Elevators in Italian apartment buildings can be quite unique and temperamental. We grew up in an apartment building in Rome that had two elevators, one for residents and one for deliveries and staff. We were often startled to come upon our neighbor’s aged dog all alone in the resident’s elevator while the neighbor’s chauffeur, who was responsible for walking the dog, had to place the dog in the resident's elevator, then race around to the back of the building to take the service elevator and then hurry back to the front elevator in hopes of intercepting the dog just as the elevator doors opened! The dog, after all, was family, while the chauffeur was staff.

When a guest recently complained that the elevator in the Via Veneto apartment was like a cage we were taken aback by that comment because that elevator is actually relatively modern, clean and operates reliably based on our considerable experience with Italian properties. Residential elevators are small because when vacation rentals are in the center of historic cities the buildings almost universally pre-date electricity, so elevators are always tucked into the center of the staircases. Some really are like cages with wire mesh walls. In fact, the one we received a complaint about is totally enclosed, so not so much of a cage, actually. It never occurred to us that elevator aesthetics are a big factor in enjoyment of a vacation rental, but if you are claustrophobic, it could be an issue for sure. To us, having a working elevator of any size, is a big plus! With that in mind, we thought that providing more information on this topic would be helpful to our guests.

Below is a collection of photos of elevators we have recently encountered, including the one in question.

But, first, let us please give you the straight scoop on elevators in buildings in historic Italian cities:

1. Elevators are small.
2. Elevator entrances are narrow.
3. An open wheelchair will almost never fit.
4. They sometimes bounce a bit when you get in.
5. They can be relatively old and musty.
6. The ground floor is marked “T” for Terreno (Terra: Earth). The floor marked “1” is one up from the ground, and so on.
7. Because of the way they are retrofitted, you may have to get in one side and get out another side of the box. No gracious entrances and landings have been designed by architects.
8. You may have to travel up a flight up steps to get to the place where they managed to fit in an elevator entrance. And the elevator may not go all the way to your floor.
9. The door closing systems are tricky. External and internal doors must all be closed if the elevator is to operate. If you get out of the elevator and fail to close any of the doors, the elevator will not operate and people on other floors can’t call it and they may get angry and let you know. This is upsetting to the other residents, particularly elderly residents who rely on it.
10. Most apartment elevators have no memory. This means that if the elevator is already in use and you call it, nothing will happen. You need to wait and listen. When the elevator stops and ceases to be in use then you can call it. The same "no memory" applies if you push the button before the doors are closed, nothing will happen. You need to wait until the doors are fully closed before pressing your floor button. Again, the "no memory" principle applies if you want to stop on multiple floors. You can't for example push 3 and 4. If you do the elevator will go to the 3rd floor, and then nothing will happen. Once it is stopped on 3, then you can push 4.
11. Arrival & departure rule of thumb: one person, one suitcase at a time. Maybe you can cram in more but why risk it? Yes, it will take multiple trips but better then breaking a finicky elevator and schlepping your luggage up and down the stairs yourself.
12. All elevators break sometimes. When they break, call your greeter and the greeter will call the manager of the condominium and s/he will call the elevator repair person. The condominium association did not get a maintenance contract with the speedy repair company; they got a best-price contract with a thrifty elevator repair company that can fix any elevator in a few days. A few business days. They do not answer their phones on weekends or after hours and schedule repairs as next available and when parts can be found or manufactured. No matter how awful it is for you and how loudly you complain, the elevator repair company has been called and will fix the elevator in due time and probably not before you leave the apartment. We are very sorry, but this is the way things work in Italy.
13. Sometimes electricity fails in the building or in the neighborhood; it usually seems to have to do with construction works in the street. When the electricity fails, then the elevator doesn’t work. It usually comes back on within the day.
14. If you cannot live with the small chance that you have to climb some stairs, please reconsider your visit to an historic Italian city or choose an apartment or hotel that that has two or more elevators. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a neighbor’s dog riding solo!

Here are some elevator pictures we captured, all within high quality central Rome apartment buildings.

The elevator that engendered complaints is the third one, fits three friendly people. We've ridden it with a neighbor and her Neapolitan mastiff dog, everybody fit. The final photo is of the narrowest elevator we have dealt with, our 14 year old family member's shoulders just fit.