VENICE: NO OTHER ACCESSIBLE PLACE IN THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE THIS !

I have to be honest, when I first read the travel plan and saw Venice as the first stop in Italy I was a bit (a lot) worried because I had a lot  of preconceptions but after this experience I can only say one thing: “Venice was promoted with merit” . Infact this positive review is not only due to the obvious and unique architectural charm but especially for the accessibility and the kindness of people and everything was a great  and positive surprise!   We arrived at the airport and caught a private accessible van that was waiting for us, so that was a big advantage and after that we went to the city where an accessible WATER TAXI was waiting for us  and took us to the hotel. They are quite a few  accessible private boats around, although the ferries are quite accessible if you are on a manual wheelchair, but you might have difficulties on an electric wheelchair (they told us there were foldable ramps available from the pier to the ferry but we did not needed one so we did not actually see that). Bridges and streets were totally accessible in the central area near to San Marco square, however some bridges in the less central area did not have ramps and we had to climb and strain our muscles but  again it makes a huge difference being on a manual chair or electric.

We did not have to keep to a schedule but we soon find out that the best way to enjoy Venice is to simply get lost in its labyrinth of narrow streets, enjoying a good cocktail or coffee  far from the really central area where thousands of people go even for one day and will not even see you strolling!

Some examples of wonderful activities that you might want to do ( apart from drinking a couple of bottles of wine and ending up not knowing where you are, hopefully not in the middle of the water) are:

• catching a ferry and just getting off at the last stop
• visiting San Marco square and the cathedral (better after 8PM if you want to avoid the crowd)
• strolling around all the tiny streets and admiring the work of artisans
• taking a photo on the Rialto bridge and make a wish
• going to Murano and learning all about Glass Blowing (but unfortunately most of the bridges are not accessible)
• catch an accessible gondola, a traditional flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, which is like a jump in the past centuries ago, but with a ramp

To sum up, last time I went to Venice it was almost 15 years ago and I really had a terrible memory. I was there during a high tide, was raining, cold, the only place that I found open for dinner had an ITALIAN menu written with huge spelling mistakes (that should have been a huge alarm for me), and that was the first time in my life  I did not eat and sent the  plate back! But this time I had to change my mind and  I am so glad we actually challenged the challenges, because definitely this is a city nobody should miss because disability is not inability and this is the best lesson I could learn from  this trip! Now time for Milan, another great city, so stay tuned!!