Venice, the Giorgio Cini Foundation becomes more accessible and inclusive with physical and digital interventions

In Venice, the Giorgio Cini Foundation has taken a significant step forward in extendingaccessibility to its activities and spaces. A project submitted in 2022 under a PNRR call for proposals dedicated to “removing physical and cognitive barriers in cultural venues” has been completed. This project, which took first place, received funding of nearly 200,000 euros.

“We worked with a view to what is called design for all,” said Renata Codello, Secretary General of the Foundation, “with both digital and physical interventions. We wanted to take a further step to ensure information and knowledge to a wider audience of visitors. It is a goal that the whole Foundation has been working on: we have been questioning the physical and digital obstacles, the words and ways of communicating, the spaces that you go through. With this project we can say that we have improved first of all.”

The project focused particularly on the Foundation’s park, one of the largest green spaces in Venice’s historic center, with its 700 trees of 32 different species and nearly 400 shrubs. This park has a long history, originating in those vegetable gardens depicted in Jacopo de Barbari’s view of the 1500s, which in the 18th century were replaced by a system of fan-shaped avenues, starting from the Palladian Upper Room. A living park in continuous transformation, which in the 1950s saw the appearance of the Green Theater and in 2018 the Vatican Chapels. The project actions have been multiple and have included the reconfiguration of some spaces, the securing of paths, the implementation of signage, the introduction of tactile maps, interventions on the greenery and the purchase of stair lifts.

On the digital and virtual side, the project focused on several interventions to make the island known to those who cannot physically reach it. The Giorgio Cini Foundation website was updated to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, with the inclusion of information videos subtitled in LIS (Italian Sign Language) and IS (International Signs), as well as a specific FAQ section.

A new web-app was also created, which uses push notifications to facilitate orientation on the island and provide detailed information regarding green areas. Wifi service has been expanded, and QR codes have been included to allow visitors to discover information about the park’s trees.

As Renata Codello points out, “in the collective imagination, the term ’accessibility’ is connected to the concept of overcoming architectural, hence physical, barriers. But the possibility of enjoying spaces and places in their entirety embraces a broader meaning, considering the many obstacles that prevent access to content. The goal we set ourselves is to optimize the autonomy of each person while visiting the island, which means creating new experiences, including multisensory ones.” This led to the idea of planting new aromatic plants for an olfactory pathway (mint, oregano, lemongrass, rue), as well as a series of interventions on the trees to restore the perceptual connections between spaces.

The project was also an opportunity for training and cultural exchange. Not only were two scholarships established, but Foundation staff underwent specific training on safety, reception, and communication. The advice of Dr. Valeria Bottalico, an art historian and expert in cultural accessibility projects, was invaluable.

Of particular interest was the collaboration with theUniversity of San Marino during the 2023 Architecture Biennale and within the activities of the ’Guest Host’ pavilion. Conceived as a permanent laboratory, it gave rise to a workshop with and about the Giorgio Cini Foundation, which involved students from theIUAV University of Venice and the Hochschule für Technik in Stuttgart. During these workshop meetings, innovative tools for accessibility were created, such as a tactile booklet and a tactile library. These tools enable an accessible exploration of the ten Vatican Chapels.

The Foundation intends to activate from spring 2025 a calendar of free tactile and sign language tours: in this regard, it is working to build a partnership with ENS (Ente Nazionale Sordi) and UICI (Unione Italiana dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti) to ensure accessibility to the island for their members as well. The activities included in the call for proposals have been joined by a new technological experimentation as part of a three-year collaboration with San Marco Group, a leading company in the building paints and varnishes sector: the goal, to enhance the historical and artistic heritage of the area where the company was founded. The initiative is part of a larger project that San Marco Group supports through the promotion of restorations of important works and the activation of scholarships.

Thanks to this partnership, in fact, an app has been developed to enhance the experience of visiting The Marriage at Cana: designed in collaboration with iGuzzini SpA, the app provides ten audio passages that narrate the work, while a series of spotlights focus on different details in sequence: the scene of the biblical episode is explained and the collaboration between Paolo Veronese and Andrea Palladio is explored in depth, as well as providing information on the creation of the facsimile. The short audios reach visitors’ mobile devices via push notifications helping to improve enjoyment especially for those who need audio and video aids and those with ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Renata Codello emphasizes how the range of interventions in favor of accessibility and inclusiveness is “another step taken to meet the path toward the sustainability goals set out by the UN Agenda 2030 and endorsed by the Venice Foundation World Capital of Sustainability, of which we are a part. But first and foremost it is one more step to honor the idea of Vittorio Cini, who from the very beginning envisioned an island and a foundation open to all and everyone.”

Venice, the Giorgio Cini Foundation becomes more accessible and inclusive with physical and digital interventions

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