Navigating Sorrento with a Physical Disability

Hi all, I’m back!!  I haven’t blogged in a few weeks, not purposely, just because it has been a busy, busy time.  The kids’ school holiday, my (big) birthday celebrations and trying to hurriedly sort my ill health pension application when I thought it was already underway (don’t ask!) has meant that unfortunately blogging has gone on the back burner until now.  But what better way to come back to it then to talk about my recent quick break away (sans kids!) to the beautiful Sorrento, in Italy?

I have said it before and I’ll say it again – I love travelling.  I have been to Asia, Australia, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Amsterdam… but the one place I haven’t been is Italy.  Most of these trips were made before my Multiple Sclerosis started affecting me – I walked and explored, swam and sunbathed without a care in the world.  Travelling isn’t quite so easy now that mobility difficulties and fatigue are thrown into the mix.  How much did I take it for granted that it was always going to be easy?!  I think because it now isn’t my joy in travelling has diminished somewhat, but luckily not enough for me to not go and enjoy what I can.

Why Italy? Why Now?

The stars seemed to align when the decision was made for us to go to Italy – my husband was photographing a wedding out there, it was my birthday and the grandparents had already offered to take the kids away for a few days to eat their weight in chocolate at Cadbury World.  Beautiful views, delicious pasta and limoncello were calling me, so I jumped at the chance for a few days away.

Then Reality Set In…

For those that are new to my blog, my Multiple Sclerosis shows itself through a dodgy left leg, significant fatigue and cognitive difficulties, such as word-finding problems, when I’m tired.  This means that I can currently walk very short distances with two crutches and use a mobility scooter for anything further.  The idea of visiting Sorrento was lovely – but I quickly realised through google searches and looking at pictures that, as beautiful as the coastline is, it is winding and often accessible only by steps…. lots of steps.  This was going to take a dose of reality and compromise.

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The Preparation

It was easy enough for me to plan my travel – I just had to tell the airport that I had a mobility aid and would need assistance in the airport.  I did this a couple of months before flying and made sure to mention it in the check in desk.  I would wholeheartedly recommend booking special assistance – even if you feel that you might get by without it.  Why?  In my experience, it helps to take so much of the stress out of travelling, you often have to queue less and get through checks faster. Making sure my mobility scooter was up to scratch (I use this one by Luggie) before going was important, as it had a little niggle that luckily got sorted out quickly by the scooter company a week before we left. I took a print out of information about my scooter to the airport so then when they asked about the make/weight (which they seem to do more than once) the information was there.

My husband and I were somewhat limited by the choice of hotel due to his need to be close to his wedding venue, but he made sure that the one we were staying at had lifts, minimal steps and lots of places to relax, since I was likely to spend some time there on my own.

Cool clothes, a bathing suit, cooling spray and a fan were all packed to make sure I could be as comfortable as possible in what was set to be searing heat.  We also asked friends for ideas on where to visit and restaurants to try.  We were set!

The Mini-Break

We got up at 3:15am in order to make the 6:15am flight… that was hard.  I think that it would have been difficult for anyone, let along someone with a chronic illness, but the fact that we would arrive in Sorrento early and then have time in the afternoon to nap before dinner, helped a lot.  I can’t fault the care we had at London Luton airport in terms of their special assistance – they whizzed us through quickly, with no need to queue at security and I could literally see them putting my scooter on the plane, that reduced a lot of worry or arriving on the other side with no means of transport.  Our seats were near the door so there was minimal walking in the plane and I was able to use my crutches, then storing them in the overhead locker.

