Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourist Offices Abroad
ENIT
(Italian National Tourist Office;
www.enit.it
)
, the Italian National Tourist Office,
maintains offices in over two dozen cities on five continents. Contact information for all
offices can be found on its website.
Travellers with Disabilities
Campania is not an easy destination for travellers with disabilities. Cobbled streets, hair-
raising traffic, blocked pavements and tiny lifts make life difficult for the wheelchair-
bound, and those with sight or hearing difficulties. The uneven surfaces at archaeological
sites like Pompeii virtually rule out wheelchairs. However, some city buses, including R2
and R3 in Naples, are set up with access ramps and space for a wheelchair.
The website
www.turismoaccessibile.it
gives a rundown on the disabled facilities at
Naples' museums and hotels and on its transport services.
The
ENIT
(Italian National Tourist Office;
www.enit.it
)
office in your country may be
able to provide advice on Italian associations for the disabled, and information on what
help is available.
Italy's national rail company,
Trenitalia
(
www.trenitalia.com
)
offers a national helpline
for disabled passengers at 199 303060 (7am to 9pm daily). To secure assistance at
Naples' Stazione Centrale, you should call this number 24 hours prior to your departure.
For more information, try the following organisations:
Accessible Italy
( 378 94 11 11;
www.acessibleitaly.com
)
A San Marino-based com-
pany that specialises in holiday services for the disabled.
Consorzio Cooperative Integrate
(COIN; 06 712 90 11;
www.coinsociale.it
)
Situated
in Rome, COIN is the best reference point for disabled travellers journeying in Italy, with
contact points throughout the country.
Tourism for All
(
www.tourismforall.org.uk
)
This group has information on hotels with
access for disabled guests, where to hire equipment, and tour oprators dealing with dis-
abled travellers.
Visas & Permits
Italy is one of 25 member countries of the Schengen Convention, under which 22 EU
countries (all but Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK) plus Iceland, Norway
and Switzerland have abolished permanent checks at common borders.
