Accessible Venice - A walk on Dordoduro's bridges

[ErmesT]

Welcome to Venice, a wonderful city, where most of the people would like to go.

Raise your hand, if you have never seen a photo of Venice, the city built on the water, and the famous bridges.

Do you know that Venice is made up of 121 small islands, separated by canals, and connected to each other by 435 bridges?

Beautiful, built in wood or brick, bridges are the only way to connect the various islands of the city, passing over the famous canals, to be able to move without using a boat.

Bridges that, to permit the navigation of gondolas and boats, are not flat. The bridges are built in the shape of a half barrel, with steps at the top to allow people to cross them. That’s why on my post I wrote: Up and down on the Venetian Bridges. The bridges that makes Venice so special are also the reason why Venice is (as I said on another post) one of the least accessible Cities in the world

Actually, only 70% of Venice is accessible, in big part using the public transportation or a boat. This means that a disabled on wheelchair cannot be “self-sufficient”. If he wishes to move, he will have to do so considering times and availability of public transport (water bus).

A few numbers about the 435 bridges:

• 36 of them are accessible (on February 2020)
• Only on 58 it will be possible to add ramps

Can the city of arts and beauty accept this? Of course no! Step by step, bridge by bridge, Venice is slowly becoming accessible.

Venice municipality presented on February 2020 a program for making Venice fully accessible on 10 years. It will be a long run and a big challenge, due to the big difficult to act on the actual architectonic structures, but my hope is that they will be able to do this faster.

Actually most part of Venice is, for a disabled on wheelchair, accessible only using the public transportation. The goal for me would be to make some new accessible bridge as soon as possible, giving in this way the possibility to a disabled, a parent with a stroller or, why not, an elderly man with a shopping trolley, the possibility to be “independent”, free to move

The most accessible part is Dorsoduro. On the first day after the lockdown we wanted to go there, to see the first improvements.

What we discovered is that some more ramp have been added, so that now all the “Fondamenta Zattere” is accessible, thanks to ramps that have been built on the bridges.

So now the visitors (and the locals) can easy access to the part of Venice that is more related to Culture and Modern Art.

It is now possible, for a person using a wheelchair, to “walk” alone from the University School of Architecture, passing in front of the Venice’s school of Arts, to reach the modern art museum of Punta della Dogana, from where you can have an unique view of St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace.

The most famous places to visit in Dorsoduro are:

• The Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• The Galleries of the Art Academy
• The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. If you have visited Venice once. I am sure you have seen, from St. Mark’s Square, the amazing Church on the other side of the Grand Canal. The Church deserves a separate post in the future

Enough to spend a few “accessible days" around Venice.

Stay tuned on this post for more photos, and of course feel free to ask for more details

[SholaIB]

Hello @ErmesT . A very nice post you’ve got there. Its nice to see the accessibility features. No doubt it took them a good while to gradually map out all those features. Nice pics.

[ErmesT]

Thank you so much, @SholaIB , I am happy that you like it

[LuigiZ]

That’s very nice @ErmesT !

I think it is very important, as you said, to favor accessibility in such a historical and artistic city such as Venice, due also to the fact that it is a very difficult one due to number of bridges and steps without ramps and wheel paths.

Thank you for the very nice update and looking forward to see the improvements .

[Muhammad_Usman]

My big wish to visit Venice @ErmesT thanks for remind me my wish and comprehensive information as well as I am sad because venice is sinking

[Giu_DiB]

Hi @ErmesT ,

Thanks for sharing with us this amazingly detailed post about Venice, a city we all love indeed, a jewel which belongs to everyone, I would say! I’m glad to see that also its accessibility is improving year after year, thanks for raising awareness about the topic.

I didn’t know there were so many islands, this city never stops surprising me. The first time I visited it, when I was a student, impressed me so much that I kept dreaming of it for months. Thanks to your posts I can still see how it is changing and hopefully I will be able to follow your tips soon during my next visit.

[ErmesT]

Yes, @LuigiZ

Venice is slowly evolving, the tourism wants more quality, including quality of life and, more important, the residents need to have a better life. I still remember the times when @KarenVChin was explaining the difficult to move with a stroller for twins, and when I was in Venice I was watching a couple of parents climbing the bridges with the same stroller. It was extremely difficult for them, especially where the bridges are narrow and steeps like the one on the next photo

[ErmesT]

I will be happy to meet you in Venice, @Muhammad_Usman , hopefully in a few months we will be able to travel (I’m crossing my fingers ).

In Venice there is a world to discover, so you will have to move with a clear idea of what you want to see. Just let me know, I will be happy to share with you some of my post (more are coming soon)

[KashifMisidia]

The word “Accessible” or “Accessibility” now always attracts me to see the post. And always try to read fully and word to word, especially if the post author is Ermes. Because I always something gain by it ( it is not a sugar Coated Sentence hehehehe but the truth)

As you said, Venice is 70% Accessible and 30% not, and I wish one day we can hear by you that Venice is 100% Accessible city and great accessibility friendly city, or we can say a model city. But still, I wish and will be happy if my city Karachi will be just 20% Accessibility Friendly city.

(Because here, condition of Accessibility is not satisfactory as I observed in Karachi.

I would like to congratulate, every person, people and the Government of Italy, who think about people with different abilities, and every country and government who can feel the hardness which a person can face who is differently able.

Shukriya @ErmesT

[LuigiZ]

Fully agree with you @ErmesT and I perfectly understand what @KarenVChin experienced.