Naples airport was a bit more…well…disorganised, shall we say.  Myself and the other special assistance passengers and their travelling companions had to wait for quite a time before they finally came for us (“Welcome to Italy!”, the flight attendant joked), but from there on it was ok, hindered only by the language barrier I think.  A bus ride, where I could see the stunning coastline for myself, took us to our hotel, which was brilliant.  It was fine for me, as someone who can walk up a couple of stairs, slowly, as most of the ground floor and grounds were on the same level and it had lifts.  The staff were friendly, nothing was too much trouble and they were happy to store my mobility scooter in the office as needed.  We could order drinks by the pool and the sun loungers had umbrellas and shades to keep out the sun.  I just ended up dipping my legs over the edge of the pool – I am not one for going into the cold no matter how hot it is, as extremes of temperature, cold or hot, seem to make the spasticity in my legs worse.  I kept cool by sipping water (and the very occasional limoncello spritz!), electric and a handheld fans and a cooling spray.  I was also able to retreat to the coolness of our room, which had air-con and also the public areas of the hotel, which had big sofas both inside and outside, in the shade.

The first and second day were spent like that – just chilling, reading books and sleeping.  My husband had the wedding he was photographing on the second day, so I was by myself.  I toyed with the idea of heading down the road to the little restaurant where we had eaten the night before, but it was just too hot to move anywhere away from the hotel and I didn’t want to travel there on my own (more on that later).  Luckily I managed to get a nice meal there; I quite enjoyed sitting on my own, reading my book and people watching.

By the third day, we were ready to venture out.  I would have loved to go on a day trip to Capri, or the volcanic island of Ischia, but after researching how disability-friendly it would be and not getting many positive vibes, we decided against it and went into Sorrento town to explore (our hotel was 20 minutes from the town centre).  Although only a short walk, we decided to make use of the hotel bus transfer into Sorrento.  On the whole, the centre of Sorrento is flat and my mobility scooter was ok… however there was a plethora of steps down to restaurants, bars and places of interest, lots of cobbles, a distinct lack of dropped curbs and trees often growing in the middle of the pavement!  Of course Sorrento is very old, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.  I managed to have a little topple when I become to eager to drop down (in hindsight, too big) a curb and managed to graze my foot, knee and elbow.  Areas further afield (like where our hotel was) seemed to be even more difficult to navigate as a person with mobility difficulties, a short visit out to a local restaurant lead to me scooting down the road in the middle of the Italian traffic as there were no curbs to get up on – yikes!  I decided not to go out on my own as I just didn’t feel steady or safe – maybe my scooter is just too lightweight?

My last day was spent at the hotel whilst my husband went to explore all the nooks and crannies that he wasn’t able to get to the day before; as a photographer it would have been a shame to not be able to go to all the places her wanted to, and I was happy to have another restful day before our late night flight.  But I’m not going to lie; I really, really wanted to go with him and felt tremendously frustrated that I couldn’t.  This disease sometimes feels like it is just chipping away at the real me, taunting me by not letting me do what I want to be able to.  Anyway, despite that, it was a lovely restful holiday on the whole, albeit absolutely scorching  (30+ celsius at night!).  The trip home was pretty much the same as the trip there, but in reverse; but with an even longer wait in Naples before getting on the plane.

Thoughts…

Would I go again?  In a heartbeat…if I could walk.  Since I have been home, I have been looking at specialist travel companies that cater for people with mobility difficulties, such as Disabled Holidays. Few seem to have Sorrento as a choice, which I guess is a reflection on its age and terrain.  I only saw one other disabled person there, an elderly lady being pushed in a wheelchair by a younger woman.  Where are they all?  However, looking at these websites have made me realise that there are options for people who need to be a bit more picky about where to go.  I really liked Italy… I really loved the delicious simple pasta with tomatoes and fish that I ate, the friendliness of all the Italians that we met and the beautiful scenery.  I would 100% go if I was ambulant and could explore where I wanted to, but unfortunately this wasn’t this case.  However, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the hotel we stayed in (and have, to my parents) and I can tell you, after seeing some of my husband’s pictures, Sorrento is a beautiful place to have a wedding.

Sorrento: great for weddings, but not if you have a mobility impairment!

I’d love to hear about any of your holidays abroad, especially if you have difficulties like me: have you found a top holiday destination or company that has been brilliant for you?

Until next time,

 

 

 

Cover image by Aidan Clarkson Photography