How Italy is reshaping tourism for visitors with disabilities

Italy’s art-filled cities draw millions of visitors each year, but for a long time, they have been far less welcoming to people with disabilities. Narrow doorways, staircases without ramps, uneven pavements and inaccessible lifts have often made navigating historic centres and cultural sites difficult, particularly for wheelchair users.

Inside Italy’s push for inclusive access to culture and history

That is beginning to change. In 2021, as part of the conditions tied to European Union pandemic recovery funds, Italy accelerated efforts to improve accessibility. The focus has been on removing architectural barriers and expanding access across tourist sites, museums and sporting venues, while still respecting the integrity of historic spaces.

At Pompeii, one of the country’s most visited archaeological sites, new systems have been introduced to support blind and disabled visitors. These include braille signage, tactile models, bas-relief replicas of artefacts and QR codes linked to audio guides, allowing visitors to navigate the vast ruins with greater independence.

Florence has taken a more informational approach. The city has published a detailed accessibility guide covering the Uffizi Gallery and other museums, outlining routes, requirements and limitations. At sites such as the Boboli Gardens, where historic layouts prevent full access, visitors are given clear guidance on what is possible, including whether companions are required.

Beyond questions of rights and inclusion, accessible tourism also has economic implications. According to the World Tourism Organization, nearly half of the global population over the age of 60 lives with a disability. Disabled travellers are also more likely to travel with companions, increasing their overall impact on local economies.

Accessibility, however, is not only about ramps and lifts. Organisations such as Rome-based Radici Association are rethinking how art is experienced. Their guided tours, often held at night to reduce crowds and noise, encourage visitors to slow down and engage through touch, sound and physical movement.

When artworks cannot be touched, imagination fills the gap. At Campo dei Fiori, where the statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno stands beyond reach, visitors are invited to embody his posture and weight, using their own bodies to understand the sculpture. Deaf visitors take part with the support of sign-language interpreters.

Elsewhere, accessibility has become the core concept. In Ancona, the Museo Omero — Italy’s only publicly funded tactile museum — invites visitors to handle replicas of famous sculptures, from classical antiquity to Michelangelo’s David. Here, art is not protected from touch, but defined by it.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.