Accessible Travel in Italy, Part 2: Venice, Florence, and More
Posted February 8th, 2010 in access guides, Accessible Travel and helpful information
An afternoon in Venice
Photo by: Leonardo Barbosa (Stock Exchange)
Buongiorno!
In today’s visit, the Disabled Travelers blog crew will continue our voyage through Italy. Last time, we made some discoveries about getting around and getting involved in one of the world’s most iconic cities, Rome. For all its history and charm, Rome is getting better and better for travel with a disability, particularly in the central areas convenient to the Colosseum, Forum, and more. Now we’ll be journey onward to some of the other famous cities and historical sites in the big boot.
Global Access News has been all over Italy through the years; last time we caught up with them in Rome, and this time they have an especially useful access guide for Vicenza and Florence. This article is very precise and detailed about transportation, accessible hotels, general travel conditions and how the travelers were received by the Italian people they met. It also offers a lot of great disabled travel resources for all kinds of situations and itineraries throughout Italy. There’s even a travelogue from the Venice Carnival.
Through the team at tour operator Accessible Europe, the Accessible Florence index has brief descriptions of public transportation, museums, and wheelchair accessible hotels along with their notable features. Though the information is no longer updated, those looking for a reliable tour guide for their pan-Italian journey can look elsewhere on the website for package offerings and pricing. Accessible Journeys also has tour packages for Rome, Venice, and Florence.
Florence is known as the artistic capital of Italy, and contains some of the greatest surviving examples of Renaissance masterworks anywhere in the world. For a great general introduction to the city, try the Lonely Planet Guide to Florence. I usually try to avoid suggesting that you buy any kind of informational product in preparation for a trip, but I’m impressed by what I’ve heard about and read in The Accessible Guide to Florence, available for just under $20. It has five-star reviews on Amazon and seems to contain a lot of very specific info, which is just what you’ll need if you want to make the most of this sometimes challenging city.
As for Venice, who doesn’t know about the City of Canals? Start out with the Europe For Visitors access guide to Venice; it’s packed with valuable information. Allegro in Venice provides accessible tours throughout Venice. In fact, it prides itself on being the “only agency in Venice” that focuses on the needs of handicapped travelers. From their quick access guide to Venice you can find out about wheelchair accessible hotels, routes, and monuments. Accessible Italy, which we first met in our last post, has some great facts on museums, transport, and even beaches – and they also offer custom tours.
There’s enough information available on the ‘net to put together an itinerary of your own, but considering there are major hurdles in Venice (most bridges aren’t accessible without serious assistance) I’d still recommend a reputable guide. Check out the Italy Travel News Blog for disabled travel news from Venice and elsewhere.
Next time we’ll wrap up our trip through Italy with a quick jaunt through Vatican City, center of the Catholic Church and home of the Pope.
Si