My last time in Venice was Easter 2018 (I need to come again!) and Aurora was still fully using the buggy and even if it was just one I clearly remember the difficulties to cross every bridge lifting up everytime the buggy, so even worse with a twin one … and can’t imagine then with a wheelchair.

[ErmesT]

70% is an “official number” @KashifMisidia , and is related to the “streets only”.

I want to disagree with the number, because on the 70% they includes also the use of public transportation, that in Venice means Vaporetti (water bus) or water taxi. Vaporetti have a discounted price for differently able persons, but are not available every time and everywhere, while water taxi are very expensive.

I’ve tried to build a path on Google Maps from the train station to here, adding the wheelchair option.

The way suggested by Google with the wheelchair includes of course some bridge, included this one. Please check the link. I took the photo on March 2020 (95 days ago) so it is absolutely recent, and it is mine, so I know what I am talking about. Do you think this is an accessible bridge, for a person traveling alone with a wheelchair?

What I mean is that we absolutely need to check and verify the numbers, and to work for an effective accessible city.

I was absolutely happy to se the improvement in Dorsoduro, but there is a lot more to do, for a “really” accessible Venice

[Silvi]

Gracias @ErmesT por compartir éste post sobre ésta hermosa ciudad, tan particular en sí misma, que espero poder conocer en un futuro cercano. Es bueno saber que la ciudad se está haciendo más accesible y así cualquiera persona en inferioridad de condiciones pueda disfrutarla. No sabía que era una de las ciudades menos accesibles del mundo, me imaginaba ésto en la Costa Amalfitana ya que son pueblos enclavados en montañas no?

Saludos.

Silvi

My contributions

My top 5 bucket list places / Volar siempre volar

ideas Modifications in the notifications’ feed / LGs volunteer board / Iniciar post común de fotos desde un avión / Maps

[ErmesT]

My evaluation, @SilvyC is based on the number of persons who can use the “potential” services.

According to the 2018 data, Amalfi had 3.4 millions tourist on the previous year, while Venice had 28 millions (77.000) every day. This makes a huge difference in the needs of accessibility.

Of Course, the town built on the mountains have accessibility issues, this is understandable, but…

I can tell you that Cascia, the town of Saint Rita, built over the mountain, is fully accessible (I will show some photo, is you want) because disability is part of their business

[Silvi]

Si claro @ErmesT me encantaría ver ésa foto. Cada post tuyo sobre algún lugar de tu país me hace querer ir aún más.

Gracias Ermest!

Saludos

Silvi

[Anshu3]

Thank you @ErmesT for sharing accessibility related information of Venice. I understand the limitations why Venice is no so much accessible it becomes little bit tuff to make everything accessible when your way has no of bridges and water canal. Usually in india when there is raining and water logging (it will take hours to in get clear) occurs in lower areas we talk about Venice.

Glad to know that now government is taking steps to make Venice more accessible.

[Muhammad_Usman]

thanks for your reply and welcome @ErmesT I wish too that things will be settle down soon and we can move whole world not only Venice

[KarenVChin]

@LuigiZ – ahh, the days when I had to push a tandem stroller. It is built like a bus and I pushed it for 22 months. This is my Local Guides Summit 2017 application video, which my twins’ stroller was prominently featured.

Karen V Chin - My LGSUMMIT17 Video Application

There is no way I would be visiting Venice with that stroller (37 lbs or 16.7 kgs) then nor would I have been able to visit when they were from 2 - 3 1/2 years old with this “lightweight” travel twins stroller (still 22 lbs or 10 kgs without them in it) I was pushing. This stroller is narrow enough to go through a standard American ADA door way, but no way could I go through an old or ancient European door.

I only used this now at airports or in crowded public places to push my kids when I have to quickly move and get somewhere. I know you can relate to that when you had very young children and could not carry them.

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

Yup @ErmesT .There is no way I would visit Venice with babies, toddlers, or kids under 7. They have to be able to walk, be potty trained, no need for afternoon naps, and I don’t have to carry a “momma bag” with me.

Great to know Venice is working towards accessibility for everyone at any age. And, I do remember the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute It was cool, no one inside, and quiet inside compared to rest of Venice.

Cheers,

Karen

[ErmesT]

@Giu_DiB

As I explained to @KashifMisidia on my reply, Venice is far away from reaching the “100% accessible” goal, because the first approach was to do this with the minimum cost and the maximum result: improve the vaporetto embarkation docks to make them accessible.

In this way they have got the biggest part of the actual 70%.

There is no way for a disable, for a persone alone, with a wheelchair, to cross the bridge used on my previous example, other than a private boat or a water-taxi. No way to reach a vaporetto embarkation docks and to pass on the other side for free.

There is a lot to do, right now there are just one or two ramps on that part of Cannaregio. And it is an absolutely amazing part of the not touristic side of Venice. As I said to @SilvyC , the value of the business (77 millions of tourists every year) is more important (€€) than the issue of a “local” disable, that is simply a “cost”.

The way to prioritize an accessibility tout court is long and steep, but is of course becoming a priority, at least due to the increased average age of residents, with a consequent reduction in their mobility capacity.

I will be happy to have a walk with you on that (not touristic) part of the city, as a Local Guide and as a friend, so please ping me if you are coming

[KarolT]

Hi @ErmesT

Another nice report from beloved Venice.

Every bridge is so nice and unique.

Thanks for sharing them.

Karol