would come back to visit them all again.