Holidays without barriers in Maremma

"Mare per tutti" (The sea for everyone) is the project from the municipality of Grosseto that offers disabled people a free designated space for a week, with umbrella, deck chairs and sunbed, in some beach resorts on the coast of Marina and Principina.

The requirements to access the service are a 100% recognized disability or a declaration of serious disability according to law 104. Requests may also be submitted by non-residents in the municipal area. No more than two companions, family members or friends of the person can be admitted to the assigned station, who in any case cannot be unaccompanied.

At this link you can consult the resorts that are participating in the project.

15 partners and 5 regions including Tuscany collaborated in the European Gritaccess project aimed at creating a Great Tyrrhenian Route that prioritizes accessibility to the naturalistic and cultural heritage with new communication technologies. One of the experimental actions, carried out by the municipality of Grosseto together with the Tuscany Region, concerns the identification of physical and virtual accessibility paths. The map was created by probing the quality of the soil to reveal the level of practicability for tourists who travel by wheelchair or scooter and provides the description of different itineraries to reach and travel through the city center, highlighting the points of historic interest in Grosseto. By consulting it, we find the recommended route to reach the city center from the railway station, the walk on the Medici walls and the city route to visit, including the Archaeological Museum and the Cathedral. The easily accessible routes are indicated by the colour green for pushed wheelchairs, electric propulsion chair, electric hand-cycle, electric scooter and wheelchair segway. On the other hand, yellow indicates the easily accessible sections with electric propulsion supports, but with some difficulties for hand-pushed wheelchairs.

Visit kimap for more information and navigate the map of Grosseto, or download the pdf guide.

The Vela Insieme association is a "sea school" accessible to all, operating in the Grosseto area. Over the years, it has developed its business on this philosophy, making the sea accessible and and creating navigation "tools" for aggregation and integration through the formation of mixed crews, disabled and non-disabled. The difficulties and obstacles of life on the boat can therefore become opportunities for dialogue and communication, for mutual understanding and comparison between all sportspeople.

Cruises and sea trips take place on board three sailing boats. These are three classic cruise boats of 12 and 14 meters, capable of hosting crews of eight. They are deliberately standard boats, in line with EU directives on the defense of the marine environment.
The association has many projects. On the one hand disabled people are offered the opportunity to access and experience normally precluded activities, while at the same time the members of the crew without disabilities have the opportunity to get to know the reality and the daily difficulties of their navigation companions.

Experiencing navigation through Velaterapia positively influences emotional well-being, the participant's self-determination and attitudes towards people with disabilities as well as the elimination of prejudices. The association also organizes "nautical weeks" for small groups of disabled people who are accompanied by expert skippers and nature experts who help new sailors discover sailing techniques as well as the intriguing marine ecosystem.